but it is often overlooked or ignored because it can be uncomfortable to discuss .
I ’ m comfortable speaking about sex , so it seemed natural that I would help to lead these discussions . We released a panel discussion on sex after a spinal cord injury as well as an eLearning module about sexuality and adapting sex toys for people with disabilities . It was all completed as a form of online sex education for people with disabilities .
These projects have garnered worldwide recognition . I was interviewed as a part of a piece on Broadly ( a Vice Channel ) titled “ How People with Disabilities Have Sex ,” a quote from that article landed on the podcast “ Stuff Mom Never Told You ” ( out of the United States ), and I have received notes asking for help and resources from people far and wide , including a professor in Denmark and a website out of Mumbai . I ’ ve also delivered conference presentations on the subject — including speaking at the Toronto Collaborative Neuroscience Symposium .
I took a course at the U of R about gender and sexual identity in schools from Dr . James McNinch and that course really prepared me for this project . I thought of it often as I prepared .
Did any U of R professors make an impact on you and your professional journey ?
I ’ m not sure that I could name all of the professors that had an impact on me and my professional journey . The lessons ( either of subject matter or life ) that I learned from them are with me every day . From Douglas Farenick ( now Dean of Science , congrats Doug !) and Remus Floricel in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics , to Susan Johnston and Diana Lundine in the English Department , to Rick Seaman and James McNinch in Education and many , many more .
What was your experience like at the U of R ? What was a highlight for you here ?
I absolutely loved my education at the U of R . I ’ m not sure I can pinpoint a specific highlight . I absolutely loved my internship experience at Winston Knoll Collegiate with my co-op teacher Maria Canham and I reflect on that often . I also loved meeting Jerrod — we met in Modern Algebra . There were only six of us in the class and I knew four of the other students before we even started . I think that ’ s one of the things I really appreciated about the U of R : It is big enough that you can still get the classes and education you are looking for and yet it ’ s still small enough that you have a lot of contact with your peers and your professors .
How did your injury impact your studies , your athletic dreams , and any other dreams ? How did your life change ?
My spinal cord injury impacted pretty much everything in my life . It ’ s really hard to explain . Often when I talk about my experience with my injury , people assume a sort-of “ poor you ” mentality and that ’ s something I would like to debunk a little . Yes , the first few years after my injury were really tough . I had to learn how to do everything again — from getting dressed and moving around , to even figuring out how I fit in socially . But my life isn ’ t worse now than it was beforehand . In fact , it ’ s probably much richer than it was beforehand . I ’ ve had really amazing opportunities offered to me , and I ’ ve been in situations where I could jump at those opportunities and really explore them .
The most immediate change in my future goals related to my studies . I had an image — as many do — of finishing my B . Ed . in 4 years and getting a job as a teacher . After my SCI , I took a semester off to complete my physical rehabilitation , and returned as a part-time student before getting back to school full time . This meant that I was not going to finish in four year ’ s time , so I decided to tack on a little extra time and finished my B . Sc . concurrently with my B . Ed . I ’ m really glad that I chose that direction for many reasons : I was able to grow in my profession , gaining a much better understanding of Mathematics as well as meet a lot of amazing individuals I would not have had the chance to meet without the additional classes , including the man that is now my husband !
I had never been into sports much at all before my injury , and certainly not organized sport . After my injury , however , I found that sport was a really great way for me to connect with other people who had sustained spinal injuries , and that by spending time with other people who had spinal cord injuries I could learn a ton about how to adapt . So I kept going , and I ’ ve been able to try a wide variety of sports and many different levels . I had always loved water sports , so I really connected with paddling ( canoe and kayak ) and was given the incredible opportunity to represent Canada at 4 ICF World Championships — and won 10 International Medals , including the first-ever Women ’ s ParaCanoe V1 World Championship in 2010 . I have now retired from paddling , at least for the time being , so that I can focus on other things , but I ’ m sure that I ’ ll be back someday .
How did you overcome the obstacles to finishing your degree and from where did you receive support ?
I am a tremendously fortunate person , and my SCI really highlighted that for me . I have a wonderful family and amazing friends ; I really can ’ t thank them enough for everything that they did for me immediately after my injury . That being said , I think they may have done even more for me before my injury — they helped to shape me into the person I needed to be to face all of the challenges life would throw at me , my injury included . During my recovery I focused on each day individually and , with the knowledge that I could not turn back time to “ undo ” what had happened , I rebuilt myself by choosing to focus on where I was going rather than where I had been . I could not have done that without the support of my family and friends ,
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Education News | Page 17