Speak Out April 2020 DIGITAL VERSION. pdf

Branch News

Working towards cultural competence for students in speech pathology

ACT/ New south wales

As Close the Gap day approaches, students at the University of Technology Sydney have been encouraged to think about the role of speech pathologists in closing the gap and advocating for our profession. Dr Megan Williams has brought her extensive research experience in provision of health and education services for Aboriginal people and their families, to the National Centre for Cultural Competence at the University of Sydney. Previously she led a multidisciplinary team in integrating Indigenous knowledges into postgraduate health programs at the University of Technology, Sydney. Her strengths-based research and knowledge of the differences

research is valuable for speech pathologists working within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to improve the quality of health programs and services, and to advocate for their client’s communication rights and their right to accessible healthcare. Dr Williams’ goals in her new role are to focus on research translation to inform educators and policy makers in the health domain. Speech pathology is a young profession and as a result there are not many Aboriginal students in our courses. As students, we are inspired by Dr William’s to continue to advocate for ourselves, our clients and our profession. By bringing in more Aboriginal students and integrating knowledges from people like Dr Williams, we can ensure that speech pathology services encourage self-determination, and that we are actively working on providing the most appropriate and culturally conscious care to every client. If you are interested increasing your cultural awareness and capacity to provide culturally appropriate care, the National Centre for Cultural Competence offers a free online course about Aboriginal history, cultures, peoples, and languages of the Sydney area. The course is available through Coursera at www.coursera.org/learn/cultural- competence-aboriginal-sydney.

ACT 119 NSW 3071 members as at March 2020

between Aboriginal and Western cultures informs education, clinical practice and policy and procedures in speech pathology. After obtaining her undergraduate degree in human rights, she worked in health promotion among communities that have been treated poorly by mainstream health services. Following this experience, she began to blend health promotion with research, focusing on evaluating programs and services provided to Aboriginal people. She developed her own framework for program evaluation called the Ngaa-bi- nya Framework. This

Vinita Raj and Marina Samaan Student Speech Pathologists University of Technology Sydney

Dr Megan Williams (centre) with University of Technology Sydney students

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April 2020 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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