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IDHHC NEWS
Newsletter of the Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre
Income Tax
Nights
Dates:
IDHHC – Victoria
Tuesday, March 25
IDHHC – Nanaimo
Thursday, April 5th
Big Band Bash Success
6th Annual Event Benefits IDHHC
More than 180 supporters attended this major annual fundraising
event, presented by McNeill Audiology, on November 12, 2013.
The big bands that graciously donated their time included: The
Island Big Band, The Swiftsure Big Band, and The Commodores.
The evening of jazz and swing music set the tone for an extremely
beneficial Silent Auction. The funds raised at the Big Band Bash
support IDHHC programs and services. None of it would have
been possible without the generous support of the Sponsors!
(More on page 8)
Tax Night services are
available BY APPOINTMENT
ONLY and spaces are
limited.
Both the Victoria and the
Nanaimo offices will be
hosting our annual Tax Nights.
Tax Night is for low income
Deaf, Deaf-blind, deafened
and hard of hearing
individuals; particularly for
those who require the services
of an ASL Interpreter or who
have significant barriers to
communication.
Professional accountants and Interpreters volunteer their time and expertise to provide this service.
Our Victoria staff would like to extend their gratitude to Norgaard Neal Camden Accountants and our
community Interpreters for their generosity. Our Nanaimo staff would like to extend gratitude to John
Hough for his kindness and generosity.
TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT:
- At the Victoria office, please go in person to the Victoria office or contact Lundie Russell at
[email protected]
- At the Nanaimo office, please contact Roxanne Beatty at
[email protected]
IDHHC NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2014
Report from Board President
This winter has been a roller coaster for IDHHC but we have faced our
many challenges with determination and optimism. As with most
nonprofit social service agencies, funding has been a constant concern
but staff, members, donors and the Board have worked together to cut
costs and increase revenues. We face the rest of this year with
confidence.
Client services continue to be the heart and soul of our organization
and I am very proud of the staff in our Victoria and Nanaimo offices
who have weathered the financial storms with dedication and
professionalism.
Our year-end “ask” was also very successful and we welcome our new donors and supporters
who will work with us to build and strengthen the agency in the years ahead. Through the
tireless work of our Executive Director, Denise Robertson, we have secured new grants that will
allow us to protect and expand services.
I personally thank staff for their unwavering commitment, the Board for its dedication and
generous spirit, and our Executive Director for her work ethic, sound decision-making and
leadership.
Michael Hayes
Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre
Annual General Meeting
Tuesday June 17th 2014
6:00 pm
#201 – 754 Broughton Street
Victoria BC
250-592-8144
ASL Interpreters and Captionist Provided
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IDHHC NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2014
Program News
Employment Program BC
Welcome to new staff members!
Dominic Husereau, Employment Counsellor
Anna Fodchuck, Job Developer
The past year held wonderful success stories
for many of IDHHC’s clients. The Employment
Program helped clients keep their current jobs,
assisted them when applying for training funds
and helped find the right job once training was
complete.
On a much brighter note, IDHHC is very pleased
to welcome two highly dedicated ladies,
Dominique Husereau and Anna Fodchuk to the
Employment
team.
Dominique, a
former
Nanaimo
employment
counselor, is
back!
Dominique missed
working with all of her clients
and has decided to dedicate her career to
IDHHC. The Employment Program staff are
delighted to have Dominique return and share her
passion and knowledge of employment services
out of the Nanaimo office.
This program also experienced some
challenges during the year. Most of the daily
postings are in customer service and sales
jobs; as on-going communication is constant in
such jobs, accommodating clients can be
exceptionally challenging. Fortunately, when
Discovery or psycho-vocational assessments
are completed, IDHHC staff can explore where
abilities best fit the workforce. Together, a
client and employment counsellor searches for
a good match within today’s labour market.
One project that IDHHC consistently strives to
develop is in obtaining contracts in areas
where specialized employment services for the
Deaf and hard of hearing are missed.
