Speak Out August 2013

Our international committee is drafting a Communication Declaration or Pledge which we will invite people, organisations and political parties around the world to sign up to. The pledge will indicate their support for communication as a basic human right and call for action from governments, organisations and individuals to ensure this is enshrined in policy and in practice. One of our primary objectives is to obtain recognition of communication disorders as a standalone disability with enormous impact on participation. This would provide a powerful tool for influencing policy and funding locally and an impetus to improve the recognition and support of people living with communication disability in our communities. It’s an ambitious agenda. We know these aims will not be achieved overnight and action will need to continue well beyond 2014. But we have a plan, we have a cause worth fighting for and we have a simple compelling message. But we need your help. We need your active, informed and sustained participation to make this campaign a success. We need people power. And you can start right now by starting the conversation. Below are ways to get involved, materials and resources to use, as well as a few stories we believe illustrate why it’s critically important that we speak up for all Australians living with communication and swallowing difficulties. Chris Stone National President How to get involved Sign up to become a Communication Champion. Find out more on the Speech Pathology Week webpage or by emailing marketing@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au Send your campaign slogan

Start the Conversation... Mark’s story

Starting a conversation was something Mark Giller was only able to do by pointing to things he wanted or flicking his hand to reject something. Both receptive and expressive communications were limited to the needs of the present moment. While some spiritual people seek the state of being and living only in the present moment, for Mark it was not a choice. It was the result of a blood incompatibility in his parents (RH-factor) that isn’t a problem today, but in 1952, this was just emerging onto the medical agenda. Mark was the fifth child in his family, with two healthy older sisters, an older brother who died at nine days old from the same condition, and an older brother who was lucky to have the same blood type as his mother. Forewarned, doctors gave Mark a full blood transfusion at birth to save his life; however, Mark was left with Cerebral Palsy profoundly impairing his motor function, profoundly impairing his swallowing (that has nearly cost him his life on numerous occasions and continues to be his primary health concern), causing profound bilateral deafness, and what came to be labelled as profound intellectual impairment. Mark survived and grew into a delightful little boy who played with his siblings and learned idiosyncratic sign language, mostly as a receptive tool (like a self-devised key word signing), that his parents devised in response to specific needs. But Mark had none of the educational opportunities offered to children today who have multiple disabilities. It was perceived by service providers (who were very thin on the ground in those days) that Mark’s deafness combined with his very significant physical disabilities and perceived intellectual impairment meant that learning complex communication skills was too much to hope for. The focus of Mark’s early learning was undertaken mainly by family and centred around self-help skills:

for the chance to win Go to the website for more information. Raise awareness in your local community

Go to http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/spa- news-a-events/speech-pathology-week for resources and activity ideas to start the conversation in your area.

Speak Out August 2013

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