Embracing Theory as Liberatory Practice: Journeying Toward a Critical Praxis of Speech, Language, and Hearing.

Abstract

The purpose of this tutorial is to guide practitioners to a critical praxis of speech, language, and hearing. This tutorial provides a foundational knowledge of critical theory as an approach to framing, conceptualizing, and interpreting phenomena and demonstrates its application to the speech, language, and hearing profession. This tutorial reviews critical theory as a category of frameworks that challenge existing power structures and provides a critical analysis of the profession's approach to language using a raciolinguistic framework. Questions are included for the reader to guide self-reflection and preparation for enacting a critical praxis oriented toward justice. Recommended readings are provided for the reader to continue the journey beyond these pages. The author presents a critical praxis of speech, language, and hearing, drawing directly from two additional critical frameworks: Black fugitivity and culturally sustaining pedagogy. This critical praxis is discussed within the context of three major areas-activism, assessment, and intervention-with a reconsideration of how to leverage skills, resources, and strategies in a way that centers (racial) identity formation and multimodal communication. Next steps are suggested, and readers are invited to become theorists who continue to develop a critical praxis for their context. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22312213.