Presenter Bio:
Shawna Joynt is a First Nations woman who is hard of hearing from the TR’ONDEK HWECHIN HAN NATION tribe in Dawson City, Yukon. She is known for her strong will, determination, kindness, respectfulness, and her desire to become a “listener and healer.” Creating safe spaces and showing respect are especially important to her. She strongly believes in teamwork.
Shawna is currently on several boards, and her passion is to help remove barriers for Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Indigenous people. Shawna acts as President of Canadian Association for the Deaf (CAD/ASC); President of the Manitoba Deaf Association (MDA); Director on the Board of the Canadian Deaf Sports Association (CDSA); and President of the Manitoba Deaf Sports Association (MDSA), along with several roles on variety of committees. Shawna believes we all will work together and make sure everyone has equal rights –with time and work, we will get to that point!
Shawna communicates using American Sign Language and works as an ASL translator for several national and provincial non-profit organizations. She also teaches ASL in various locations across northern Canada, privately teaching for over 10 years provincially.
Currently, Shawna is learning French/LSQ, International Signs, Inuit/Ojibway and Pisel/Inuit Signs. She believes in learning other languages to foster better relations for future connections. Her goal is to remove barriers and increase vision education to enhance knowledge. Shawna is a member of Manitoba’s Accessibility Advisory Council, serving on a three-year contract.
In her free time, Shawna loves to spend time with her family and her pets. She enjoys adventurous activities and spending time in nature. Tending to her plants and gardening helps her mind feel at ease. She also enjoys reading novels, writing her book, and creating cultural crafts, making sure to make time for these activities. Thanks/Merci/Miigwech
Presentation: A Broken Legacy
Shawna Joynt, a proud Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Han Nation woman and member of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, shares her compelling personal story in A Broken Legacy. From a childhood marked by adversity to raising children as a single mother and becoming a national leader, Shawna has faced and overcome countless barriers.
Today, she serves in leadership roles across Canada, advocating for accessibility and equity for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Indigenous communities. With determination, kindness, respectfulness and her desire to become a “listener and healer”, Shawna invites audiences into her journey of survival, healing, and transformation—offering a message of hope, connection, and the power of collective change.
