Prior demographic research suggests there is a mismatch between speech-language pathologists’ (S-LP) demographics and client populations, raising concerns regarding culturally and linguistically responsive care. This study surveyed Canadian S-LP students (N=525; 53% response rate) to examine age, sex, gender, language, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic identities. Students were predominantly cisgender females, from higher-income households, and identified culturally as “Canadian.” They spoke 48 languages, though few felt clinically competent in languages other than English/French. Results show increased racial and linguistic diversity relative to practicing clinicians, but male, Black and Indigenous students were underrepresented. Implications and future directions for research are discussed.
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Authors
- Emily Wood, S-LP(C), PhD, University of Toronto
- Mariya Kika, MHSc, Altum Health – University Health Network
- Monika Molnar, PhD, University of Toronto