To: The Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CFCC) and ASHA Leadership

From: Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Students, Clinicians, Faculty, and Community Members

RE: CFCC & ASHA's communication regarding proposed changes to Speech Language Pathology and Audiology certification standards.

We, the undersigned, urge the CFCC and ASHA to retain the original language in the 2020 certification standards that explicitly affirms cultural competence, equity, inclusion, and responsiveness.

ASHA has proposed the following changes to certification standards, citing concerns about “legal scrutiny surrounding terminology related to cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion.” These changes include:

Speech-Language Pathology Certification Standards

• Standard IV-B: Changing “linguistic and cultural bases” to only “linguistic.”
• Standard IV-G: Replacing “cultural competency and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)” with “person-centered care.”
• Standard V-F: Changing “from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds” to “from culturally/linguistically diverse backgrounds.”
• Standard VIII (Certification Maintenance): Replacing the requirement for PDHs in “cultural competency, cultural humility, culturally responsive practice, or DEI” with PDHs in “person-centered care and/or professional interactions.”

Audiology Certification Standards

• Standard II-A, Item A8: Changing “cultural and linguistic differences” to “cultural and linguistic factors.”
  Standard II-E, Item E3: Replacing “sensitivity to differences in culture, identity, and language” with more general wording.
• Standard II-F, Item F11: Softening the commitment to culture and language in psychosocial counseling.
• Standard V (Certification Maintenance): Eliminating the specific requirement for PDHs in DEI-related topics.

These changes are not just semantic. They mark a clear move away from directly naming the cultural, racial, and systemic realities that shape communication, access, and outcomes for the people we serve.

We acknowledge that ASHA may be facing external pressure. But we believe that removing specific language around diversity, equity, inclusion, cultural competence, and systemic bias is a serious step backward. These concepts are essential to ethical, effective, and responsive practice. They reflect not only research and best practice, but also the lived experiences of our clients, patients, students, and colleagues.

If we do not name systemic inequities, we cannot address them.

We call on ASHA and the CFCC to:

1. Retain the original language in the 2020 standards that affirms DEI-related knowledge and competencies.
2. Reject vague substitutions that obscure the responsibility of clinicians to understand and respond to identity, culture, power, and bias.
3. Uphold the values of equity, access, and justice that many of us believe are central to our profession.

We stand for a profession that names oppression, challenges barriers, and honors the diversity of the communities we serve.

We urge ASHA to do the same.