Speak Out August 2020 DIGITAL EDITION

Association news

2020 Speech Pathology Australia Awards are... The Board of Directors was extremely proud to present awards in the following categories at the 2020 Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony. The Board’s appreciation goes to the many people who took the time to research and prepare the nominations that assist the Association in recognising some of our outstanding colleagues. Community Contribution Award And,thewinners

The Community Contribution award is granted by the Association to recognise outside agencies or individuals who have made a significant and valuable contribution to speech pathology. Speech Pathology Australia was pleased to award the Community Contribution award in 2020 to... The City of Adelaide Accepted by Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Sandy Verschoor (pictured). The City of Adelaide has developed comprehensive strategies to support individuals with communication disabilities in accessing services, including libraries, community centres and customer service centres. In partnering with Scope Victoria and private speech pathology practice, ‘Two Way Street’, the City of Adelaide developed a dynamic plan and implementation program, that built upon the city’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan. Staff are trained and confident in supporting a range of communication systems, including the use of a Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display. The Service to the Association Award is granted by the Association to members in recognition of ongoing, valuable and voluntary service to the Association at either a National or Branch level. In 2020, the Association recognised highly deserving member... Cathy Clark Cathy has been a valued contributor to the South Australian Branch, having held the role of Branch Chair from 2009 until June 2019. During this time Cathy fostered close alignment between the Branch and National strategic objectives, managing the Branch’s transition from a portfolio to a strategic structure. In the role of Branch Chair, Cathy was instrumental in mentoring new Branch Executive members and in increasing and retaining student representation within the Branch. Cathy maintained positive connections with the local university program, providing regular first and final year student information presentations.

The City of Adelaide’s commitment to communication access was evident at the

launch of their Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2020-2022, with the provision of an Auslan interpreter, live captioning, easy read PowerPoint slides and a hearing loop. The launch was emceed by an individual with a communication disability, including speech and a personal communication device. This was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate ways communication access can be facilitated in a public forum. The strategies implemented by the City of Adelaide are highly visible, encourage participation and promote inclusion for individuals with communication disabilities.

Service to the Association

Cathy established an online presence for the South Australian Branch and was proactive in growing the membership of the online community. Under Cathy's leadership community awareness increased through initiatives, including Book of the Year story time sessions, the Pregnancy, Babies and Mother’s Expo, Farmers Market stalls and Speech Pathology Week events.

Cathy has also contributed to the national activities of the Association, attending National Strategic Planning workshops, mentoring less experienced Branch Chairs and regularly attending National Conferences.

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August 2020 | Speak Out