Currently, the EPBC team has been unable to
serve the north Island; under the WorkBC
arrangement IDHHC cannot serve the Deaf
and hard of hearing community across
Vancouver Island as it does not have contracts
with any Ministry holding Contractors further
north. This results in clients, who previously
received support under the Employment
Program of People with Disabilities, now
needing to obtain support via their local
WorkBC Service Centre. To find out which
employment centre can serve you, please visit
the http://www.workbc.ca/WorkBCCentres.aspx website. Enter your address to
locate the employment service centre nearest
you. IDHHC is working on getting these
contracts for northern communities, and will
keep you all updated!
Anna joined the Victoria employment team as a
Job Developer mid January. It’s been a smooth
and productive addition to this program. Anna is
fairly new to the Victoria area as she moved here
from Edmonton in 2012. She brings with her
years of experience working in nonprofit
organizations, pre-employment programs, sales
industry and post-secondary work environment.
She has worked with diverse groups of people
including teaching yoga to the Deaf community in
Edmonton. Her warmth and thoughtful
interactions fit very nicely within the IDHHC team
and will be fundamental in her role as IDHHC’s
Job Developer. Her role will be to develop and
build strong relationships with Victoria’s
employers that will assist IDHHC clients by
opening doors to upcoming jobs. Networking is
essential especially in today’s labour market for
job seekers and requires time, focus and the
ability to connect with people with ease. Anna is
just the right person for the job!
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IDHHC NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2014
Family and Community Program
SUMMER CELEBRATION IN VICTORIA
July 2013 was the 22nd anniversary of this popular community event. With financial support from
the Evening Optimists of Victoria, and donations from a variety of local businesses (Thrifty
Foods, St. John Ambulance, Serious Coffee and Tim Horton’s) Summer Celebration 2013 was a
huge success. Thank you all for your support!
IDHHC also received very positive feedback about the event’s location at Galey Farms. Along
with the delicious BBQ, the community enjoyed the three-part corn maze, an exciting train ride
and cute petting zoo. Fifty-seven Deaf and hard of hearing adults, children and their families
had the opportunity to socialize and network. All of these activities were supported by 11
tremendous volunteers, 3 enthusiastic IDHHC staff members, and 3 dedicated IDHHC Board
members.
This year the IDHHC Victoria Family and Community Program team hopes to make Summer
Celebration 2014 an even greater success. Dates and location to be announced soon!
Interpreting Program
Hearing Loss Resource Program
Over the last year, the Interpreting
program has seen an increase of
appointments; particularly Community
based.
The Hearing Loss Resource Program is
pleased to introduce its newest staff member,
Kim Dillon, who started working in the Victoria
office August 12, 2013.
IDHHC works very hard to educate the
community on the Rights of Deaf and
hard of hearing individuals, and it
appears that it is paying off.
Kim is the Hearing Loss Resource Assistant in
the Victoria office 2 days a week, Tuesdays
and Thursdays. After a seven-month hiatus,
this complements the already existing 3 days a
week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays that
the Audiologist works.
More Service Providers have understood
their ‘Duty to Accommodate’ and have
willingly provided Registered ASL
Interpreters for their appointments with
Deaf clients. Clients are also feeling
more comfortable in requesting
interpreters and understand that it is their
Right to clear communication. This is a
huge success for the Interpreting
program at IDHHC. With the steady
increase of interpreter requests however,
comes the steady need for interpreters.
Kim comes with a background as an
Employment Counselor and Community
Support Worker. She has taken on the
challenge of learning the ins and outs of
hearing loss and assistive equipment with
enthusiasm and this keen desire to learn,
combined with her gentle people skills, make
her a wonderful addition to the Hearing Loss
Resource Program. Welcome Kim.
(Continued next page)
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IDHHC NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2014
Hearing Loss Resource Program – continued from Page 4
Since the article about loop systems and accessibility in our last newsletter, Janis Ringuette, a
citizen’s advocate, became very active in promoting accessibility for those with hearing loss in
the Victoria area. She has contacted and talked to many groups and organizations about the
importance of accessibility and enquired which hearing assistive systems are in place, if any.
