World Voice Day 2012

The British Voice Association's contribution to World Voice Day 2012

Paralysed Vocal Folds and Voice Voice - leaflet

This year the British Voice Association made a number of contributions to the celebration of World Voice Day including the publication of another of our popular Voice Information leaflets, this time entitled Paralysed Vocal Folds and Voice, addressing vocal fold (cord) paralysis, its effect and treatment.

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

The Association also designed a questionnaire for Speech Therapists and Voice Clinic teams to give to their voice patients. The purpose of the questionnaire being to track the various voice patient pathways as they move through the NHS system, from the GP to the general ENT Department, Speech and Language therapy Department or Voice Clinic. In this way national data can be collected to support continued funding of our voice clinic services by providing the evidence that patients prefer them and that it is an efficient and cost effective way to treat voice patients.

2012 is, of course, the year of the London Olympics and our President Elect, Kim Chandler, organised an event for World Voice Day called the Vocalympics to celebrate the astonishing feats our vocal folds are capable of and have actually achieved.

2011 questionnaire results: For those who took part in last year's questionnaire (2011), the results of the data gathered in the UK and also in Malta are available in spreadsheet format: View results

World Voice Day 2012 News – UK and around the world

UK, Cardiff

Liz Evans, from The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board set up a stand on the concourse of the University Hospital Wales on Friday 13th April to celebrate World Voice Day 2012. She cunningly enticed people with chocolates and provided them with information about voice in general, vocal cord palsy/paralysis and answered any question asked by those attending. In addition Liz and a colleague wrote an article for the Western Mail promoting World Voice Day and gave a telephone interview to a local journalist. The journalist also interviewed a patient with a paralysed vocal fold/cord to give a more personal perspective and to provide insight into her experience of Speech and Language Therapy. A poster promoting World Voice Day was put up on the public health intranet and also on the Cardiff and Vale intranet service for other health professionals to see.

Liz received a very positive response from her peers and colleagues and hopes to build on the awareness she has raised for next year's World Voice Day celebrations. Thank you Liz for sharing your news and congratulations on a very successful event. Read Wales Online report.

UK, Derby

Kate Young, (Voice Specialist Speech and Language Therapist at the Royal Infirmary in Derby) has kindly agreed to participate in the BVA questionnaire to collect data to support Voice Clinic Services nationally. In addition she is also planning to engage local teachers in a 'voice project' with their classes at school which will include the provision of the Association's Voice Care leaflets on Occupational Voice Disorders, Dysphoni and Vocal Nodules occuring inchildren.

UK, Halton, Cheshire

Sally Matthew, Clinical Lead in Voice, publicised information about World Voice Day and voice care to teachers in local schools and to colleagues via an internal Trust bulletin. Information was shared via electronic departmental leaflets and included voice care advice, recommendation to seek further information via the British Voice Association website and information on how and when to seek further advice if required.

UK, Leicester

Emma Easter, (Senior Lecturer, Speech and Language Therapy at De Montfort University) contacted us to let us know that with the help of the 3rd year SALT students, she publicised World Voice Day on the University campus actually on the day, Monday, 16th of April. Students were particularly interested to support the broadcasting and drama programmes at DMU as at present their students do not get any specific voice training. As a voice specialist working in the NHS and teaching voice to the SALT students this is something Emma is keen to change!

Around the world

Kenya
Emma Shah has contacted us from Nairobi and has offered to try out the BVA questionnaire to look at their patient pathways. While some of her clients are seen in a voice clinic she tells us that the majority are referred from the ENT department. They also plan to give the new BVA leaflet on paralyzed vocal folds to newly diagnosed patients.

Malta
Norma Camillerie from Malta is organising an event on the 23 April 2012 to celebrate World Voice Day and to remind people how important their voices are to them. View the event poster

Russia
Ekaterina Osipenko has contacted us to tell us about the Russian initiative for World Voice Day. Russia joined the World Voice Day initiative in 2006 and has focussed on the importance of voice care and providing advice on how to maintain good vocal health for all professional voice users. She has produced a full report about how the initiative has developed and also fascinating statistics about the prevalence of smoking in Russia and the numbers of voice professionals. We congratulate Russia on its success in developing World Voice Day and thank Ekaterina for letting us know about the world of voice there. Read Ekaterina Osipenko's report

Serbia
Dr Milan Vukasinovic from the Serbian Clinical Centre for Voice held a symposium on Laryngeal Cancer on April 20th. The symposium had 200 delegates, mostly made up of ENT surgeons and Speech and Language Therapists, who were addressed by leading Serbian Laryngologists and Oncologists who shared their experience of dealing with laryngeal cancers.

Singapore
Janet Amrit, from the 'Art of Voice' organization in Singapore contacted us to tell us about their plans to celebrate World Voice Day 2012. They are setting up an advertising campaign to raise awareness of the importance of voice and have also made contact with local hospitals and Speech Therapy clinics to encourage them to join in and make World Voice Day 2012 known in Singapore.

United States
The theme for World Voice Day 2012 developed by the Voice Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery is "Your Voice Counts". They remind us all that "our voices are essential for any number of basic activities that might be done on a given day – speaking with family or colleagues, placing an order in a restaurant, or just saying hello to a friend or spouse. Your Voice Counts!"