Equity & Inclusion

We acknowledge that systemic racism is embedded in society, in academia, and in our field, and results in the unfair treatment of individuals, with outcomes that include trauma and suffering of racialized and minoritized people. We are committed to implementing practices, instructional methods, and clinical training approaches that are equitable and inclusive for students, faculty, staff, visitors, and clients.

Ongoing work by the faculty and staff include:

  • Development of learning objectives to address equity and inclusion in all SLHS courses
  • Use of inclusive teaching and mentoring practices in the classroom/clinic
  • Increasing opportunities for all students to receive training in working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations
  • Faculty training from experts in Diversity and Inclusion on anti-racism and inclusive teaching 
  • Long-term hiring strategies that center work on underrepresented populations and create more mentoring and research experiences for underrepresented students
  • Creating/refining department policies/procedures for reporting/responding to instances of non-inclusive actions
  • Identifying and connecting students with campus support services through the SLHS HUB and individual faculty – student mentoring
  • Dialogue and collaboration with student groups supporting underrepresented groups, including through the Community Meeting and associated anonymous reporting options.
  • Creating better ways to incorporate our alumni and the broader community into these efforts

Policies/procedures are available on the Departmental Policies/Actions page.

The Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination -- in the classroom, the clinical setting, and the workplace.  The University of Arizona Office of Institutional Equity provides education and support for these efforts.

The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University prohibits discrimination in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information and is committed to maintaining an environment free from sexual harassment and retaliation.