Session 2 : Space for reflective practice

Welcome to this space to continue your learning. Within this space, we encourage you to engage in a reflective practice. Through this space, we aim to support you in continuing to delve into the important issues, perspectives, and approaches presented by our speaker, Dr. Betty Yu.

As you continue to engage in this process, we recommend you create a journal - either on paper or on your computer. In this journal, you might consider reflecting on: What do I know about intersectionality of disability and race? How do I know (e.g., lived experiences, professional experiences, formal learning)? What have I learned through this talk? What questions has it raised? Where am I going? How can I continue this learning?

What will you find here?

• A summary of the talk

• Suggested readings to further your reflections

• Refection questions on the topic

We would be so pleased if you would share your thoughts in an anonymised space to share back with learners along this journey together.

Summary

Dr. Betty Yu discussed how normative ideologies about language, race, and disability result in the systematic pathologization of race and the persistent racialization of disabilities in speech-language pathology. She supported this argument using illustrations from her recent work, including:

1. A Disability and Critical Race Theory (DisCrit)-informed critique of the language differences and language disorders distinction in speech-language pathology.

2. The role of colorblind racism in the conceptualization of the ideal speech-language pathologist.

3. How the practice of accent modification perpetuates raciolinguistic discrimination.

Dr. Betty Yu also discussed the implications of these findings for disciplines in the rehabilitation sciences that are rooted in the medicalization and pathologization of difference.

Presentation Slides

Unfortunately, we had a problem with our recording and it evaporated on it's way to the Zoom cloud. Dr. Yu has graciously shared her presentation and it is available below (click on the image and it will open up in a new tab).

Suggested Readings

The University of Alberta's Library has a wonderful set of resources for exploring Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

https://guides.library.ualberta.ca/edi/home.

As you continue your learning, we would recommend you explore these readings.

Yu, B., Horton, R., Munson, B., Newkirk-Turker, B. L., Johnson, V. E., Khamis-Dakwar, R., Muñoz, M. L., Hyter, Y. (2021). Making Race Visible in the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences: A Critical Discourse Analysis. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.

Yu, B., Epstein, L., Tisi, V. (2021). A DisCrit-Informed Critique of the Difference Versus Disorder Approach in Speech-Language Pathology. In R. Horton (Ed.) Critical Perspectives on Social Justice in Speech-Language Pathology. IGI Global.

Yu, B. (2020). Does Accent Modification Do More Harm Than Good? (1 hour talk viewable at https://youtu.be/3W3NN42H2YI. Sponsored by the Asian Pacific Islander Speech-Langugage-Hearing Caucus Speaker Series, December 2020.