Anti-Racist Practice & Cultural Responsiveness Policy
Date Reviewed: 14th October 2026
date effective: 23rd november 2023
Next Review Due: 14th October 2027
1. Introduction & Core Philosophy
This policy outlines my active commitment to providing anti-racist, neuro-affirming, and culturally responsive speech and language therapy services.
True therapeutic safety requires moving beyond passive “cultural awareness.” I recognise that systemic racism, diagnostic biases, and institutional inequalities directly impact healthcare and educational outcomes, particularly for Black, Brown, and Global Majority children and their families. This practice operates with an explicit commitment to dismantling these barriers across all clinical assessments, therapeutic interventions, and advocacy work.
This policy aligns with the mandatory standards of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), and the Equality Act 2010.
2. Purpose & Objectives
- Embed an explicit anti-racist framework into every stage of speech and language therapy practice.
- Prevent the racialised mischaracterisation, over-disciplining, or under-diagnosis of neurodivergent Global Majority individuals.
- Ensure clinical assessments actively account for linguistic diversity, cultural nuance, and systemic barriers rather than pathologising differences.
- Promote a therapeutic environment where clients and families feel safe, respected, and free from tone-policing, white-normative expectations, or cultural masking.
3. scope
This policy applies to all clinical assessments, 1:1 therapy sessions, school consultations, training delivery, multidisciplinary meetings, and educational resource creation provided by ADHD SLT.
4. Anti-Racist Clinical Assessment & De-Biasing
Standardised speech and language assessments frequently rely on white, Western, monolingual normative data. To counteract this inherent bias, my practice commits to:
- Linguistic Discrimination Awareness: Actively distinguishing between a speech/language disorder and a natural language difference or dialect (including African Caribbean English, multi-ethnic urban dialects, and bilingualism). Dialects and linguistic variations are never treated as clinical deficits.
- Culturally Responsive Assessment: Evaluating skills holistically across all languages spoken where English is an additional language (EAL), drawing on dynamic assessment, parental insight, and observational profiling over rigid standardised metrics.
- Challenging Racialised Stereotypes: Actively rejecting and deconstructing tropes that weaponise neurodivergent traits against Global Majority children such as tone-policing, misinterpreting ADHD impulsivity/passion as “aggression,” or mislabelling trauma/overwhelm as “defiance.”
5. Representation in Resources & Interventions
Diverse & Authentic Role Models: Therapy resources, visual supports, and educational games are intentionally designed to celebrate women and People of the Global Majority (PGM) year-round—not solely during dedicated awareness months.
Affirming Interests: Therapy approaches integrate the client’s genuine cultural traditions, storytelling methods, and individual passions, treating lived identity as a therapeutic strength rather than a distraction.
6. Active Multi-Disciplinary Advocacy & Allyship
Where clients, families, or collaborating colleagues face institutional discrimination, tone-policing, or dismissive attitudes within educational or healthcare settings, this practice will:
- Provide objective, neuro-affirming, and culturally grounded clinical documentation that protects children from punitive school disciplinary measures.
- Stand in active solidarity during multidisciplinary meetings (e.g., EHCP panels, TAC meetings), using clinical authority to amplify the voices, decisions, and lived experiences of Global Majority parents and carers.
- Refuse to act as a “respectable intermediary” that waters down or circumvents concerns raised by families.
7. Continuous Learning & Reflexivity
Anti-racist practice is an ongoing commitment rather than a static qualification:
I commit to regular self-reflection, actively examining unconscious biases, white privilege, and the historical intersections between eugenics, racism, and developmental diagnostics.
I continuously engage in independent, ongoing professional development led by Global Majority clinicians, neurodivergent advocates, and anti-racism educators.
8. Zero Tolerance for Discrimination
I maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards racism, xenophobia, colourism, and discriminatory conduct:
- Any discriminatory behaviour, microaggressions, or harassment toward clients, families, or collaborating professionals will be challenged directly and addressed immediately.
- Transparent complaints procedures are readily accessible to any client who feels their cultural or racial identity has not been fully respected or affirmed.
9. Monitoring & Policy Review
This policy is reviewed annually to ensure it reflects current anti-racist scholarship, clinical guidance, and community feedback.
Contact & Governance
For any queries regarding this policy or to provide feedback:
Jamie Louise Hollis
Website: www.adhdslt.co.uk
Email: adhdslt@outlook.com
Signed: Jamie Louise Hollis, ADHD SLT
Speech and Language Therapist, BSc (Hons), MHCPC, MRCSLT