When Heidi Panchaud trained as an educational assistant after a period as a stay-at-home mom, working in low vision wasn’t on her radar at all. However, her first classroom assignment, which was with a blind student, changed the course of her career. Now, more than 20 years later, she’s retiring as a low vision therapist at the Waterloo Eye Institute’s George and Judy Woo Centre for Sight Enhancement (CSE)’s Low Vision Clinic.
Born and raised in Waterloo, Panchaud pursued a post-secondary education in business at Conestoga College. After working briefly in the business world, she married and welcomed two daughters. Choosing to prioritize family, she stayed home to raise them until they were ready to go to school. During that time, she attended night school for two years to become an educational assistant, preparing for a career that would ultimately define her professional career.
