Authors

  1. Pillay, Mershen
  2. Kathard, Harsha

Abstract

The professions of speech-language pathology and audiology provide valuable services for persons with communication, hearing, and feeding/swallowing disabilities. However, from a global perspective, mainstream practice discourses represent values from colonial perspectives (called Northern here). As such, they remain largely inaccessible to most people in the world. We argue, from a South African perspective, for a postcolonial or Southern discourse in alignment with other Africans, Latin Americans, and Asians who historically have had limited opportunities to shape professional practices. We use ideology critique (a disruptive tool) to reflect and make visible hegemonic Northern practices. Critical science and decoloniality are offered as pivotal axes for transformation. Decoloniality is discussed in relation to (i) Equitable (ii) Population-based (iii) Innovations for (iv) Communication (EPIC) using illustrative examples of emerging South African practices. We argue for redefining communication disorder professions' cultural borderlands to engage Northern with Southern ideologies critically to strengthen professional practice transformation.