Name
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)About
Location
MarylandOrganization/Facility
Health CareWebsite
ASHADiversity Recruitment Microsite
Initiative Categories
Focus Areas
- Cultural Responsiveness
- Dialect
- Gender
- Multilingualism
- Race/ethnicity
- Underrepresented populations
Summary
Background
ASHA has had a longstanding commitment to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the audiology and speech-language pathology professions. Although we've created a variety of programs, products, and services to support a diverse membership and culturally responsive practice, creating a shift in demographics within the professions requires significant organizational investment in promoting communication sciences and disorders (CSD) careers to a younger audience.
In September 2021, we re-launched ASHA's Hearing and Speech Careers microsite (V2) to
- feature video testimonials from current CSD students and early-career professionals,
- showcase the power of diversity in audiology and speech-language pathology, and
- show students how they can serve a variety of communities as future CSD professionals.
Re-designed with a new theme—“Representation Matters”—this microsite was created for high school and college students exploring careers in CSD. Site visitors can learn about becoming an audiologist or speech-language pathologist, the wide range of CSD career options, and how to get started on their journey.
Implementation
- Phase 1: Shifted the microsite focus to story-driven content as a way of promoting engagement among and by site visitors.
- Phase 2: Created awareness of the microsite among school counselors, audiologists, and SLPs to share with students interested in STEM, health care, teaching, world languages, and/or linguistics-focused careers.
- Phase 3: Promoted content through targeted social media channels such as Instagram, Spotify, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
Outcomes
- There was a substantial uptick in overall site analytics, marked by a +284% increase in total user visits (16,799 users in 2021 compared with 64,568 users in 2022).
- We saw a significant increase in users through paid search advertising—up from 5,047 in 2021 to 51,605 in 2022.
- In the 42nd Annual EXCEL Awards competition, ASHA earned the 2022 Silver Award for the “Representation Matters” video series.
Future Directions
More than 20% of U.S. households use a language besides spoken English—and that number is growing. Yet, currently, only 8.4% of ASHA members self-identify as multilingual service providers, including sign and manually coded languages.
Certified CSD practitioners provide cross-linguistic clinical services with language assistance; however, multilingual service providers fill a critical need in CSD and their communities by expanding access to language-matched speech, language, and hearing services. Thus, ASHA has prioritized the recruitment and retention of multilingual service providers.
New Project Phases
- Phase 4: Conduct user experience research with students and members to better understand what multilingual students look for in future careers, what entices them to explore CSD careers, and what supports multilingual students need in order to complete their CSD training programs. (2023)
- Phase 5: Revamp microsite content to include content specific to the multilingual students' experiences, interests, and needs. (2024)
- Phase 6: Promote the microsite (V3) via paid digital media on social platforms with targeted messaging that meets multilingual college and high school students where they are—and at the right time. (2024–2025)
- Phase 7: Engage in widespread outreach with collaborators—both internal (ASHA members, CSD programs, CSD students) and external (related professionals, high school students, communities)—to introduce CSD professions and career planning resources to students. (2025)
For More Information
See the Hearing and Speech Career website or contact Andrea Pluskota at apluskota@asha.org.
This initiative was submitted on May 29, 2024.