PRESS RELEASE: AUSTRALIA GLOWS RED IN APRIL FOR WORLD VOICE DAY APRIL 16

Once again, landmarks across Australia will light up red – the colour of our larynx – on World Voice Day 2025 (April 16).
The message of the global campaign is to “Empower Your Voice” because EVERY voice counts. The Australian Dysphonia Network (ADN), is using this message to bring attention to the human voice across Australia by illuminating historic and iconic landmarks across the country. The organisation wants to start conversations about the importance of speaking up and seeking help if you notice changes in your voice. The ADN wants us to value our voices in the same way we value our vision and hearing [learn more with this short video: “The Value of Voice”https://australiandysphonianetwork.org/2024/03/30/the-value-of-voice/]. This year, in addition to the light-up campaign, the ADN is encouraging people to get behind their World Voice Day Walk. They’re asking you to go for a walk and ‘talk about talking’, and start conversations about voice issues while raising funds to support the ADN educational seminar series. It’s easy and fun, just register with MyCause to become a fundraiser or simply make a donation.
Why all the focus on ‘voice’? Because unlike vision or hearing, our voice is very often taken for granted, we open our mouths to speak and our words come out. But while most people will relate to the frustration of having lost their voice at some time, (usually after a big night out, belting out your go-to karaoke songs or cheering at a football game), for those with dysphonia, that frustration is a permanent way of life.
Chronic dysphonia can develop for a number of reasons. It can be the result of damage to the larynx; an underlying health condition; overuse or poor vocal technique, or it can be a standalone neurological disorder like Spasmodic Dysphonia. Whilst rare, spasmodic dysphonia is thought to affect 1 in every 100,000 people in Australia and New Zealand including singer Jenny Morris. Overseas celebrities like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Scott Adams, the creator of “Dilbert,” have also had their lives and careers impacted by the condition.
Spasmodic dysphonia can be likened to an eye twitch caused by a spasm of the muscle around your eye. For someone with spasmodic dysphonia, they have a very similar spasm but it affects the muscle in their larynx. This causes the voice to sound gravelly, breathy, crackly, or drop out completely while speaking, making communication difficult.
Approximately 30% of occupations in our society are voice dependent. This includes performers, teachers, salespeople, politicians and lawyers, just to name just a few; so the impact of dysphonia is life changing for people working in these areas. It can ruin careers, relationships and lead to depression, yet it is often poorly diagnosed and frequently misunderstood. The Australian Dysphonia Network is using World Voice Day and their ‘illumination campaign’ across the two countries to shine some light on voice disorders in the hope of gaining better understanding of those affected.
Established in 2016, the Australian Dysphonia Network’s (ADN) purpose is to support people whose lives are impacted by a voice disorder. The Network is run by people who either live with a voice disorder, or have a close experience of supporting someone who does.
World Voice Day was founded in Brazil back in 1999 with the aim of drawing attention to the science and phenomenon of voice production. It soon grew to highlight the significant role that the voice plays in every aspect of our daily lives. World Voice Day has gained momentum across the globe, and currently over 50 countries join the annual celebration.
Visit www.adn.org.au for more information.
Donations for the ADN not-for-profit charity, can be made at https://australiandysphonianetwork.org/2022/03/02/support-us/