36th Annual Student Research Conference
The Journey to True Voice: How Family and Community Support Impacts the Willingness for Transgender Individuals to Pursue Voice and Communication Therapy
Quin Quintana
Dr. Ilene Elmlinger, Faculty Mentor
The goal of VAC therapy is to help clients adapt their communication in a way that is congruent with their gender identity. Previous studies on the effectiveness of VAC therapy have relied on testimonies from transgender individuals who come from supportive backgrounds and have thus assumed that access to such services are universal to the transgender community. The goal of this project is to explore the impact of support on an individual’s willingness to pursue VAC therapy. Overall, project questionnaire responses were varied for Keo-Meiser’s models of support in individuals who indicated that they would be willing to pursue VAC therapy if all physical and financial barriers were removed. Individuals who indicated that they would not be willing to pursue VAC therapy indicated high levels of authentic gender self, high levels of gender distress, varied levels of gender resilience, and low levels of social support.
Keywords: Communication Disorders, Transgender, Community Support, LGBTQ
Topic(s):Communication Disorders
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 204-4
Location: SUB Georgian Room C
Time: 11:00