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Lived Experiences of Speech-Language Pathology Students With Disabilities in Their Clinical Training
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Lived Experiences of Speech-Language Pathology Students With Disabilities in Their Clinical Training

Anu Subramanian, Stacie M Hatfield and Erin Redle Sizemore
American journal of speech-language pathology
05/29/2026
DOI: 10.1044/2026_AJSLP-25-00329
PMID: 42212976

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Abstract

There is an increase in the number of students with disabilities who are pursuing speech-language pathology as a degree, but there is limited information regarding their clinical education experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the lived experiences of current and former speech-language pathology students with disabilities as they complete their clinical training programs. Thematic analysis was conducted on the transcripts of 20 participants' interviews related to their experiences in clinical training. Meaningful units and themes were gathered from the data by the three researchers following the framework from Braun and Clarke (2022). Following the development of themes, participants were invited to review the themes to indicate whether they captured their experiences as students with disabilities in speech-language pathology. Three themes-the lived experience of disability, the role of faculty, and the impact of systemic factors-were identified from 221 meaningful units related to the research questions. Some of the subthemes that were also noted were as follows: (a) It's hard/student burden, (b) proactive self-advocacy, (c) value of disabled identity, (d) supportive faculty/program, (e) gatekeeping or reexamining what it means to be a speech-language pathologist, and (f) perceived discrimination, among others. Experiences of students with disabilities were varied in their clinical training programs. Positive and negative experiences spanned systemic, programmatic, and individual levels.

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