Communication Sciences and Disorders

The field of communication disorders focuses on collaboration among faculty, students, clients and families to meet the needs of individuals with communication disorders. We have high expectations for all of our undergraduate and graduate students and a proven track record of positive teaching and learning experiences. As a helping profession, we take our responsibility seriously to prepare our students to become innovative, critical-thinking professionals.

EDI Mission

At the UWEC Communication Sciences and Disorders program, we know that having a diversity of thought and of voices elevates all of our thought and all of our voices. Because diversity is essential to our work as an institution of social science and a profession of social service, we are committed to the deep and sustained work required to cultivate a culture where equity, diversity, and inclusivity are supported by a spectrum of diverse voices and are woven into the fabric of our department and university. 

We strive to prepare our students to be culturally responsive and culturally humble professionals, to provide equitable and inclusive services, to listen to and learn from others, to celebrate diversity, and to be active participants in advocating for change. We pledge to infuse cultural diversity, cultural humility, and antiracism into all aspects of the CSD Department, including both academic and clinical teaching and training. 

Excellence is driven from redefining knowledge and possibility in a way that necessitates diverse perspectives, listening, discussing, understanding, and working collectively. As we work to meet our mission, we recognize the need for cultural humility and commit to seeking guidance from the works of those who have felt the devastating impacts of oppression, discrimination, and racism. We will intentionally seek out those voices, learn from them, and amplify them so that these contributors are seen and valued.

We will look within ourselves to examine and challenge our own biases, look within our practices and materials to uphold and acknowledge the value of all races, languages, and cultures, and look within our systems to identify and dismantle policies and procedures that maintain the status quo and perpetuate disparities. 

We recognize we will make mistakes. Our goal is to learn from those mistakes, identify culturally or racially insensitive language and practices in the classroom and clinical settings, and change them to create a fluid and functional learning environment for all that sets the standard of practice in the field and as a responsible citizen. 

EDI Actions:

To work toward meeting our mission, our department is currently engaged in the following actions: 

• We have formed an EDI/Anti-racism workgroup to guide and support the implementation of this mission
• We are working closely with students who have volunteered to help guide the implementation of our EDI mission
• We are analyzing our current admissions processes for barriers, revising those processes, and implementing new strategies for recruiting and admitting students from a variety of diverse backgrounds 
• We are seeking new ways to increase the diversity of our faculty and staff, with the goal of providing additional opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to feel welcome, safe, and seen
• We continue to improve our current systems for supporting undergraduate and graduate students from all backgrounds  
• We are offering training opportunities and resources to both faculty and students as we grow together in our understanding of how to support culturally responsive service delivery and dismantle inequities in our educational and healthcare systems
• We plan to map EDI and antiracism content to our curriculum to ensure integration across courses and clinical experiences, as well as to identify and revise curriculum and clinical experiences that do not support our EDI mission
• We are assessing our clinical practices and materials for bias and representation and working to increase our supply of materials needed to provide culturally responsive clinical services across a wide range of diverse populations
• We plan to develop various mechanisms for students to identify and provide feedback on our current curriculum and practices and use this feedback to grow in our ability to provide culturally relevant curriculum and clinical and research experiences

Talk about amazing experiences

The experiences you have in Communication Sciences and Disorders are bound to make a lasting impact on you and those you work with. Whether you engage in faculty-student collaborative research projects, participate in one of our many clinical opportunities or take your studies overseas, you will develop critical thinking and collaborative engagement skills to prepare you for any career path. 

Explore opportunities in CSD