Updates  
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

On June 6, 2021, we sent out a survey to current students, alumni and faculty of the UofT SLP program. This survey consisted of 20 questions curated to capture the experiences during training in the SLP program, as they relate to the topic of equity, diversity and inclusion. We collected responses until the end of July 2021 and had 49 respondents. It is our hope that these survey findings will inform policies, practices and support EDI initiatives within the UofT SLP program. This past year, we presented the results to various cohorts including: faculty, the clinical education team and students to gain their unique perspectives on the issues that were raised. We brainstormed strengths and weaknesses of the program in terms of EDI, and discussed action items to make UofT SLP more inclusive.

A summary of the survey findings was presented to faculty and staff during the 2022 annual Spring Faculty Retreat. Focused discussion ensued regarding opportunities to support equity, diversity, and inclusion in the overall MHSc SLP program. The day ended with a commitment from attendees to reflect and review progress at the 2023 annual retreat, in support of EDI within the academic and clinical curricula, among faculty and learners.

In October of 2022, a presentation focused on EDI within clinical education was presented to the program’s clinical education team. The committee provided actionable goals to continue adopting and finding space for EDI principles in all aspects of clinical education in the SLP program. The presentation was generally well-received by the clinical education team and ended with a focus on fostering diversity, allowing for flexibility with accommodations, maintaining a respectful attitude (among students, clinicians, and the department), providing culturally-appropriate care, and being EDI-informed in all aspects of clinical education. 

The Year 2 EDI representatives held a presentation for the Year 2 class in December of 2022. The response from the Year 2 class echoed the responses from the survey; that there is a need for EDI-informed practices within the UofT SLP program. The Year 2 students also expressed an interest in having an opportunity to take the survey, as a way to share their experiences in the program as it relates to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The Year 1 EDI representatives then held a presentation for their class in February of 2023. Positive feedback regarding the realistic and relevant nature of the initiatives was received in addition to various ideas regarding how our EDI practices can be improved. 

Moving forward, the EDI committee is discussing how to implement the action items discussed in the presentations, as well as creating a short-form version of the survey to present to the current students who have yet to share their opinions. This short-form survey would be presented only to the students, every 1-2 years, whereas the full survey would be sent out to students, alumni and faculty after an extended time. The goal of this survey is to continue evaluating the EDI practices on a regular basis, to make our program as inclusive as possible. 

Other initiatives of the committee currently include the Summer Mentorship Program, a program that gives high school students who identify as Indigenous or Black a chance to explore health sciences at the University of Toronto over four weeks in July. The program will be in person this summer, and the EDI committee is at the forefront of organizing the SLP events.