Nancarrow Susan, McGill Nicole, Baldac Stacey, Lewis Tara, Moran Anna, Harris Nichola, Johnson Trish, Mulcair Gail
HealthWork International, Brisbane, Australia.
Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia.
Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2023 Feb;25(1):119-124. doi: 10.1080/17549507.2023.2165149. Epub 2023 Feb 11.
Individuals have multiple intersecting identities, unique perspectives, and experiences which provide opportunities for new ways to interact, support inclusion and equity, and address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This commentary explores the diversity of the speech-language pathology workforce in Australia.
A survey of Australian speech-language pathologists (SLPs; = 1,638) distributed in November and December 2021 explored personal characteristics and experiences of the workforce. Almost 30% of SLPs who responded reported having experiences or perspectives that were relevant to service users and a quarter described other lived experiences, which included disability, cultural and linguistic background, mental health, caring responsibilities, neurodiversity, and being LGBTQI+.
This commentary affirms the value of diversity among allied health professions to enrich practice with individuals and communities. By understanding the diversity of the speech-language pathology workforce and perspectives of historically marginalised or invisible groups, the profession can introduce strategies to more meaningfully engage and support people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives in the workforce and enhance service equity and accessibility for people with communication and swallowing disabilities. This commentary focusses on SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 10.
个体具有多重交叉身份、独特观点和经历，这些为互动、支持包容与公平以及实现可持续发展目标（SDGs）的新方式提供了机会。本评论探讨了澳大利亚言语病理学工作队伍的多样性。
2021年11月和12月对澳大利亚言语病理学家（SLPs；n = 1,638）进行的一项调查，探究了该工作队伍的个人特征和经历。近30%做出回应的言语病理学家报告称有与服务对象相关的经历或观点，四分之一的人描述了其他生活经历，包括残疾、文化和语言背景、心理健康、护理责任、神经多样性以及属于 LGBTQI+群体。
本评论肯定了健康相关专业领域多样性对于丰富与个人及社区互动实践的价值。通过了解言语病理学工作队伍的多样性以及历史上被边缘化或不被关注群体的观点，该专业领域可以引入策略，以便更有意义地让具有不同背景和观点的人参与并支持他们在工作队伍中的发展，提高沟通和吞咽障碍患者的服务公平性和可及性。本评论聚焦于可持续发展目标3、目标4、目标8、目标10。
