In Social Role Valorization (SRV), one of the points we make in teaching about social roles is that a valued role can be protective, even when someone ends up with a significant impairment after acquiring the role, and how important it is to shore up someone’s valued roles, particularly if they do become quite sick, become significantly impaired, become poor, and so on.
In this article we read about Dr. Elaine Smokewood, an English professor at Oklahoma City University (US). A couple years ago, Dr. Smokewood lost the ability to speak (wound of physical impairment) and yet continues in her valued social role as university professor. We learn from the article that she is also in the related valued role of English department colleague and in the valued role of published poet.
The above link connects to both an article as well as a brief video. In the video, as well as in comments from readers below the article, her students make a point of referring to her as Dr. Smokewood, though the article refers to her as Ms. Smokewood. As we teach in SRV, language is one of the ways in which social roles are communicated.