Speak Out December 2019 V2 DIGITAL EDITION

Mary-Ruth Mendel exploring a book with a young learner on Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory.

Leading the way in bilingual educational resources

Mary-Ruth Mendel, Co-Founder and Inaugural Co-Chair of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) is a speech language pathologist, specialising in literacy and language learning difficulties. ALNF, established in 1999, is a national charity dedicated to raising language, literacy and numeracy standards in Australia. Under the leadership of Mary-Ruth Mendel, along with co- founder Kim Kelly, ALNF delivers life-changing literacy programs, with a particular focus on engaging Indigenous, refugee and disadvantaged communities. Mary-Ruth has spent more than 30 years utilising international speech pathology research on literacy and learning as the basis for ALNF’s highly-regarded and effective programs. She is the author of ALNF’s Early Language and Literacy (EL&L) program, the Learning to Read and Write in First Language program and Coding Aboriginal Languages for Indigenous Literacy (CALIL) program. ALNF’s flagship EL&L program is a best-practice program underpinned by speech pathology principles for early years education. EL&L builds the capacity of educators, parents and community members to support children’s development in the foundational language and literacy skills required for success at school and in later life. Within this program alone, ALNF is currently working with 260 adults to support over 4,000 children in marginalised communities across the nation. Results across remote, regional and urban contexts demonstrate that in the past year, over 90% of children engaged in the EL&L program improved their phonological awareness, which is widely acknowledged as the vital precursor to reading and writing

development. The success of this program, authored by Mary- Ruth, means that these children will be prepared to start school ready to engage, succeed and thrive. Mary-Ruth has also firmly positioned ALNF as a leader in working alongside Indigenous communities to record and develop teaching materials in their First Languages. She holds an unwavering commitment to First Languages as a national, cultural and educational priority to be valued in both Australia’s education system and society more broadly. Because of this, she has helped to lead the way in the development of ground-breaking bilingual digital educational resources. Mary-Ruth’s speech pathology background has led to the development of ALNF’s Living First Language digital platform, which addresses the urgent global need to revitalise, preserve and teach Indigenous First Languages through community- driven, interactive and dynamic digital literacy apps. This technology bridges cultural divides, encourages literacy and, most importantly, puts First Languages firmly back in community members’ hands to pass on to the next generation. The platform has been internationally recognised for its innovation as finalist in the Google Impact Challenge 2016, winner of the 2019 SXSW ‘Innovation in Connecting People’ award and winner of the 2019 MIT Solve Early Childhood Challenge. Mary-Ruth is resolute in her determination to use speech pathology principles to empower Australia’s most vulnerable communities with the skills needed to participate meaningfully in society, help ensure freedom from poverty and violence, and ultimately, to have a voice.

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December 2019 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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