Who am I if I lose my language? - JU LIVE is underway

On Thursday 30 January, Helena Taubner, Senior Lecturer in Special Education at the School of Education and Communication (HLK) at Jönköping University (JU), kicked off the spring semester's popular JU LIVE lecture series. Around 40 people listened attentively as Helena shared her research on aphasia an impaired ability to use language, caused by a brain injury, usually a stroke.

Helenas reminded the audience that we create our identities through communication. By putting our relationships and experiences, professions and competences, strengths and weaknesses into words, we tell each other who we are. The starting point of her research was to explore what happens when a person's vocabulary suddenly disappears due to a brain injury. Is the person still the same as before the injury, or do they become someone different?

She described how she conducted her research for her doctoral thesis, interviewing and observing a total of 21 people with aphasia. Among other things, she spent three weeks at a folk high school that offered special programmes for people with aphasia.

Helena Taubner has always had a keen interest in the intersection of language and disability. When she had the opportunity to write her doctoral thesis on aphasia, she was thrilled.

“I think aphasia research is an exciting field because there are always new angles on what it means for a person to lose large parts of their language,” she says.

Identity dilemmas for people with aphasia

The audience at the University Library heard various quotes from Helena’s interviews, which were particularly moving for those unfamiliar with aphasia. She spoke about young women and men, aged 25 and older who had developed the condition.

One of her key findings was that people with aphasia often experience identity dilemmas. One of the questions she asked in her interviews was whether they perceive themselves as the same person as before or as someone entirely different. Most often, the answer was not a simple yes or no, but rather both. For example, a person might say, “I am a teacher” but at the same time, “I can’t be a teacher anymore. Helena concluded by sharing some practical tips on how to communicate with people who have aphasia:

• Be clear, listen actively, articulate your words, and ask, “Do you mean this?”
• Avoid interrupting or filling in the blanks—let the conversation take its time.

JU LIVE - Interaction with the audience

During the session, an audience member asked how Helena herself had been affected by all the meetings so many people with aphasia.

“First of all, I feel incredibly grateful and humbled that these individuals have let me into their lives – it’s a fantastic privilege, But I’ve also realized the importance of being cautious and doing what we can to prevent head injuries. Wearing a bicycle helmet, for example, is a simple but important step,’ she said.

For Helena, accepting the invitation to speak at JU LIVE was an obvious choice.

“I conduct research on people who may have difficulty making their voices heard. With such research comes a responsibility to share their stories in different contexts. They have trusted me with their experiences, and it is my duty to honor that trust by spreading awareness,” she said.

After the lecture, several audience members stayed behind to talk to Helena. At JU LIVE, it is appreciated that researchers not only answer questions during the session but also remain afterward to speak with those who may not feel comfortable asking their questions in front of a crowd. Helena was pleased with how the event went.

“It was fun! I'm especially happy that some people with aphasia attended the lecture. Hopefully, a few listeners have learned something new about aphasia.

"I prefer attending lectures over, for example, taking a sewing class."

One of the attendees was Ing-Marie Karlsson from Gränna. Ing-Marie had previously attended JU's open lectures, formerly called Public Lectures, but this was her first JU LIVE event.

“In general, I love learning new things, but this topic was especially interesting because I have acquaintances with aphasia. I also prefer attending lectures over, for example, taking a sewing class. I enjoy gaining new insights and ideas,” she said.

Ing-Mari found Helena’s lecture engaging.

“I think she presented the topic very well. She provided a lot of useful information and tips. The interviews she conducted with different people were fascinating, and I recognized many of the experiences she described from my acquaintance with aphasia. I will definitely attend more JU LIVE events, even though I live in Gränna, said Ing-Marie Carlsson.