This webinar explores how the history of African American Language (AAL) relates to culturally sensitive and responsive practices in communication disorders. The webinar features first-time screenings of several excerpts from “The History of African American Language,” one episode of a documentary series sequel to the Emmy Award-winning “Talking Black in America.” During the webinar, sociolinguist Walt Wolfram and African American Language scholar and SLP Orlando Taylor discuss the impacts of the history of African American Language on clinical practices for professionals working with individuals who speak AAL.

This webinar is part of the SIGnature Series, a collection of webinars developed by volunteers from ASHA’s Special Interest Groups, who share practical, evidence-based suggestions and solutions based on their in-depth knowledge, clinical experiences, and passion for their specialty areas. This webinar was developed by SIG 14: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity and SIG 17: Global Issues in Communication Sciences and Related Disorders.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• Identify milestones in the development of AAL over time
• Discuss societal influences on the history of AAL and how AAL has influenced U.S. culture
• Describe why the history of AAL is relevant to current practices when interacting with individuals who speak AAL

Related Courses

View all the SIGnature Series courses, available through the ASHA Learning Pass subscription or for a la carte purchase.

DEI Professional Development Requirement

This course counts toward the ASHA certification maintenance professional development requirement for DEI (which encompasses cultural competency; cultural humility; culturally responsive practice; and diversity, equity, and inclusion). See more courses that count toward this requirement or read more about professional development requirements for certification maintenance.

Learning Assessment

Self-assessment