Heidi Janz has just completed her Ph.D. in English at the University
of Alberta. Her areas of specialization were Disability Studies, the
portrayal of illness and disability in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century
literature, media representations of persons with disabilities, and
creative writing, with a particular emphasis on fiction and drama for
young adults.
(click to enlarge)
From September 2000 to December 2001, Heidi co-taught two introductory
English courses at the University of Alberta. In order to circumvent
communication difficulties posed by Heidi’s significant speech
impairment, she and her teaching partner devised a system of “echoing,”
in which Heidi’s co-teacher would repeat what Heidi said. As students
became more accustomed to Heidi’s speech, they were each designated
to be the “echo” for a class. After each course ended, many
students remarked that this system of echoing had actually helped them
to better understand and remember the course material.
In her “other life,” Heidi is a writer/playwright. She
has thus far had two plays produced: Crips Against the Law of Gravity,
produced by Concrete Theatre for the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival
(1994) and Returned to Sender, produced by Concrete Theatre
(1997) and the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival (2001). Both plays deal
with the experiences of physically disabled young people. Crips
Against the Law of Gravity is about the trials and triumphs of
growing up in a so-called “special” school; Returned
to Sender was inspired by the Latimer “compassionate”
homicide case and deals with issues surrounding perceptions of people
with severe disabilities.
Heidi attributes her positive outcomes with AT and AAC not only to
constantly improving assistive technology, but also to a number of experienced
rehab professionals. These consultants helped Heidi set and achieve
her personal goals by using communication strategies that work for her,
thus allowing her to reach her full potential.
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