October2013_SpeakOut

From our President

I t is with great pleasure that I write this editorial as the new President of Speech Pathology Australia. I am deeply honoured to have been appointed to this position and hope that over the next couple of years, I can provide the leadership and vision that is worthy of the Association and its members. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Chris Stone, the immediate past President for her exemplary leadership, tireless commitment, and her strategic direction of SPA across almost four years. I would also like to thank Chris for her assistance in easing me into this role. Chris, you have earned a well-earned rest. Thank you! The next few years are shaping up to be very exciting indeed for the Association. The Strategic Planning day held in August heralded a renewed vision for the Association based on values and strategic imperatives that reflect the current and future environments in which our members will practice. The Plan was developed through consultation with key stakeholders and members of the profession and drew heavily upon the input from members through the Strategic Planning survey completed prior to this event. The Plan is currently being formalised at National Office and will be distributed to all members in due course. Speech Pathology Week is now over for another year, and there is little doubt that this was a resounding success as reported in this issue of Speak Out . When over 200 activities occurred across the week, and over 1 million people were part of a conversation about communication, it is not hard to conclude that the message about speech pathology was well-delivered. Thank you to all members and to our staff for making this such a successful event this year.

During Speech Pathology Week, we introduced the International Communication Project 2014 (ICP2014), an international collaboration that aims to highlight the importance of communication and the devastating effects of communication disability on people’s lives around the world. The ICP2014 will be officially launched in January 2014 along with the Universal Declaration of Communication Rights, and will provide a strong focus for our lobbying and awareness raising throughout 2014 and beyond. Both Chris Stone and Gail Mulcair, together with Cori Williams and Pam Richards, attended the IALP Congress in Turin, Italy. Principally, SPA was there to present our bid for the 2019 IALP Congress, but additionally to also represent the Association on a panel discussion around the implications of the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s World Report on Disability , and participate in meetings with our international counterparts who have been founding partners to ICP2014. Unfortunately, our bid for the IALP 2019 was unsuccessful with our colleagues in Taiwan being awarded this opportunity. Despite this disappointment, IALP in other respects was very productive. The Association’s response to the World Report on Disability was highly regarded by delegates. Meetings in relation to ICP2014 culminated in the project being presented to the IALP Board and subsequently endorsed at the IALP General Assembly, thus providing even greater exposure for this important project. There will be a great deal of activity ahead which I am sure members will find stimulating and engaging. I look forward to working with you all.

Deborah Theodoros President

Speak Out October 2013

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