She had an opinion editorial published in the Victoria Times Colonist in the Spring and has also
compiled an extensive list of buildings in the greater Victoria area that have some type of
system that promotes accessibility for those with hearing loss. These
include stage theatres, movie theatres, seniors care facilities and
residences, municipal buildings, churches, hearing clinics and more.
Some buildings have infrared systems, some buildings FM systems,
some loop systems, and some a type of captioning. If you are
interested in finding out about a particular building and what kind of
system that building has or if you want to make sure your building or
workplace is on that list please visit the IDHHC website (Links to
Resources) or contact [email protected]. IDHHC appreciates the hard work
Janet has done in this area. In addition, Audrey Sowerby has also been in touch with many
facilities and groups in the community again raising the awareness of accessibility and the loop
system.
In the past few months Advanced Listening Systems has installed several assistive systems in
local buildings; a loop system in the Thrifty Foods/Sobeys James Bay Pharmacy, 2 loop
systems at AMICA at Somerset House; one at the reception desk and in the theatre, loop
systems in the Broadmead Hearing Centre, Oak Bay Hearing Centre and both of the McNeill
Audiology Clinics (Sidney and Oak Bay). An infrared system was installed in the Belfry Theatre
and the Town of Sidney had a complete audio “redo” including a loop, new sound system,
projector and acoustical treatment for the council chamber installed. These are in addition to the
loops Van City installed in each of its banks last year. Thank you to all who are making this
region more accessible for those with hearing loss. If you have any questions about this
technology or how you can access it please contact one of the staff members in the Hearing
Loss Resource Program.
The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association has initiated a petition to bring CapTel phones into
Canada. When you place or receive phone calls using a CapTel telephone, your phone
conversations are automatically displayed in text on the telephones’ built-in screen. Unlike
Voice Carry Over telephones or TTY’s currently in use in Canada, callers do not have to dial a
special phone number for a Relay Operator. CapTel phones are available in the US, but even if
you purchase one in the US and bring it across the border, it will not work in Canada. For more
information and to sign the petition, please visit the CHHA website http://www.chha.ca/chha/.
And finally, by now, many are aware that 75-watt and 100-watt incandescent light bulbs have
been phased out and that 40-watt and 60-watt incandescent light bulbs will be phased out after
December 31, 2014. Unfortunately the new compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs are not going to
work with the alerting and signaling systems that many people use, as they need to “warm up”
before they are at full power. So everyone using an alerting system should stock up on 40 or 60watt incandescent bulbs while you can or use halogen or LED bulbs.
If you have questions about any of the above please feel free to contact the staff in the Victoria
or Nanaimo office.
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IDHHC NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2014
The Winds of Change: Office Moves at IDHHC
Once again the winds of change have ascended upon IDHHC and, as change is the only constant,
staff are becoming old hands at navigating these gusts of transformation! Paramount in IDHHC’s
daily environment is the ongoing and what seems like never-ending funding challenge. Like so
many organizations there is a struggle to secure sustainable funding sources to ensure programs
and services can be maintained. Currently IDHHC relies heavily on the
generosity of individuals and granting foundations to support current work –
but these funds are neither sustainable nor consistent from year to year.
As any organization or individual will do when funds become tight, thoughtful
ways to reduce and save money becomes an everyday operating process.
So, IDHHC found ways to reduce operating overhead while maintaining
current staffing levels – this allowed the stability to operate programs and
provide services without reducing delivery to clients.
Reducing rental costs is one area that has received ongoing consideration and after much
deliberation both the Victoria and Nanaimo offices will be changing facility space to save money.
To undertake the renovations at both of our area offices, there will be brief closures in order to
make these moves happen. IDHHC will do its best to ensure they are able to meet client needs with
as little disruption as possible.
Office Closures: At the present time, both offices will be closed for the Easter long weekend from
Friday April 18th to Monday April 21st inclusive.
CHANGES IN VICTORIA
CHANGES IN NANAIMO
IDHHC will remain at its current location on
Broughton Street but will be giving up the front
lobby and office area known as suite 100. With
some minor renovations the main reception and
administration offices (and meeting space) will
soon be on the 2nd floor; additional work will be
done on the main floor at the rear of the building
to add more offices for client service staff.
