Defining ableism in speech pathology practice: A modified scoping review

Background: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) advocate to give people with disability a voice: eliminating ableism and creating safe inclusive spaces is central to this role. As a helping profession, understanding that SLP practices may perpetuate ableism can be confronting and viewed as an attack on one’s intentions (DeThorne & Gerlach-Houck, 2023). Central to safe practice is for clinicians to critically reflect on and question their evaluations, assumptions and prejudices, which is where ableism often lies (Larkin & Pepin, 2013). Despite recognition of the need to address ableist behaviours in society and the workplace, professional association guidance documents do not present a consistent collective understanding of ableism within the context of speech pathology.
Aim: To analyse how ableism is defined within speech pathology practice.
Method: A modified scoping review was undertaken applying the Preferred Reporting items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines (Page et al., 2020).
Results: Twenty-one articles underwent analysis. Eleven articles (52.38%) were from a single journal edition. Most were commentary (n=11, 57.14%) and from US authors (n=16, 76.19%). Where an article included participants these were mostly paediatric (85.71%) and involved ableism experienced by people who stutter or are autistic. Definitions of ableism were stated: (1) explicitly with supporting citations; (2) implicitly with supporting examples; and (3) indirectly. Foci of definitions identified similarities related to: beliefs, values, ideas and assumptions; discrimination and prejudice; and institutionalised and systemic ableism; however, differences were also evident.
Conclusion: A consensus definition of ableism in SLP practice does not exist. Adopting a consensus definition of ableism is crucial for supporting SLPs to consistently recognise and eliminate ableist behaviours, and for workplaces to actively embed anti-ableism frameworks into their systems, structures, and policies to create a more inclusive and equitable environment for all.