Welcome to CHKC
The Canadian Helen Keller Centre (CHKC) is the only residential
training centre in Canada for people who have become Deaf-Blind.
Our services help people develop alternate ways to care for
oneself, one's family and one's home, plus we facilitate connections
to peers and the community through the development of alternative
forms of communication, computing and through self-advocacy
and peer support.
CHKC provides training in skills of daily living and advocacy.
CHKC also works to raise awareness and advocates with the Deaf-Blind
Community for increased services.
There are at least 15,500 Canadians who are Deaf-Blind.
The organizations serving people who are Deaf-Blind only know
of a few Deaf-Blind people – therefore part of CHKC’s work is
finding people currently living in isolation.
CHKC is without permanent funding and relies on fundraising
and volunteers. If you'd like to
make
a donation online, please click here or call CHKC at (416)
225-8989. We also rely on organizations working in the field
of Deaf-Blindness, for their expertise and other gifts in kind.
Thank you to everyone who helps CHKC.
CHKC/RCH AGM INVITATION
The Canadian Helen Keller Centre (CHKC) and Rotary
Cheshire Homes (RCH) will hold their joint AGM on
September 16, 2008 at the CNIB. Supporters, staff and
consumers are invited to attend. If you plan to attend, please
don't forget to RSVP! Please click
here for the
official invitation
and directions. Hope to see you in September.
JuneFest Update!
 |
JuneFest 2008
Wednesday, June 18th,
2008
12pm-6pm
@ Mel Lastman Square |
JuneFest is an annual awareness
festival held by the Canadian
Helen Keller Centre and Rotary Cheshire Homes – 2 agencies
supporting the Deaf-Blind Community. June is Deaf-Blind
Awareness Month in the Province of Ontario because June is the
month of Helen Keller’s birthday. Helen Keller was a
famous Deaf-Blind American who led the way in advocating for
access and services.
People who come to JuneFest are
diverse and from all over southern Ontario. They include consumers of services and their
families, service providers, consumer organizations, students,
corporations and the general public. Nowhere else can you see
so many communication methods in one place – people using Intervenors (sighted guides/interpreters), the 2-Hand Manual
alphabet, American Sign Language, voice over, large print
notes, hearing aids, cochlear implants and even blackberries,
all proof that the challenge of Deaf-Blindness can be offset
when services and technologies are made available so people
can be more independent. People who come to JuneFest learn
about vision and/or hearing loss and services that help as
well as some issues that prevent people from accessing what
many others take for granted - the environment, people,
community resources and employment.
This year’s JuneFest event was the
most successful JuneFest ever
with more than 2,000 people in attendance. Please visit
www.junefest.ca to read about JuneFest 2008 and to
view photos of the fun! Thank you to everyone who organizes
and supports JuneFest, the Canadian Helen Keller Centre,
Rotary Cheshire Homes and the Deaf-Blind Community.
Microsoft Canada Receives Award
Earlier this year, the Canadian Helen Keller Centre recognized
Microsoft Canada for their outstanding contribution in support
of people who are disabled with our 2008 Canadian Helen Keller
Centre Award. Microsoft is a leader in designing accessible computer
technology and in funding programs that enable people with
disabilities to access computers and information. Computer
technology has become essential in the lives of people with
disabilities. Specific to people with combined vision and hearing
loss, it reduces the extreme isolation often experienced as it
provides easy and unlimited access to people and information.
Microsoft Canada
received the Annual Canadian Helen Keller Centre Award at a
special tribute luncheon held on Monday, April 28, 2008 at the
Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. Not only does this event
recognize the work of dedicated individuals and organizations
who are making a difference in the lives of people who are
disabled, it is a key fundraising event for CHKC’s many
programs that help people who are Deaf-Blind. For
information on next year’s event, please email
CHKC.
Intervenors & Intervenor Services
At the heart of everything we do is Intervenor Services.
Intervenors provide access by working as interpreters and sighted
guides to assist people who have become Deaf-Blind with connecting
to their communities. Intervenors help people who have become
Deaf-Blind to regain, maintain and increase their independence.
They help to reduce the isolation of living without sufficient
sight or sound.
