Welcome.
Come in.
I am glad you are here.
How are you today, as you begin reading about culture, language, and identity in speech-language pathology?
I hope everything is wonderful in your world!
But I get it. Things might not be so great.
You might be hurting. You might be distracted or anxious. You might be skeptical, or confused, or even scared. You might have found this website because a specific question is bothering you.
Or you might be straightforwardly upset that you have been required to take a cultural issues course or assigned to read something from a culture and identity website, because you frankly do not see the point or the need.
That’s okay.
Whoever you are, wherever you are starting, whatever you are feeling: That’s okay.
As speech-language pathologists, we are each individuals. We have our own histories, our own lives — our own needs, journeys, goals, and opinions. We start from there, as we start our work.
But that’s only the beginning!
Regardless of our individual starting points, we as speech-language pathologists in the United States also all live and work within a shared dynamic context that combines continually evolving norms, expectations, requirements, regulations, laws, and events. Our society’s history and our profession’s history shape our current practice. Our clients and colleagues bring their own histories, lives, needs, journeys, goals, and opinions. We live and work surrounded by culture, language, and identities — our own, our clients’, our colleagues’, and our society’s.
In other words: Our work as speech-language pathologists requires us to engage routinely and thoughtfully with everything that culture, language, and identity can mean.
So come in!
I am glad you are here. Join us.
The 27 modules collected in this website focus on client-centered, culturally and individually appropriate speech-language pathology, which I equate with high-quality, effective, ethical, person-centered and professional efforts to help all people and each person with their speech, language, and related needs. We will build from some fundamentals about culture, language, identity, and professional requirements in the first Sections to some more specific ideas for clinical and professional applications later — and then end by thinking about how we want to go forward.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever your starting point might be and whatever your goals might be – My hope is that you might find something here to make you think about how culture, language, and identity influence you, your clients, your colleagues, and our profession. You are starting in a unique place, and your journey is yours alone, but there is also a lot we can do together. And maybe we can chat a bit along the way!
Okay… so… What do I do next?
First, make yourself a cup of tea, or grab some water, or whatever your preference might be. Then sit back and read for a while. Then talk to your friends, colleagues, students, instructors, and supervisors about what you found. Maybe even try something new at work tomorrow, based on what you read!
How is it organized?
The bulk of this website is organized using seven larger “Sections,” each of which contains between three and five “modules.” I’ve tried to build in several navigation options, so I hope at least one of them is a good fit for your brain.
The Home page is always linked in the header and in the footer. The Home page has a list of the seven Sections, with descriptions and links.
The Sections links in the header will get you to the landing page for any of the seven Sections. From there, you can read about that Section, read about the modules in that Section, and get to any of individual modules in that Section.
The List page that is linked in the header is a complete but plain Table of Contents, with links to all Sections and all modules (but no descriptions or explanations).
Watch for the navigation buttons at the bottom of most pages, too.
Caveats and Disclaimers
This website focuses on speech-language pathology in the United States. I would be delighted to learn that other people are reading, but my intent was to develop materials that fit the specific cultural, linguistic, clinical, professional, and instructional needs and concerns of speech-language professionals and students in the U.S.
My jobs have informed my professional opinions, but I do not speak for the University of Georgia, for Athens Technical College, or for any of their departments or units. Similarly, parts of this website use and expand on materials provided by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and by their associated Council on Academic Accreditation, but I have no authority at all to speak for either of those entities. The opinions expressed in this website are my own and do not reflect any position held or not held by any other person, institution, or organization.
If you are here because you have a specific question about how to work with a specific “kind” of client, you probably will not find the specific answer you are looking for in these pages. That’s not my approach, and that’s not how this website is designed (see Module 5 to help you understand why, or you might find parts of Section Five to approach the information you thought you were looking for). But stick with us! Culture, language, and identity mean much more than “What do they believe?” or “How should I do assessment with them?” We’ll help you develop your own answers in ways that will benefit you, your clients, your practice, and our profession.
And this site is absolutely a work in progress! (See the Blog.) You’re going to find blank pages and incorrect links. Sorry. I’m working on that.