CASLPO News

Recognizing Pride Month 2026

Every June, Pride Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and reflect on the importance of inclusion, respect, and equity in healthcare. At CASLPO, we stand with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and support their right to safe, respectful, and affirming care. 

We know that feeling safe, seen, and respected can have a real impact on a person’s healthcare experience. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists support people at important moments in their lives, whether helping a child communicate, supporting someone through hearing loss, or providing gender-affirming voice care. Creating welcoming and inclusive spaces is an important part of that work. 

Many audiologists and speech-language pathologists support 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals through affirming voice and communication services, inclusive hearing and balance care, and communication strategies tailored to each person’s needs and goals. They also work to provide care that respects a person’s identity, lived experience, chosen name, and pronouns. 

As Ontario’s regulator for these professions, CASLPO helps make sure registrants provide safe, ethical, and culturally responsive care to everyone they serve. Over the past several years, we have taken steps to support more inclusive practice, including: 

• Partnering with Egale Canada to host a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion E-Forum on anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate and transphobia in healthcare; 
• Updating CASLPO documents and forms to use inclusive, non-binary, and gender-affirming language; 
• Developing and sharing the Guide for Equitable and Inclusive Services to help registrants provide respectful, patient-centred care. The Guide recognizes that every person is like no other, like some others; and like all others; 
• Creating FAQs to support the Guide, including guidance on respecting name and pronoun changes; 
• Publishing a newsletter article about using gender-neutral pronouns with children. 

This work reflects the values in CASLPO’s Code of Ethics, which requires audiologists and speech-language pathologists to treat all people fairly and respectfully and provide equitable, inclusive care. 

We also recognize that many 2SLGBTQIA+ people continue to experience barriers and discrimination in healthcare settings. There is still more work to do. CASLPO remains committed to learning, improving, and supporting healthcare environments where everyone feels welcomed, respected, and included.