The World Report on Disability in relation to the development of speech-language pathology in Viet Nam

Wylie, McAllister, Davidson, and Marshall (2013) argue that recommendations made within the World Report on Disability provide an opportunity for speech-language pathologists to consider new ways of developing services for people with communication and swallowing disorders. They propose that current approaches to the delivery of speech-language pathology services are largely embedded within the medical model of impairment, thereby limiting the ability of services to meet the needs of people in a holistic manner. In this paper, the criticality of selecting an appropriate service delivery model is discussed within the context of a recently established post-graduate speech therapy education programme in Viet Nam. Driving forces for the implementation of the program will be explored, as will the factors that determined the choice of service delivery. Opportunities and challenges to the long-term viability of the program and the program's potential to meet the needs of persons with communication and swallowing disorders in Viet Nam will be considered.