Speak Out June 2019

Association news

Speech Pathology Week theme is set! COMMUNICATING WITH CONFIDENCE

In 2019, Speech Pathology Week will be from Sunday 25 to Saturday 31 August. The theme for Speech Pathology Week in 2019 is: Communicating with confidence . The theme reinforces the important role that speech pathologists play in the lives of Australians with speech and communication difficulties. Speech Pathology Week seeks to promote the speech pathology profession and the work done by speech pathologists with the more than 1.2 million Australians who have a communication disability that impacts on their daily life. Communication remains a basic human right and Speech Pathology Week seeks to promote this fact. As in previous years, the week will be promoted by a media, digital and social media campaign. A Speech Pathology Week kit will be available for members to purchase. Separate marketing collateral will be supplied to state branches to help promote their own Speech Pathology Week events. For more information about Speech Pathology Week and to order a Speech Pathology Week kit visit the Association’s website: speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/week

Speech Pathology Week 25 - 31 August 2019

Michael Kerrisk Communications and Marketing Manager

Scoping study to support Rwandan refugees

149,289 in a population of 11.8 million (April 2019). This project is helping to identify the next steps in ensuring that Refugees with Communication Disability are able to access appropriate SGBV response and prevention, and Sexual and Reproductive Health Education (SRHE) services. This consultation aims to document current SRHE provision, identify good practice and challenges, understand refugees’ perspectives and make recommendations for possible ways forward. View the full scoping study at www.speechpathologyaustralia. org.au/rwanda

In 2016, at the instigation of UNHCR, Julie Marshall, Manchester Metropolitan University UK, Helen Barrett, Communicability Global Rwanda, and Sidra Anwar, UNHCR Rwanda, carried out a small scoping study and literature review to begin to understand and describe the challenges to supporting refugee- survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) who have a communication disability, in Rwanda. This project was support in part by a Speech Pathology Australia Working with Developing Communities Grant. Rwanda has a significant refugee and asylum-seeker population

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June 2019 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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