School of joy: For Dani, class is in
By Louise Kinross
Dani Bouchard studied early childhood education and planned to be a teacher. Then she did a placement at Bloorview School, which is located in our hospital. "Within a couple of hours of being in the building I was head over heels in love with everything about Bloorview, and I knew this was where I wanted to be," she says. "Teachers at the Bloorview School are seconded, and only stay for a few years. I wanted to stay permanently. So I finished my degree and instead of going to teacher's college I applied to be an educational assistant here." That was eight years ago and since then Dani has worked in every area of our school.
BLOOM: Why were you interested in teaching in the first place?
Dani Bouchard: Something that probably had a big impact was my older brother is blind. I've always grown up around difference in abilities and understanding the world in a bit of a different way. I always wanted to help him learn and navigate the world and that was reflected in my job.
We had amazing parents and they never taught him to see his disability as something that would hold him back. He grew up understanding how to advocate for himself and knowing when to say he needs something. He went to the school for the blind when he was younger and had a great experience there. He was away at school from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon, so it was almost like I was an only sibling then.
BLOOM: We know that siblings sometimes have mixed feelings about the extra needs of a child with disabilities.
Dani Bouchard: I don't think I realized it back then, but looking back, I used to think people seemed to almost like my brother more than me. He had a lot of surgeries when he was younger and people would come to the house and bring gifts, and as a child I found that challenging.
I used to be jealous that he got to come home early on Fridays, and only had a half day, but that was because he had to travel two hours to get home. Of course now I can understand that there were certain things he needed at the time that I didn't need. But as a child, it can be hard to understand that.
BLOOM: What is a typical day like for you now?
Dani Bouchard: This year I'm in a junior and senior kindergarten class working with a teacher and another educational assistant. We have seven students with varying degrees of disability. We follow a similar curriculum as mainstream schools, but we tend to use more visuals and do a lot of hands-on sensory activities to reinforce the concepts they're learning.
For example, we read the book We're Going On a Bear Hunt and we set up stations they had to through that included going over a hill and through the grass, so physically we had the students go through sensory activities to reinforce what they were learning.
The students get their therapies integrated into their day, so I work with a fantastic team that includes occupational, physical and speech therapists and hearing itinerants.
I'm often putting students into different equipment to support their gross motor goals, and helping with their communication and self-advocacy. I have a medical side to my job as I administer medication through G-tubes and watch for and track seizures. I'm fluent in American Sign Language and sign language is a really big part of my day. I also do a lot of feeding and personal care.
BLOOM: What's the greatest challenge?
Dani Bouchard: As a whole I would say the challenge is when I wish I could change a situation to take away the pain a student is going through, or a challenge a family is facing.
BLOOM: Do you do anything specific to manage stress?
Dani Bouchard: A big one is my cross stitch. I do it on my 15 minutes break or during lunch, so that's a daily stress relief. I have a diagnosis of OCD and ADHD and cross stitch is so helpful because it keeps me busy and keeps me calm. I love everything about it. I make designs and frame them or turn them into pillows, almost always as gifts. I was commissioned by PetSmart to do a cross stitch dog and cat that was used in their last Christmas commercial. It was 17,000 stitches.
Last year I purchased a trailer out East and from April to October I go there on weekends to get into nature. I find I go back to work on Monday refreshed and ready to support my kids.
Another way I manage stress is by eating chocolate chip cookies at Tim Horton's. They call me 'cookie girl.' I'm also fortunate because I have a great partner. We met in the line at Timmies here. His name is Corrado Catinella and he's an orthotics and prosthetics technician.
BLOOM: What are the greatest joys of your job?
Dani Bouchard: Everything. The relationships I'm able to build with these students. Sometimes when there are challenges you also get the greatest joys. At one point I worked with students who were here doing rehab following a brain injury. They might come in not being able to walk or speak but a few months later, with therapies and hard work, I may witness a student walk for the first time, or say the first sound of my name. I don't think there's a situation that can bring you such joy.
BLOOM: What qualities do you need to be good in your job?
Dani Bouchard: Patience, a positive attitude, and the ability to work as a team.
I think it's important to be goofy and lighthearted and to have an imagination like a child. Our students want the same things as every kid, to have fun and play and do the things they enjoy.
I need to be able to advocate for my students. For example, maybe I recognize that my student might benefit from an adapted utensil for eating, so I'll share that with the occupational therapist on the team and ask if that's something we can do.
BLOOM: If there was one thing you could change about children's rehab, what would it be?
Dani Bouchard: I would take away the financial costs. I would love it if students and families could have everything they needed with no red tape and no funding obstacles. I've had students who grow out of their wheelchairs but the family says they can't get a bigger one because they don't have funding for however many months. I've had students whose discharge dates were pushed because they didn't have an accessible home to go to.
BLOOM: I understand you're offering a cross stitch group to our inpatient parents. How did you get that idea?
Dani Bouchard: Back when I was working with clients with brain injury, a few times parents expressed that they were looking for activities to keep their minds busy. Their child had school and so many therapies, but they were going a little stir crazy themselves. They also had many worries and had a desire to find an outlet for them. Stitching here every day in the atrium, people often walk by and look and some come and ask about it. I put those things together and thought I could teach some inpatient families. Our first class is Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in the Family Resource Centre. It will be once a month on Tuesdays. Everyone will receive a free kit to do one of six different patterns. They'll learn the basics and then they can take the kit with them and do it while they're sitting on a bench watching their child in therapy.
Check out Cross Stitch With Dani. Want more information on the cross stitch group for inpatient families? E-mail danibouchard@bloorviewschool.ca. Like this interview? Sign up for our monthly BLOOM e-letter. You'll get family stories and expert advice on raising children with disabilities; interviews with activists, clinicians and researchers; and disability news: https://bit.ly/3IIK5Qo.
