Speak Out Feb 2020 DIGITAL EDITION. pdf

Association news

10,000 members & climbing

report outlined eight aspirations for the profession as it approached the future. These include services for all, client and community driven service delivery, and a diverse and dynamic workforce. The Association recognised early that these aspirations could not be reached by the profession without partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. In seeking to develop truly collaborative partnerships that are based on shared decisions and power, the Association recognised the harms that past ways of working inflicted and committed to forging a future that is truly collaborative with all Australians. The Apology is accessible on the Association’s website . Awards In 2019, the Association awarded Life Membership to Professor Jennifer Oates and Professor Deborah Theodoros. Fellowship of Speech Pathology Australia was awarded to Professor Kirrie Ballard, Dr Elisabeth Harrison, Professor Patricia McCabe and Ms Barbara Lyndon. The Service to the Association Award was presented to Ms Erin Coonan and Ms Jenny Moody. Change of leadership At the Joint Conference in Brisbane in June 2019, Gaenor Dixon stepped down after four years as National President, and eight years as a Director of the Association. Gaenor was succeed as National President by Tim Kittel. Belinda Hill was selected as Vice President Communications, and Brooke Sanderson as Vice President Operations. Digital world What a year digitally! By the end of 2019, the Association had 11,000 followers for its Twitter handle, @speechpathaus, and 21,816 likes on its Facebook page. Add to this the 6571 followers on the Association’s Instagram account and 5653 followers on LinkedIn. The Association also continues to support 17 membership Facebook groups or communities. In 2019, the Association also launched its new podcast series , Speak Up , with 26 episodes in its first five months. Innovation Awards Pursuant to the aspirations outlined in the Speech Pathology 2030 report, the Association’s Board of Directors, early in 2019, approved the implementation of the Speech Pathology Australia Innovation Awards. Two awards were introduced to promote and support innovation across Professional Practice and Research. The winners of the inaugural Innovations Awards 2019 were Bronwyn Sutton in the

Professional Practice category for her innovation: ‘The Learning App Guide to Autism and Education’; and Rebecca Amery in the Research category for her nomination, titled: ‘Collaborative design and development of aided AAC system prototypes for Yolnu living with Machado-Joseph Disease’. United Nations Speech Pathology Australia, with the support of The Royal College of Speech Language Therapists (RCLST), American Speech–Language–Hearing Association (ASHA) and the International Communication Project (ICP), hosted a dedicated side event on 12 June as part of the activities surrounding the 12th session of the Conference of State Parties (COSP) to the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The side event was titled, 'People with Communication Disabilities Speak Up for Inclusion and Participation: How the implementation of the CRPD and Sustainable Development Goals can support this right'. The Association’s forum was one of 88 events scheduled during the COSP, which ran alongside the main conference’s, the UN General Assembly and Roundtables, and a Civil Society Forum. Additionally, the Association took the opportunity to deliver two intervention statements during the Civil Society Forum and the General Debate sessions. The statements were delivered by the Association’s Vice President, Communications, Belinda Hill, and Chief Executive Officer, Gail Mulcair.

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February 2020 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Speak Out