Speak Out August 2013

New online initiatives and ASHA meeting

New SPA online Member Communities S Peech pathology Australia’s new Member Communities are open to all members with an interest in: • Disability • Education and learning • Private practice • Rural and remote issues • Working with developing communities • Being a student • Apps and mobile devices. These communities provide a general forum in which members can share information and receive peer support. They allow views to be shared, provide opportunities for collaboration, support and the extension of professional networks within the Association nationally and internationally. Discussions have already started in all the groups and they are already proving to be a valuable way of meeting and interacting with your fellow speech pathologists. They’re easy to join – just go to the ‘Guide to Member Communities’ document via the website, follow the link to the community/ies you are interested in and ask to join. We’ll check you are a current financial member and, if you use a different name on Facebook, check your membership name and number before admitting you to the Community. Why Facebook? practical platform for an online Community that many members are familiar with and already use. The use of a platform such as Facebook wasn’t a decision taken lightly and many options were explored. We understand that our Communities will not be hosted on the preferred platform of all of our members, but in weighing up options in terms of cost and accessibility, ease of use and member feedback, it was the most viable platform. We encourage you to join as many Communities as you want and if you need help or would like to talk through the platform or purpose of the Communities, email support@ speechpathologyaustralia.org.au or call 1300 368 835 . Felicity Burke National Coordinator Member Networks Communication Research Registry – an exciting initiative for EBP! O ne of the significant events of the 2013 National Conference was the launch of the Communication Research Registry, an initiative developed by the University of Queensland and proudly supported by SPA. The Communication Research Registry is designed to support research in the area of communication disability by: • facilitating recruitment of participants for research projects nationally • maintaining a register of children and adults with communication disability Facebook is one of the most well known and used social networking sites. Member feedback, usage statistics and ease of use show that Facebook is a

• providing information on current research projects in communication • providing a forum for researchers to suggest research topics in areas of need • promoting collaboration between clinicians and researchers. The Registry is open to anyone who would like to be involved in communication research including people with communication disability, friends and family of people with communication disability, the public and those who work in the field such as speech pathologists and audiologists. Importantly, the Registry will have a national focus as it extends to include participants and researchers from all over Australia. The Registry has already attracted much interest, both at a local and national level, with many speech pathologists expressing keen interest in its development. As one of the key objectives of the Association is the promotion of evidence-based practice within the profession, SPA has committed to supporting the Registry with a $40,000 financial contribution in 2013, with additional funding proposed over the next two years. I urge all members to visit the Registry’s website at www.crregistry.org.au for further information. Michelle Foley National Coordinator Scientific Affairs ASHA and SPA CEO talk associations! A recent opportunity to catch up with ASHA CEO, Arlene Pietranton, as part of a delegation of American Association Executives, was both positive and informative. The delegation from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) visited Sydney to attend the Associations Forum National Conference and to hold meetings with a range of Australian CEOs. Of particular interest is that Arlene Pietranton of ASHA is the incoming ASAE Chair and was very interested in the policies,

practices and issues for Australian associations. It was concluded that while there are legislative and political differences across our countries, there were many common

issues, challenges and opportunities for associations experienced by all. As part of extensive discussion on

SPA CEO Gail Mulcair and ASHA CEO Arlene Pietranton.

governance, SPA’s recent change in constitution and the move to a skills-based board was of interest to many present, and we were congratulated on achieving this with such a high level of support from members. Gail Mulcair Chief Executive Officer

Speak Out August 2013

9

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au