Revisiting the Rainbow: Culturally Responsive Updates to a Standard Clinical Resource

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Clinical linguistics
• Cultural competency in healthcare

Background:

• Cultural responsivity is crucial for effective and affirming clinical interactions.
• This is particularly vital for marginalized populations, including transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals, seeking communication services.
• Standard diagnostic and training tools may inadvertently hinder inclusive practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To recommend modifications to standard clinical tools for improved cultural responsivity.
• To adapt the Rainbow Passage for use with transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) clients.
• To ensure diagnostic and training methods support an inclusive and affirming clinical environment.

Main Methods:

• The Rainbow Passage, a speech sampling tool, was modified.
• Changes focused on replacing gendered terminology and removing religious content.
• The goal was to maintain phonetic balance and passage length.

Main Results:

• Edited Rainbow Passage retains similar length, cadence, and phonetic properties.
• The modifications consider the cultural and healthcare context for TGD individuals.
• Linguistic adjustments facilitate cultural responsivity and client engagement.

Conclusions:

• Minor linguistic alterations to standardized paragraphs are effective.
• These changes support speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in cultural responsivity.
• Adapted tools promote client engagement and positive clinical outcomes for TGD individuals.