ECMI Minorities Blog. Towards Equitable Treatment of Speech-Language Impairments in Minority-Language Speakers

Speakers of minority languages often face barriers in accessing healthcare in their preferred language despite legal protection of their language rights. In the Basque Autonomous Community, Spanish and Basque are co-official, yet the public healthcare system does not consistently guarantee services in Basque. Basque-speaking speech-language therapists are particularly hard to find within the Basque public healthcare system. Yet, the critical shortage of clinicians providing speech-language therapy in Basque negatively impacts the diagnosis and treatment of Basque speakers with developmental language disorders or acquired language impairments like aphasia. Training opportunities in the Basque Country have been limited, though a new Speech-Language Therapy degree at the University of the Basque Country offers hope. However, multilingualism remains underrepresented in its curriculum. Addressing the shortage of clinical professionals through targeted educational initiatives and increasing language-specific training in minority languages is essential for equitable healthcare.