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JoyfulLearningCollaborative.org
Johna Wright
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Join date: Oct 14, 2025
About
Johna Wright is a blind, neurodivergent educator, researcher, and advocate who works to bring play, access, and empathy into every classroom she leads. A doctoral student in Higher Education Leadership at Mercer University, she teaches academic writing through the lens of disability studies and playful learning. Johna has taught, researched, and volunteered in over 40 countries, blending her passions for advocacy and global education. Her research and teaching center on building accessible, play-filled spaces where disabled students don’t just participate – they thrive.
Posts (2)
Jul 22, 2026 ∙ 3 min
From Dress-Up to Disclosure: What Pretend Play Teaches Us About Self-Advocacy
Long before a college student emails a professor to request accommodations, a preschooler is asking, "Can I play too?" In this post, JLC contributor Johna traces the connection between pretend play and self-advocacy, drawing on her own experience as an autistic, blind child who first rehearsed the world in the dress-up corner.
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Oct 14, 2025 ∙ 3 min
From Preschool to Professors: Lessons in Joy
Between the laughter of a preschool classroom and the glow of a college lecture hall, joy too often disappears. In this reflection, Johna Wright invites us to reimagine higher education through the lens of play, belonging, and access—reminding us that the preschool lessons we’ve forgotten may be the ones we need most.
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