World Voice Day 2009

The British Voice Association's contribution to World Voice Day 2009

To celebrate World Voice Day 2009 The British Voice Association contributed an information leaflet entitled "The Truth about Vocal Nodules - the end of your career or just a hiccup?" This was sent out to our members, voice clinics and various other interested individuals who requested it at the end of March together with the now traditional World Voice Day poster. It proved very popular and we have even received a request to make it available to patients in a New York hospital.

The leaflet is available to download from our 'Free Resources' section.

World Voice Day poster

The Emotional Voice symposium, which took place on Saturday 18th April, was another British Voice Association contribution designed to celebrate World Voice Day.

The British Voice Association's World Voice Day theme for next year (2011) will be raising awareness among GP’s about the importance of referring patients with voice problems to Voice Clinics and also emphasizing how important it is to refer these patients to a voice specialized Speech and Language Therapist for vocal rehabilitation.

World Voice Day 2010 News – UK and around the world

UK, South-East London
On Thursday, April 16th, World Voice Day, BVA council member and chair of the Education Working Party, Sue Anderson, invited some of her South-East London friends to help her celebrate the day by singing together for an hour or so! The ultimate idea is to start a regular local group for women who love singing, whether or not they read music, to be stimulated musically, vocally, and intellectually and, of course, socially.

UK, Wales

Penny Harris, (Specialist Speech and Language Therapist at the Princess of Wales Hospital, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust) and her colleagues had a very successful event at a local Sainsbury's on 16th April, World Voice Day. They received some useful media coverage prior to the event from Shan Cothi’s BBC Wales Radio Show on Easter morning. World Voice Day was mentioned together with information about their up and coming event. Some vocal hygiene advice was also included in the programme.

An article appeared in the South Wales Echo on April 11th entitled "Vicar joins student to raise awareness of voice damage" and Good Evening Wales, a BBC Wales radio show, included some of the Interviews given at their Sainsbury’s roadshow. The interviews were with children and their parents who were reading the display material. They discussed how the voice works and how shouting harms the voice. Penny has sent us this picture of their team on the day. She has also written an account of the day which she has submitted to the Bulletin, (the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' Newsletter).

UK, Northern Ireland, Belfast
The Speech and Language Therapy Department in Belfast put up posters about World Voice Day and were hoping to arrange an interview to talk about vocal health and World Voice Day on a current affairs radio programme.

UK, Northern Ireland, Belfast
Tosini in Belfast followed up the successful concert they held for WVD 2008 with a workshop entitled Gestalt, Breath and Singing held on Sunday 26th April 2009 (9.30am - 12.00pm). The Workshop was presented by Susan Gregory, a Gestalt Therapist from New York.

UK, West Yorkshire, Dewsbury
The Speech and Language Therapy Department at Dewsbury and District Hospital in West Yorkshire were planning the following events for World Voice Day: a mail-shot to local schools and GPs informing them about World Voice Day; a drop -in session at a local health centre, where members of the public can come to have their voices checked and receive advice from Specialist Speech and Language Therapists; a display at two different locations, informing staff and patients about World Voice Day and general vocal health; and a piece in the local media about World Voice Day and our events.

UK, Wales, Cardiff
Francesca Cooper working in Cardiff requested our World Voice Day Health Care information leaflets as she is hoping to start a course for teachers on preventing voice problems. She will provide the teachers with our information leaflets and make them aware of World Voice Day.

UK, Wales, Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust
The Speech and Language Therapy Department from Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust held an open day and encouraged all professionals who rely on their voice. (singers, actors, teachers, call centre workers etc) to attend. Therapists were on hand to provide individual advice as well as carrying out mini workshops to help promote vocal care and safe voice use. They contacted their local press agencies and invited them to attend to help raise awareness and importance of vocal care. See BBC Wales news article.

UK, Surrey, Kingston
The Speech and Language Therapy Department at Kingston Hospital in Surrey carried out a hospital intranet quiz about voice, vocal health and voice problems. The quiz was launched on World Voice Day, 16th April 2009.

UK, London
The Northwick Park Speech and Language Therapy Department put up World Voice Day posters around and about the hospital. In addition, they were hoping to have a stall near the main entrance to the hospital with posters made out of the BVA flyers and The Lary Project information as well as making their own departmental leaflets available on How the Voice works and How to Care for your Voice. They also planned to show images of the larynx throughout the morning. They contacted the local press and a patient volunteered to be interviewed to help promote awareness of Voice Disorders and the service they provide for this caseload.

UK, Stockport, Cheshire
The Speech and Language Therapy Department at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, Cheshire planned to set up a stand in the Hospital on World Voice Day to promote awareness of voice disorders and provide information on vocal hygiene to staff and visitors. They were planning to ask people to complete a brief quiz on vocal hygiene and in return they hoped to provide a "goody-bag" containing information, a free sample of decaffeinated tea from Tetley and a coupon for money off decaffeinated tea from Typhoo.

Around the world

USA, The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
The AAO-HNS's theme for World Voice Day 2009 was "Invest in Your Voice," reminding people of the value and significance of vocal health in everyday life.

Serbia, Belgrade
Milan Vukasinovic has recently set up the Communication Disorders Care Centre in Belgrade. The Belgrade team held a symposium to celebrate World Voice Day.

Kenya, Nairobi
Emma Shah in Kenya contacted us to let us know that they were celebrating World Voice Day again at the Nairobi Hospital. Last year they had locally famous singers entertaining the patients in wards at Nairobi Hospital while the hospital choir sang at the entrance. Leaflets on The Healthy Voice were given out to the public and there was also a free workshop with a voice teacher and SLT for people with voice problems. In addition, a client who was recovering from vocal nodules was kind enough to give a televised interview to talk about their experiences.

This year Emma and her Dutch colleague, Elizabeth Kruger Scheltema worked with the marketing manager to organize a World Voice Day publicity event. A tent was set up in the parking area of the new doctor’s plaza and again the event was supported by locally famous singers. Leaflets on The Healthy Voice were given out to the general public. Voice clients also supported the event, including one laryngectomee. A local news team attended and reported on the event which was then followed up with interviews with ENT Consultant Dr Omamo-Olende and Emma herself. A client who had been treated for a vocal fold polyp kindly allowed her visit to the voice clinic to be recorded and her past and present videostroboscopy were compared. Another client agreed to be interviewed about her experience of vocal fold lateralization for a vocal fold palsy resulting from a thyroidectomy. The news team broadcast the edited material on Saturday 16th May.

The topic caught the interest of the News Team and they have arranged to return to Nairobi Hospital to film the Laryngectomy Support Group which they hope will help with fundraising to cover the costs of their medical care.

Singapore
The voice team at the Alexandra Hospital in Singapore planned to put on a conference for World Voice Day entitled "Voice for Life". The conference was held on Saturday 18th April. The faculty was multidisciplinary in nature and included Dr Paul Mok, (Consultant ENT surgeon and Laryngologist), Grace Ng (Singing Teacher), Dr Tan Lay Yong (TCM Physician and Acupuncturist), Kristen Linnemayer (Speech Therapist) Michael Corbridge, (Associate Artistic Director), Amanda Colliver (Singing Teacher and Performer), Dr Chan Keen Loong (Psychiatrist), Ng Wang Feng (Music Therapist). Further information about Alexandra Hospital can be found at www.alexhosp.com.sg.