Author: Kathryn Woodcock

Dr. Kathryn Woodcock is Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, teaching, researching, and consulting in the area of human factors engineering / ergonomics particularly applied to amusement rides and attractions (https://thrilllab.blog.torontomu.ca), and to broader occupational and public safety issues of performance, error, investigation and inspection, and to disability and accessibility.

Postnominals

PhD: University of Toronto Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, specializing in Human Factors Engineering

CCPE:Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomist, Canadian College for Certification of Professional Ergonomists

ICAE: IAAPA Certified Attractions Executive, International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions

PEng: Professional Engineer, Ontario

OMC: Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship (I usually do not list this in my signature, but I do wear the medal on my academic costume)

silver circular medal 36-mm diameter, Coat of Arms of the Province of Ontario fills the bottom 2/3rd of the disc with the words FOR GOOD CITIZENSHIP around the upper rim, suspended on scroll type mounting from a green ribbon 32-mm wide with central white stripe (15-mm) within which is centred a single gold stripe (3-mm)

Baby signs

This piece was written in 1995-1997, when my daughter was small. “Baby signs” have become more popular with hearing parents with hearing children nowadays and I thought I would post this again. My observation of our experience is that we used her signs until she picked up ours. We did not badger her with repetitive signs in a gestural version of “you can say Ma-ma can’t you?” Instead, we used the advantage of deafness to be attuned to her signs. As you will see, she started producing purposeful gestures before she had control of her hands! Those gestures would quite surely have been extinguished if we did not reward them with a response.

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