ACQ Vol 11 no 2 2009

Recent achievements of the profession

• developing a professional association in Bangladesh; it is envisaged that this will be initiated within the coming year; and • continuing support for training and development from more experienced overseas-trained clinicians; there continue to be opportunities for overseas-trained clinicians to be involved in the training course for varied lengths of time. Further information For more information about the Bangladesh course and volunteering, see: http://www.crp-bangladesh.org or email Sultana Nasreen at sltdept@yahoo.com For more information about the work of Operation Cleft, see: http://www.operationcleft.org.au or email info@ operationcleft.org.au References Inclusion International (n.d.). Fact sheet on poverty and disability . Retrieved 5 January 2009 from http://www.addc. org.au/webdocs/Disability%20&%20Poverty/Fact%20 Sheets/INCLUSION%20INT_FACT%20SHEET_Fact%20 Sheet%20on%20Poverty%20and%20Disability.pdf JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). (2002). Country profile on disability: People’s Republic of Bangladesh . Retrieved 5 January, 2009 from http:// siteresources.worldbank.org/DISABILITY/Resources/ Regions/South%20Asia/JICA_Bangladesh.pdf UNDP (United Nations Development Program). (2007). Human development report 2007/2008: Flighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world . New York: Palgrave Macmillan. UNESCO. (n.d.). International Mother Language Day . Retrieved 5 January 2009 from http://portal.unesco.org/ education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=19644&URL_DO=DO_ TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html WHO (World Health Organisation). (2004). CBR: A strategy for equalisation of opportunities, poverty reduction and social inclusion of people with disabilities . Joint position paper International Labour Organisation, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the World Health Organisation. Geneva: WHO. Jannatul Ferdous is one of Bangladesh’s first ever speech and language therapy students, based at the Bangladesh Health Professions Institute. She has completed her fourth year and will graduate in 2009 after a one-year internship. Cristy Gaskill completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology) from La Trobe University in 1997 and a Master of Social Science (International Development) from RMIT University in 2006. She spent two years teaching on the Bangladesh Speech and Language Therapy program in 2005 and 2006. She currently works with CBM, an international NGO working in the area of disability and development.

A recent commitment to the development of speech and language therapy services for people with cleft lip and palate has come about through an initiative of Operation Cleft Australia. Operation Cleft is a project of the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central (Victoria) and is supported by Rotary clubs throughout Australia. The program funds reconstructive surgery for cleft lip and palate and follow-up speech therapy across Bangladesh and has recently begun providing clinical and theoretical training in speech therapy for cleft lip and palate. This included the first ever speech therapy camp in Bangladesh, a six-day program in which students provided post-operative therapy. Operation Cleft is committed to employing graduates of the speech and language therapy course in Bangladesh to provide ongoing speech therapy services to this population. Australian speech pathologist Naanki Pasricha has been involved in the development of these services and the training of SLT students and community health workers in Bangladesh to ensure sustainability of this program. Interest in speech and language therapy has also been growing from other Bangladeshi disability organisations. Final-year speech and language therapy students recently participated, together with a British volunteer speech and language therapist, in a two-day clinic on a boat. This involved travelling to two different remote areas and delivering services as a multidisciplinary team of doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, audiologists, and speech and language therapists. This type of service delivery enabled those who may not otherwise have the opportunity, to access assessment, initial advice and referrals. Links with the profession in the region and internationally have also been made. In 2006 the first batch of students participated in a study tour to Kolkata, India, where Bengali (Bangla) is also spoken and where there is a more established speech and language therapy profession and services for people with communication difficulties. The students reported significant learning about the potential of the profession from their time spent at the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) and National Institute of Hearing Handicapped (NIHH). One final-year student recently obtained a scholarship to attend the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) conference in Montreal. This provided an excellent opportunity for sharing and learning about augmentative and alternative communication and the speech and language therapy profession overseas. Current challenges and needs of the profession In addition to the achievements of speech and language therapy so far in Bangladesh, there are a number of challenges the profession is facing. These include the challenges of: • developing a locally appropriate profession, not simply a replica of the profession as it operates in more highly re sourced locations; this includes the development of culturally and linguistically appropriate resources and approaches; • finding approaches for service provision to a large, mostly rural-based population through further exploring the role of speech and language therapists in training and linking in with CBR and other service providers; • building a local research base for speech and language therapy practice; • gaining recognition and a role within existing government and non-governmental services;

Correspondence to: Jannatul Ferdous

Speech and language therapy student Bangladesh Health Professions Institute

email: jhuma_slt04@yahoo.com phone: +880 (0)1711 224 540 Cristy Gaskill

International Programs Assistant, CBM Australia Formerly speech and language therapy trainer, Bangladesh Health Professions Institute phone: 0420 405 671 email: cristygaskill@gmail.com

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ACQ Volume 11, Number 2 2009

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au