Preservice training to meet the needs of people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

The provision of speech-language pathology and audiology services to persons from culturally and linguistically diverse populations is changing. Researchers have indicated that many current ASHA certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists do not perceive themselves as competent to provide services to individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds due to the paucity of this information during their professional education (Campbell, 1986; Shewan & Malm, 1989; Snope, 1982). ASHA has attempted to meet the needs of individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who are communicatively impaired and students and practitioners through the latest revisions of the requirements for the Certificates of clinical Competence and through ESB accreditation requirements for university training programs. This article discussed several important needs associated with university training programs for speech-language pathologists and audiologists that must be considered as the professions respond to the needs of specific service populations.