The different types of Intervenor Services
or related
supports available include:
-
Assessment
and Referrals for people who have become Deaf-Blind
-
Emergency
Intervenor Services
-
Employer-Provided
Intervenor Services (supporting communication in meetings
and other situations)
-
Friendly
Visiting, Volunteer Intervenors
-
Housing
that includes Intervenor Services
-
Learning
how to use an Intervenor and Understanding the Role of the
Intervenor
-
Outreach
Intervenors Services (for consumers)
-
Professional
Organizations of Intervenors
-
Public
Access Intervenor Services (to make weddings and other social
events accessible)
-
Training
to become an Intervenor (in-house and academic)
-
Workplace
awareness training in basic American Sign Language, 2-Hand
Manual, Deaf-Blind culture and accessibility issues
If
you are interested in learning more about Intervenors, Intervenor
Services, or Deaf-Blindness, please contact deafblindinfo@onramp.ca.
You can also browse our website for more information.
Workshops for Advocacy and Community
Building
In 2007, CHKC began a new
program – Workshops for Advocacy & Community Building
– to provide training in a group format to members of the Deaf-Blind
Community and employment opportunities to Deaf-Blind facilitators.
Deaf-Blind facilitators are invited to apply for various positions;
successful applicants are given the support they need to develop and
deliver each workshop. Through the workshop development process,
facilitators develop skills to work effectively in a team, online
and in person, and they expand their ability to provide
individualized access to CHKC's diverse consumer base. Deaf-Blind
registrants learn about various topics, they get a chance to help
each other and be part of a community, an experience that is seldom
experienced by many people who are Deaf-Blind.
CHKC
workshops are made accessible
using interpreters and intervenors. As well, workshop material
is sent to each registrant prior to the workshop so learners can
pre-read materials and be ready for the group learning that
takes place. For those registrants who want more information on
the topic, CHKC converts workshops into courses that are
provided one-on-one in our facility.
So far
6 workshops have been held:
Community Services, how to use them; Team Building to tackle
mutual problems; Deaf-Blind Culture, Internet/Online Safety;
Self Advocating in the Community; and How the Eye Works/Sight
Loss. The next workshop, scheduled for September 2008, is called
Using Your Intervenor – the Workshop. To register for this
upcoming workshop, please contact
deafblindinfo@onramp.ca
Seniors Support Services - CHKC's New Service for Seniors
There are an estimated 50,000 seniors living with combined vision and hearing loss in Canada. Thousands go undiagnosed and therefore do not get the support they need to live as safely, independently and happily as possible at home or in supported environments. Of the individuals diagnosed, quality of life may still be diminished because of society's reaction to aging.
CHKC's new service provides support directly to seniors with vision and hearing loss, and workshops to people working with seniors. Through these services, we increase awareness about Deaf-Blindness; teach coping skills; develop an understanding of various eye and ear conditions; improve communication and make environments and activities more accessible.
To learn more, please click on the following link to download our pamphlet:
CHKC’s Seniors Support Services are
funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services
.
Become a member of CHKC and help determine
our future
 CHKC
implemented a paid membership in order to provide
our community with an opportunity to help plan CHKC's
future.
CHKC also needs to expand
its network in order
to grow and gain support needed to create a strong
impact for advocacy, for fund and awareness raising
and to recruit more volunteers.
Please
consider becoming a member. The application form
can be downloaded
here.
Membership runs from April 1 to March 31. Membership
starts at $15.00.
For
more information on membership, please email
CHKC
or use one of the contact numbers at the foot of this
page (TTY, Voice, Fax).
Read the Latest Issue
of "Bridging Hands" Newsletter Online
CHKC's
newsletter,
Bridging
Hands, Volume 15 is available online. It is full of
information on events, services and CHKC updates.
Past
issues of Bridging Hands are available online as well.
To become a subscriber, please contact
CHKC.
Return
to the top.
|
all
donations to CHKC are tax deductible |
The Canadian
Helen Keller Centre is the first skills training centre
in Canada where individuals who are Deaf-Blind can upgrade or
gain independent living and technical skills.
Through our web site, our goal is to inform persons
who are deaf-blind, their families, service providers, volunteers,
supporters, and the general public about the needs, concerns
and challenges of persons living with both vision and hearing
loss.
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