The Giving Voice Podcast

In Part 2 of our chat with Alix Lewer and Charly Harris from Include.org, we find out more about what Include.org does as an organisation. We discuss how they deliver “sneaky speech and language therapy,” support members’ self-advocacy skills and the vital impact of inclusive communication training.

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

• Visit https://include.org/ to donate to Include.org and find out more about their volunteering opportunities
• Listen to the Include.org choir singing In My World, the MCA Song and more on YouTube @IncludeTube
• For free inclusive communication training for you or your organisation from Communication Access UK, visit https://communication-access.co.uk/
• Learn more about the STOMP project (stopping over medication of people with a learning disability, autism or both) on the NHS website: https://www.england.nhs.uk/learning-disabilities/improving-health/stomp/#:~:text=STOMP%20stands%20for%20stopping%20over,or%20both%20with%20psychotropic%20medicines.

Speech and language therapists don’t just work in clinics, schools and hospitals. In this episode, we welcome Alix Lewer and Charly Harris from Include.org to talk about the work they do as SLTs to promote inclusive communication and run fun community projects for people with communication needs. We ask them how they got where they are now in their careers, how their roles have changed since joining Include.org and what they love most about what they do now. They also share some invaluable advice for those of us just starting out as speech and language therapists.

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

• Visit https://include.org/ to donate to Include.org and find out more about their volunteering opportunities
• Listen to the Include.org choir singing the Include Choir Agreement, the MCA Song and more on YouTube @IncludeTube
• For free inclusive communication training for you or your organisation from Communication Access UK, visit https://communication-access.co.uk/

Social prescribing is being championed as the new framework for providing holistic, socially meaningful support to clients accessing healthcare... so why have we never heard of it? The UCL Giving Voice Podcast is here to demystify social prescribing through a conversation with social prescribing mentors, Julie Lowe and Mariam Malik and social prescribing student champion, Katy Crowne.

What's it feel like to be a UK Speech-Language Therapist (SLT) with an international background? Three East Asian SLTs share their experience working in a range of settings, including mainstream and special needs schools, acute in-patient settings, voice and transgender voice. Tune in to learn about their journey into the field, a typical day in the life as an SLT, and how their bilingual background plays a role in their practice. Misconceptions like with accent modification are also discussed. Join this cultural exchange to celebrate diversity and raise awareness!

Episode produced by UCL Students: Vivian Lo and Claire Kwok. Audio by Carly Simonaitis.

Twitter Profiles:

• Serena Lo @sltserenalo
• Nigel Chueng @NigelSLT
• Kelly Ng @kellyspeechie

Pages mentioned in the podcast:

• STLinks: develop awareness for SLT, https://www.speechtherapistslinks.com/
• @SLTofcolour: inclusive Instagram page to raise awareness of BAME SLTs (Twitter: @OfSlts), https://www.instagram.com/sltsofcolour/
• Indigo Gender - NHS adult gender service in Greater Manchester, https://indigogenderservice.uk/
• The Nesbitt Centre Hong Kong - a community centre for adults with learning difficulties, https://www.nesbittcentre.org.hk/
• Wing Yee Lam @saltoolbox & Claudia Kate @medicslt_ckay

Listen to more Giving Voice podcast episodes here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/ucl-giving-voice-society

Check out the Giving Voice Student Society: https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies/giving-voice-society

To learn more about UCL's MSc Speech and Language Sciences course, visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/study/masters/msc-speech-and-language-sciences

Recorded at University College London.

For the final episode, Cat and Laura are joined by Christella Antoni, a consultant Speech and Language Therapist who is highly experienced in the field of Transgender Voice. Alongside sharing some of her extensive knowledge of this specialism, Christella discusses her other passion - promoting Speech and Language Therapy as a profession!