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JCPSLP
Volume 16, Number 2 2014
Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology
disabilities, I have been very pleased with Speech
Pathology Australia’s increasing involvement in the disability
sector. The Facebook Speech Pathology Australia Disability
group (
has been particularly useful for knowing how members and
the association can work together to support people with
disabilities. This is a great resource for promoting change.
9 A safe environment for debate and
discussion
Trying to force people to take on your opinion does not
work. People need to be in environments where they can
discuss and debate contentious issues. Condescension
and ridicule are not helpful for changing opinions.
For many years I have worked on something called
HOP: The Hanging Out Program (available via
. The idea
of HOP is very simple: just spend 10 minutes with someone
giving them 100% of your attention. The real benefit of HOP
is, however, the opportunity to discuss the issues that might
act as barriers to this seemingly simple task of being with
someone. In HOP workshops, I try create an environment
where people can discuss issues. For example, How do
you interact with someone who smells? Can you use touch
in interactions? What do you do if someone pushes you
away? There is no one right answer to these questions.
They are issues of ethics that need to be discussed and
explored. Without discussion, issues like these can operate
as permanent barriers to interaction.
10 Lunch and a cuppa
If you are looking to influence service provision, taking time
to have lunch and a cuppa with people is important. When I
worked for a government department many years ago, I
found huge value in going out having lunch at different day
services. The value came from many directions: my own
well-being in being connected to what was important to me
(the people), the service providers could see that I had
integrity in my work (I didn’t just talk about interaction; I did
it), and the people that I served were able to get to know
me, and me them.
less powerful than showing them a video that gets people
to engage with their own emotions about the issue. In a
rather circuitous example, I have been introducing Video
Interaction Guidance (
to professionals in Australia, a practice using video to
reflect and enhance good interactions. I can send out all
the research evidence and talk about projects abroad, but it
is seeing videos of people involved in the practice that has
drawn people in far more than anything else.
6 The humility to take time to understand
the perspectives of others
Stephen Covey, author of
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People
, talks about the need to seek first to understand
and then to be understood. He says, “We typically seek first
to be understood. Most people do not listen with the intent
to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They’re
either speaking or preparing to speak”. Empathic listening
involves a shift to really listening to the other first.
In lobbying for any change, it is helpful to have a good
understanding of the people to whom you are talking. It is
not just about having a distant understanding, but taking
it to the next step. Letting the person know that you are
trying to understand is important, particularly when you do
not necessarily agree with their opinions. Policy-makers and
service deliverers have many competing demands and life
experiences that affect the decisions they make. Take time
to understand these and then share your perspective.
7 Resources on rights
There are many resources on human rights. It is helpful to
have an understanding of both local and international rights’
discussions. Victorians should know about the Charter of
Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006. Australians
should know about UNESCAP’s work looking at Disability
Policy in the Asia and Pacific regions
. Importantly, we should also know about:
•
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities
.
Jo Watson’s work on Listening to Those Rarely Heard
has been an important example of showing the Convention
in practice for people with profound intellectual and multiple
disabilities
.
8 Speech Pathology Australia
I have been a member of Speech Pathology Australia for
many years. As a speech pathologist supporting adults with
Correspondence to:
Dr Sheridan Forster
Speech Pathologist, Private Practitioner (Attentive Engagement),
and Researcher
74 Karingal Drive, Eltham, North Victoria 3095
phone: 0405 190 509
email:
