Speech-Language & Audiology Canada

Happy Chinese New Year! May this year bring peace, good health, happiness and prosperity.

As SAC continues to celebrate Black History Month, we recently shared an article in SAC's This Week in the News, about a young black girl, Nakia Smith, who is taking the internet by storm (400,000 followers on TikTok) as she teaches a variation of sign language. Under her sign name Charmy, Nakia creates videos to teach and celebrate Black American Sign Language (BASL). Her catchy videos often feature her five-generation family, all of whom are deaf. Join SAC in sharing this inspirational story during Black History Month in Canada. https://globalnews.ca//basl-black-american-sign-language-/

Good hearing and communication are critical at all stages of life, so why are so many people living with unaddressed hearing loss and ear diseases? The World Health Organization (WHO) wants to change that. Join SAC on March 3 in celebrating World Hearing Day and the launch of the first ever World Report on Hearing by the WHO. Timely action is needed to prevent and address hearing loss across the life course and the World Hearing Report aims to implement that. Learn more - https://tinyurl.com/3clnsyef #hearathon2021 #hearingcare #worldhearingday

Only a few days left to apply to become an SAC Board Director! Don't miss this incredible opportunity to contribute to your profession and to play a pivotal role in your professional association. The deadline to apply is February 15, 2021. Visit SAC's Election Portal for more information on how to apply, roles and responsibilities and to view video testimonials from some of our current SAC Board Directors. https://www.sac-oac.ca/2021-2022-board-election-portal

Have you registered for the February 10th webinar - Supervising Telepractice Placements, with Lauren Tittley, M.H.Sc., S-LP(C) and Mariska Burger, B.Sc.? This presentation will describe a variety of possible set-ups for telepractice placements, review principles of supervising students over telepractice and identify important elements of supervision that can be adapted for telepractice placements. To learn more, or to register, please visit https://www.sac-oac.ca//sac-webinar-supervising-telepracti

February is Black History Month! Join SAC in celebrating Canada’s 2021 theme, "The Future is Now." This theme honors and celebrates building on the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities, who came before us and left a history of work and contributions spanning over 400 years. Black Canadians continue to make enormous contributions throughout this country. Black History Month and our look to the future, is about continuing to work towards a more inclusive and diverse Canada, where everyone's contribution is valued and all have the opportunity to flourish. To learn more, view the video from Heritage Canada: https://www.canada.ca///campaigns/black-history-month.html

It’s the last week to submit nominations for the SAC Awards Program! Don’t wait any longer to nominate someone for a Lifetime Achievement, Mentorship or Communication Health Assistant award - they deserve it. To nominate: https://www.sac-oac.ca/awards-program -- C'est la dernière semaine pour soumettre des candidatures pour le Programme des prix d'OAC! N'attendez plus nommer quelqu'un pour un prix du mentor, un prix pour l'ensemble des réalisations ou un prix d'excellence pour les aides en santé de la communication - ils le méritent. Pour nommer : https://www.oac-sac.ca/programme-des-prix

SAC is seeking a Director of Audiology to join our team! The successful candidate will lead the development and execution of strategic audiology initiatives that will increase awareness of the audiology profession and enhance the public profile of SAC and its audiology members. To learn more, or to apply, visit https://www.sac-oac.ca//sac-seeking-director-audiology-joi

About 1 in 3 Canadians will be affected by a mental illness in their lifetime. We know that many of our members are experiencing additional stress during the pandemic. The Public Health Agency of Canada is using multiple data sources to examine the impact of COVID-19 on mental illness and has developed an infographic to reflect this data. Visit: https://www.canada.ca//mental-illness-canada-infographic.p to learn more.

SAC is currently recruiting an audiologist with 5 years of clinical experience in one or in a variety of clinical practice settings to serve on the Audiology Item Writers Working Group. Regional preference for an audiologist from Ontario or the Atlantic region. Being an SAC member is not required. The mandate is to draft Audiology exam questions according to the CETP Exam Blueprint requirements. Time commitment once a year for a 3-day meeting. Training is provided through an item writing workshop. For more information or to discuss further, please contact Christiane Ménard, Manager of Exams at [email protected]

SAC Members & Associates - The latest issue of CJSLPA - Volume 44, No. 2 is now available to read! Visit https://cjslpa.ca/detail.php?ID=1263&lang=en

Have you nominated someone for an SAC award yet? If not, there’s still time! Show a colleague, supervisor, professor or friend how much you appreciate their hard work by nominating them for one of our awards. The nomination deadline is October 30. Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/y5eh8arn -- Avez-vous déjà nommé quelqu’un pour un prix d’OAC? Sinon, il y a encore du temps! Montrez à un collègue, un superviseur, un professeur ou un ami que vous les appréciez en les nommant pour un de nos prix. La date limite est le 31 octobre. En savoir plus: https://tinyurl.com/y3788fwv

Learn more about understanding and addressing racism, implicit and systemic bias, prejudice and subconscious stereotypes with SAC's webcast - 'Checking your Bias at the Door + Incorporating Transformative Language in Clinical Practice' with Dr. Shameka Stanford. This presentation will address the necessity of incorporating and actively utilizing transformative language in your written and clinical conversations. This webcast is only available until October 21st! Visit https://www.sac-oac.ca//sac-webcast-checking-your-bias-doo

Did you know approximately 10% of children have a language disorder at school entry? October 16th is International Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day. Speech-Language Pathologists have primary responsibility for identifying, assessing and providing interventions to assist children experiencing problems with language development. Visit https://www.sac-oac.ca//sac-official-statement-on-childhoo to learn more.

COVID-19 changes the way many people use their voices. Challenging conditions in the COVID-19 work environment increase the risk of developing a voice disorder. There are a variety of factors that make workers more prone to voice disorders during the pandemic. Read SAC's new info sheet on Voice Disorders in Challenging COVID-19 Work Environments to learn more. https://www.sac-oac.ca//General_Public_Voice_Impact_Info_S

Communication touches every aspect of our lives, no matter what age we are. Today is National Seniors Day. S-LPs and audiologists work with people of all ages to prevent, assess and treat a variety of communication disorders. Visit https://sac-oac.ca//communication_health_and_aging_brochur to learn more about Communication Health and Aging.

Call for Volunteers! Are you an audiologist proficient in writing in French with at least 5 years of clinical experience? If yes, SAC wants you to join our Audiology Item Writer Working Group to assist with developing exam questions and revising translated exam questions. Training in item writing is provided! Interested candidates should apply by 12 p.m. on October 9, 2020. Learn more and apply now! https://tinyurl.com/y2bdmvqv... -- Besoin de bénévoles! Êtes-vous un audiologiste avec 5 ans d’expérience clinique et un maître dans la langue française? Si oui, OAC veut que vous vous joigniez notre Groupe de travail responsable de la rédaction des questions d’examen sur l’audiologie. Une formation sur la rédaction de questions d’examen sera disponible! Les personnes qui désirent présenter leur candidature doivent postuler avant 12h le 9 octobre 2020. En savoir plus et postuler maintenant! https://tinyurl.com/y2oaz8y9

The Voice Committee of the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP) are running a free webinar this coming Thursday to connect SLPs & phoniatricians working in voice around the world and to discuss the current climate implications.

Congratulations to our 2020 Clinical Research Grant recipient, Angela Feehan! Visit https://www.sac-oac.ca//2020-clinical-research-grant-recip to read her abstract on the Diagnostic accuracy of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2) in children with psychiatric conditions.