22 Speak Out
October 2014
Speech Pathology Australia
BRANCH news
queensland
On 18 August
, Brisbane’s City
Hall played host to a key event
in Queensland’s International
Communication Project (ICP2014)
celebrations. Proudly sponsored by
Brisbane City Council and Speech
Pathology Australia, the event
provided a unique opportunity for
key stakeholders and policymakers
to learn more about the impact of
communication disability, firsthand.
Guests heard from Dr Michelle Owens,
a GP who sustained a brain injury
as the result of a car accident. Dr
Owens bravely shared her journey
of communication difficulty and
rehabilitation, with humour and hope.
Guests also viewed a short video clip
about the experiences of parents of
children with communication difficulty.
Interactive booths enabled guests to
gather further information about the
types of communication disability
speech pathologists work with, such
as Alternative and Augmentative
Communication – complete with eye
tracking demonstrations!
A number of government
representatives joined in the
celebrations, including Senator Glen
Lazarus and wife Tess, Mrs Eleanor
Ketter (wife of Senator Chris Ketter)
and the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Mr
Graham Quirk.
Lord Mayor Quirk told the crowd about
Council’s ‘Access and Inclusion Plan
2012−2017’ which aims to achieve
universal access and inclusion for all
residents of Brisbane, while Senator
Lazarus drew parallels between
his beloved Brisbane Broncos and
communication difficulty. We were
delighted to celebrate the achievements
of distinguished members of the
profession, Professor Liz Ward
(Fellowship Award), Professor Linda
Worrall (Elinor Wray Award) and Dr
Petrea Cornwell (Service Award).
All in all it was a wonderful night;
thank you to all attendees for
supporting the ICP2014 and helping
to spread the message and advocate
for the 1.1 million people living with
communication disability in Australia.
Special thanks goes to event planner
extraordinaires: Bree Ffrench, Pip
Gibbins, Leanne Girola, Breanne
Hetherington, and Susan Park.
Simone Howells
Communications and Public Awareness
Portfolio Co-Lead
As an addendum, the Queensland
Branch would like to acknowledge
the hard work and dedication of the
event coordinator, Simone Howells,
whose tireless efforts contributed to
the overwhelming success of the
evening.
Communication is key: Brisbane celebrates the ICP!
Above, from left: QLD Branch President Alison Smith, National President Deborah Theodoros, Senator Glen
Lazarus and wife, Tess.
Left, Bree
Ffrench, Breanne
Hetherington and
Dennis Lo at the
AAC booth; below,
Lord Mayor Graham
Quirk learns about
eye tracking from
student, Bobbie Ellis.
