Speak Out June 2020

Messages of support Our RAP Project Officer, Pauline Weldon-Bowen, is a proud Wiradjuri- Bidjigal woman with a passion for a positive future for the Aboriginal People of Australia. She recorded a NRW ‘Acknowledgement of Country’. Pauline was joined by Eddie Ong 2019/20 SPA Board Director, Association President Tim Kittell and the Associaton's CEO Gail Mulcair who also added their voices in support of National Reconciliation Week. You can also view the videos on the Association's Youtube channel. www. youtube.com/user/SpeechPathAus

My Reconciliation dream

"My name is Tania Harris and I am a proud Aboriginal woman and a proud mother of three children. "Our involvement with speech pathologists began pretty much with the birth of my first daughter 20 years ago. Lisa has cerebral palsy, and so began the years of therapy, therapy and more therapy.

Pauline

"In those early years, and really until quite recently, our Aboriginality wasn’t something that was mentioned or spoken about with any of Lisa’s therapists. It seemed to be something irrelevant to the service she received, and I didn’t think much about it either. Disability wasn’t something that was familiar–I just did what I was told to generally. "I remember one particular program we had to do, It Takes Two to Talk, I think it was called. It was a really long time ago, so I don’t remember exactly what the program involved but I do remember days of theory lessons and then videoing and reviewing of how, and how much I was talking to my daughter. It felt so uncomfortable doing that, this constant talking at her about everything we were doing. Culturally, it was so foreign to our natural way of communicating and being together, it almost physically hurt to communicate in this way. And, I am pretty sure it annoyed my little 4-year-old very much! "Fast forward 15 or so years though, and things have changed. When I talk to her speechie these days, it’s about how we can get Aboriginal language and phrases into her augmented communication device. Can we record an Aboriginal girl as the speech output? It isn’t even me bringing this stuff up often, it’s the speechie. The understanding of how we are together, that non-verbal communication is quite culturally appropriate and doesn’t need "fixing", are just some examples of how the cultural awareness of therapists is so important to families. "My Reconciliation dream is to have our Aboriginal ways of communication more understood and appreciated by Australians of all backgrounds, and that some of our beautiful ways would be incorporated into mainstream communication for everybody."

Eddie

Tim

Gail

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June 2020 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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