Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Addressing and Enhancing Diversity in Academic Programs Vicki R. Deal-Williams American Speech-Language-Hearing Association CAPCSD April 25, 2002

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity What do we mean by Diversity? The state or fact of being different--being of various kinds or forms Enrollment Faculty Curriculum Clients

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Diversity  Culture  Multicultural  Culturally and Linguistically Diverse  Minorities  Racial/ethnic  Bilingual ...

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Diversity is Inclusive

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Diversity includes Culture Values Traditions History Attitudes Behaviors Beliefs Practices Norms

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Culture Shared rules for appropriate behaviors that are learned by an individual as a result of being a member of a group or community

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Does Difference Make A Difference?

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Rationale for Inclusion Customization Responsive to Market Demographics Double standard

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Increasing Sensitivity Providing explanations/rationale for changing behavior Providing evidence that we need to change behavior

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Issues related to Race/Ethnicity and Language

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Race US Census defines 4 racial groups –Whites –African Americans/Blacks –Asians –American Indians and Alaskan Natives Also allows specification of Other Race

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Ethnicity Hispanic/Latino/Spanish population is defined by ethnic group –Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano –Puerto Rican –Cuban –Other (includes S. American and Central American groups)

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity US Population by Race

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity US Population by Ethnicity

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity 2001 ASHA Membership by Race

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity 2001 ASHA Membership by Ethnicity

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity CSD Faculty by Race/Ethnicity

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Master’s Students in CSD Programs by Race/Ethnicity

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity What Do R/E Minority Students Tell Us? Limited knowledge about the professions Can’t get into programs, even with good GPAs Low GRE scores decrease chances for admission Can’t afford to stay in programs Are singled out Are left out

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity What Do R/E Minority Students Tell Us? Are required to be the expert on their group’s behavior Are required to do more than other students in the program Are setup to fail Are given fewer resources Are not given exceptions for reasonable life circumstances Can’t get clinical extern placements they want

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity What Do R/E Minority Faculty Members Tell Us? Are required to be the expert on their group’s behavior Are held responsible for mentoring the minority students, teaching the multicultural classes, etc. Are given fewer resources Are left out Co-workers are insensitive to cultural differences Are setup to fail

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Languages Spoken in US

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Languages Spoken by ASHA Members

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity What do students who are English Language Learners Tell Us? They are not being allowed to complete clinical practicum They are being required to take accent “reduction classes They are being subjected to therapy provided by their peers They are being tracked into non-clinical programs

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity What Difference Does Race/Ethnicity Make? Racial Makeup of the Professions Issues in Admissions Performance on the Praxis Exam Willingness to serve diverse populations

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Qualifications of ASHA members to provide services to multicultural populations

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Questions to ask Yourself How much of what you teach do you expect to be generalizable to any given client? Is that reasonable? What have you done to extend yourself to r/e minority faculty members? How comfortable are you talking about cultural issues/variables?

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Questions to Ask Yourself What information/resources do you have in your area of expertise related to culturally and linguistically diverse populations? Do you know where to find that information? How much discussion occurs in your classes on alternative assessment procedures, how to modify tests and report the use of tests with populations for which the test was not normed?

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Questions to ask at the Program Level How much of an opportunity do your students have to work with r/e minority or bilingual clients? How might we increase these opportunities? Are you meeting the requirement to cover issues related to communication sciences and disorders across culturally diverse groups? What are we doing to recruit students from diverse backgrounds? Have we sought grant funds to recruit these students?

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Questions to ask at the Program Level What are we doing to keep those students we get into our programs? What support do we have in place for students who may need to improve their standard English skills? When was the last time we looked critically at our recruitment tools, materials, and methods, or course syllabi? What have we done to recruit and welcome r/e minority faculty?

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity If you always do what you’ve always done You’ll always get what you always got

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Your challenge--extends beyond sensitivity Change Your Behavior Take information to next level Apply the rationale to identify strategies for change Implement the strategies

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Assumptions to help you meet that challenge Your goals as Academicians: A--Cultural Competence in your role B--Cultural Competence for the clinicians you’re training is ultimate goal A is a prerequisite to B

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Cultural Competence The ability to think, feel, and act in ways that acknowledge, respect, and build upon variables of diversity

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Principles of Cultural Competence Every interaction occurs across cultural lines Avoid stereotyping Flexibility is critical Partnership between all parties involved Culture requires that our competence be dynamic

Addressing and Enhancing Diversity Steps Toward Cultural Competence Self-awareness, self-evaluation, self- critique Knowledge of culture-specific information Skills that enable successful interaction Mutually beneficial advocacy partnership