About
Dr. Taunya Wideman-Johnston
Dr. Taunya Wideman-Johnston is a social scientist, speaker, and advocate. She is the author of The Extraordinary Gifts: My Life with a Chronic Illness. Taunya has a philosophy doctorate in educational sustainability. Her graduate research focused on reframing disability with a strength-based perspective. Since 2010, Taunya’s research and teaching expertise includes disability studies, child learning and development, and health and wellness. Alongside her doctoral research, Taunya concurrently began studying critical friendship in academia and has expanded her focus to include educational leadership. Taunya’s research has been published in several academic journals and presented at national and international conferences. Taunya's commitment to self-advocacy as a person with a disability has been featured on recurring national news segments related to chronic health conditions, disabilities, ostomy awareness, and infertility. Taunya lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and their children.
Selected Publications
Books
Wideman-Johnston, T. (2023). The Extraordinary Gifts: My life with a chronic illness. CF Press.
Brewer, C. A., & Wideman-Johnston, T. (2023). Critical Friendship: Leading ethical practice through authentic relationships.
Chapters in books
Wideman-Johnston, T. (2014). Immigrant students’ health: An overview of the need to improve our awareness and response to the health of immigrant children and their families within the educational context. In C.A. Brewer & M. McCabe (eds.), Working with immigrant and refugee families in Canadian schools. Brush Education, Inc. 20–30.
Papers in refereed Journals
Wideman-Johnston, T., Brewer, C. A., & McCabe, M. (Fall 2023, in press). Learning from and preserving stories: How a secondary school Oral History Project (OHP) contributed to transformative engagement in UNESCO's Global Citizenship Education. Oral History: The Journal of the Oral History Society.
Brewer, C. A., & Wideman-Johnston, T, McCabe, M. (2021). Better together: The role of critical friendship in empowering early career academics. in education, 26(2), 75-91.
Wideman-Johnston, T. (2015). A self-study of my life with a chronic illness. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning, 9(17).
McCabe, M. Brewer, C. A., Wideman-Johnson, T., and Archbell, K. (2015). Running with Partici-Patrick: Integrating HIV/AIDS education with DPA and character education in Ontario Schools. Physical and Health Education Canada Journal, 80(4).
Andrews, A., McCabe, M. and Wideman-Johnston, T. (2014). Mental Health Issues in the Schools: Are educators prepared? Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice: Special Edition on Mental Health in Youth, 9(4).
Wideman-Johnston, T. (2014). The academic journeys of students with chronic gastrointestinal illness: Narratives from daughters and their mothers. Canadian Journal of New Scholars in Education, 5(1).
Brewer, C. A., & Wideman-Johnston, T. (2014). Developing and maintaining a critical friendship in academia. Journal of Authentic Leadership in Education, 3(2).
Vitale, J., McCabe, M, Tedesco, S, & Wideman-Johnston, T. (2012). Cache me if you can: Reflections on geocaching from junior/intermediate teacher candidates. International Journal of Technology and Inclusive Education, 1(1).
Wideman-Johnston, T. (2011). Resilience and Students with Chronic Illness: A literature review of fostering resilience into the lives of students with chronic illness. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 1(1).
Wideman-Johnston, T. (2011). A narrative: Meditation in the lives of children with chronic illness. The Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning, 6(11).
Grierson, A., Cantalini-Williams, M., & Wideman-Johnston, T. (2011). Building scaffolds in the field: The benefits and challenges of teacher candidate peer mentorship. Brock Education, 20(2), 85-103.