Annual Karl Kinanen Public Lecture

Finding a new voice: Writing through health adversity

Acquiring a disability through accident or chronic illness (such as dementia) can threaten one’s sense of self and ability to interact with others. Journal writing allows individuals to rediscover their sense of self, to release complex emotions by naming them, and work their way through the many changes in their daily lives. Writing for others helps the author clarify personal experience, find meaning, and make a valuable social contribution. Published illness narratives put a face on disability, engender empathy, advocate for a “disability-friendly” society, and show how the human spirit can transcend disability.

Speaker: Dr. Ellen Ryan – Professor Emeritus of McMaster University