Understanding and challenging accent bias through collaborative research with community members

Accent bias—unfair assessment of individuals based on their pronunciation—has pervasive repercussions for workplace dynamics and everyday interactions yet remains under-recognised as a form of discrimination. Despite growing research, insights rarely reach non-specialists, limiting broader societal change. We report on a participatory research project that engaged six academic facilitators and 12 community co-researchers across two Canadian cities (Burnaby and Montréal) in understanding and challenging accent bias. Over eight weeks, we participated in discussions and collaborative work exploring experiences of accent bias and developing community-oriented initiatives to promote accent awareness. We analyzed our audio-recorded discussions and written reflections through collaborative thematic analysis, revealing two overarching themes. First, among community co-researchers, a deeper understanding of accent and accent bias emerged, with accents recognised as related to a person’s identity rather than effort or ability, and responsibility for communication reframed as shared between speakers and listeners. Second, community co-researchers viewed themselves as agents of change, engaging in mini-projects focused on awareness-raising, community outreach, and resource creation, which fostered personal and professional growth and a commitment to action for all involved. Our findings demonstrate the value of community–researcher partnerships for challenging accent bias.