As our lease expired in the current location
in Nanaimo we were given the opportunity to
find alternative space – again smaller and
much more cost effective - for our mid-island
team. The new location will be 75 Front
Street in downtown Nanaimo – a wonderful
space in the downtown core with easy
access to parking and transit.
The Victoria office will be closed from April
22nd to 25th for renovations, reopening on
Monday, April 28th.
The Nanaimo office will be closed from
April 28th to May 2nd to move locations, reopening on Monday, May 5th.
* Please note these times may change so please call your local office to confirm.
IDHHC staff members look forward to getting moved and settled and back to work as quickly as
possible and thank clients and staff for their patience during this time.
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IDHHC NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2014
Increasing Accessibility for People with
Disabilities in British Columbia
In person community consultations were held
from January 20 to March 7, 2014. The
purpose of the twenty-three consultations
held throughout BC was to provide insights
into what we, as a society, can do to make
BC more accessible and inclusive.
The White Paper leadership team stated, “It is
important to recognize that the BC
Government is committed to balancing its
budget and reducing debt for future
generations. The White Paper and Summit
must include a conversation about how this
fiscal commitment can be met, while at the
same time reducing barriers and improving
accessibility.”
This feedback will be used in the
development of a White Paper, which will be
the foundation for a Summit in June on the
issues facing people with disabilities in BC.
IDHHC participated in four of the community
consultations, including one in Vancouver that
had a specific focus to consult with Deaf, hard
of hearing, and Deaf-blind constituents, as
well as educators, and program/service
providers.
Six discussion themes included, but were not
limited to: Innovation, Personal Supports,
Work & Contribution, Housing & Accessibility,
Social Networks, and Asset Accumulation.
There were multiple ways for people to
participate, other than face-to-face meetings:
online discussion, submission of stories, ASL
videos, Tweet, Email and mail.
“I appreciate the time and interest that many
of our staff and Board members expressed by
attending and participating in some of the
sessions in our area,” said Denise Robertson,
Executive Director.
DID YOU KNOW?
About a quarter of the population has
some degree of hearing loss,
ranging from mild to profound.
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IDHHC NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2014
BIG BAND BASH SPONSORS
Thank you to our Generous Sponsors!
Presenting Sponsor
Don St. Germain
“The Big Band Bash was a huge success, with everyone putting in significant time and energy to
make it the best ever. We are so grateful to the Sponsors, the bands who donate time and talents,
the donors for their bighearted support, and all who came with generous spirits and open wallets.”
- Michael Hayes, IDHHC Board President
IDHHC Website: idhhc.ca
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IDHHC NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2014
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IDHHC NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2014
Reminder – Membership Renewal Time!
If you have not renewed your annual Membership please come into the office or call us to
ensure your membership remains active! Annual Membership is active from January to
December each year, so please be sure you are a Member in Good Standing* and can
participate in the Annual General Meeting scheduled for June 17th 2014.
BOARD OF DIRECTOR NOMINATION FORM
Members of the Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre (IDHHC) are
invited to submit names of nominees to the Board of Directors to be
elected at the Annual General Meeting on June 17th, 2014. Nominees
and those nominating must be Members in good standing.* All
nominations must be signed by at least three (3) current Members of
IDHHC and by the nominee. PLEASE NOTE: No nominations will be
taken from the floor at the AGM.
We, the undersigned, being Members in good standing of Island Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Centre, nominate:
__________________________________________________________
(please print Nominee name)
as a Director to the Board of Directors of the Society on June 17th 2014
1.
Member Signature _____________________________________
Print Name: __________________________________________
2.
Member Signature _____________________________________
Print Name: __________________________________________
3.
Member Signature _____________________________________
Print Name: __________________________________________
I accept this nomination by signing below:
Signature of Nominee: ________________________________________
Dated: _____________________________________________________
The signed nomination form must be submitted to the Board of Directors Nominating
Committee by Tuesday May 13th 2014. Nomination forms can be faxed to 250-592-8199
or dropped at IDHHC offices with attention to: Nominating Committee.
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