Speak Out April 2013

Speech Pathology Week

Speech Pathology Week 2013: Start the conversation… 25-31 August

T his year Speech Pathology Week will be a little bit different. We still want you to spread the word about speech pathology. We still want you to celebrate being a speech pathologist. But this year, we want you to start the conversation. You may have heard that we have been working with our sister organisations around the world to create a year dedicated to raising awareness of communication disability – and its here! 2014 is The International Communication Project and as a global profession, we will firmly put communication disability front and centre on the world health stage. In the lead up to this campaign, we want you to really understand what we’re doing and more importantly – why. That’s why Speech Pathology Week 2013 will be a soft launch for The International Communication Project and we will start the conversation about communication disability in Australia. Traditional events and resources, like promotional materials and media release templates, will still be available and we will let you know when they are. We will also launch The International Communication Project logo and encourage you to start the conversation with your clients, co-workers and local community about communication and why 2014 will be an important year. Case Studies Each year, we look for case studies from each state that highlight the theme of Speech Pathology Week, as they are the most successful means of conveying our message to the public. Stories and pictures about people are a great way of illustrating the impact literacy difficulties have on people in their everyday lives and we are looking for brilliant case studies from your clients.

• how they have triumphed over that difficulty or compensated for it (if appropriate);

• if they are willing for their story to be told (possibly nationally)

All case studies should be sent to Joanna Wood at marketing@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au before Monday 20 May . Media Releases As part of the ‘Start the conversation’ resources, a template media release will be developed to make telling your and your client’s stories to your local media as easy as possible. Check upcoming editions of Speak Out and e-News for information on how best to utilise these in your local area. Promotional Material Information on marketing collateral developed by the Association, to supplement your events and activities, will be coming soon. Orders will be able to be placed online from the beginning of July and will close on Sunday 4 August 2013 .

A colouring competition entry for Speech Pathology Week 2012.

Artistic talent The Colouring Competition template is a popular resource that is used by many members. Each year, a multi-talented member provides us with a colouring competition template based on the theme. If you, or someone you know, may be able to volunteer to create a simple A4 template based on this year’s theme, we’d love to hear from you – please email marketing@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au for more information. Please contact us by Friday 3 May . Joanna Wood Communications & Marketing Manager

If you have a great story, we’d love to hear about it – send an email with the following details:

• about the person – their name, age, interests;

• the challenges they face due to their communication or swallowing difficulty;

• how the communication difficulty has impacted upon their life, and;

Tennille Burns National Public Affairs Coordinator

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Speak Out April 2013

Speech Pathology Australia