In my desire to establish a measurable, goal-oriented communication plan, I get a little caught up in structure. In methodology. In creating a reproducible, consistent set of tools. I fall into my own trap of intellectualizing and go so deep … Continue reading
Following is the speech/presentation I wrote and delivered for the Children’s Treatment Network – a new virtual therapy center for children with disabilities for York Region (the region north of Toronto). It is ‘virtual’ because there is no physical location … Continue reading
Role: Communication and Learning Facilitator Location: Downtown Toronto Salary: $15-18/hr Submit Resume to: jennifer@johannesen.ca Our family is seeking a Communication and Learning Facilitator for our 9-year-old son. You will be an active participant in contributing to and executing a structured … Continue reading
This article appeared in the June 2004 edition of Connections (which is now called Bloom) – a publication of Bloorview Kids Rehab. I’m ‘reprinting’ it here with the aim of starting a collection of essays, speeches and thoughts – some … Continue reading
Several days ago, Owen was kitted out with a demo wheelchair – the same one I discussed earlier in this blog. It’s called a Kids Rock dynamic wheelchair, and has a special spring-like action that engages when Owen becomes spastic … Continue reading
As I continue to contemplate Owen’s capacity for choice-making (and his communication partners’ capacities for offering choices), I have not ruled out other options for communication. In a previous post I mentioned that he was very successful when using a … Continue reading
Regarding my last post, a comment from my dad, SKJ: You are surely too hard on yourself. “Presentable” and “regular” are the loaded words, the dark suspicion that your quest for communication is some sort of misguided response to shame. … Continue reading
I won’t typically be posting movie reviews, but this one is so ‘on topic’ I want to share a bit about my experience seeing this movie. Brief description: Based on a true story. A French man with a vibrant, exciting … Continue reading