Does demographic background affect public perceptions of speech-language pathologists?

The field of Speech-Language Pathology is dominated mainly by white females, with very little diversity (ASHA Leader, 2019). Those from non-mainstream/minority groups may feel they wouldn't be accepted within our field and therefore may not opt into the profession, due to their perceptions of the field being mainstream and not open to diversity. In our study, we wanted to compare how mainstream and minority populations perceive our field based on questions surrounding stereotypes of SLPs. Due to the increase in cultural and linguistic backgrounds in which SLPs serve, we need more diversity in our professionals in order to directly benefit our client populations. Reports on clinical self-efficacy among SLPs working with culturally and linguistically diverse clients (CLO) have not improved, despite recent education efforts made by graduate programs, policy makers, and ASHA. Access to resources and years of training in best-practice with multicultural populations is not enough, and we need to have diverse professionals who feel confident in their abilities to assess and treat CLD clients (Santhanam & Parveen, 2018). This includes clients coming from underrepresented communities as well, such as the LGBTQ+ community. A 2015 study found SLPs self-reported being "comfortable" with this minority population, but were not knowledgeable or adequately prepared to serve them (Hancock & Haskin, 2015). If our profession continues to lack diversity, we will continue to see specific populations being placed in special education at disproportionate rates, due to biased assessment procedures and a lack of cultural competence among our clinicians. The literature clearly states that diversification of professionals in education has been shown to increase the success of minority students (Farrugia-Bernard, 2017). It is important that we acknowledge and address the skepticism others may have about our field. Especially in today's social and political climate, this research is so important, and we need to acknowledge the lack of belonging students of minority backgrounds feel in the field of Speech-Language Pathology and take steps towards creating an accepting, inclusive environment.