Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this viewpoint is to outline and describe the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Speech-Language-Hearing Caucus's initiatives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in speech-language pathology and audiology. Specifically, we discuss the caucus's efforts through research and community advocacy. Through research, the Counter Story Project, led by Breslin et al. (2022), was a qualitative study that documented and analyzed systemic racism experienced by AAPI professionals. Thematic findings revealed microaggressions in professional settings and racial overgeneralizations on AAPIs' communication and cultural upbringing. Through community advocacy, the caucus provides a wide array of programs and events, including Anti-Racism Learning Community, API Speaker Series, Bilingual Assessment and Treatment Resources, Career Panel, API Caucus Research and Clinical Symposium, Graduate School Panel, API Scholarship, and API Mentorship Program. Conclusion: Through these initiatives, the caucus strives for recruitment and retention of AAPI audiologists and speech-language pathologists to achieve its long-term mission of providing accessible and quality speech, language, and hearing services to AAPI communities in the United States.