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New office to benefit deaf clients
Deaf Access Simcoe and the Canadian Hearing Society have opened the doors of their new joint location in Barrie, the first facility of its kind in Canada.
The joint office houses organizations as well as a Communication Devices and Accessibility Centre.
Louise Gagné, executive director of Deaf Access Simcoe, spoke at the grand opening Nov. 6.
She said though the groups have been partners for 22 years, this was the start of a new chapter.
“Today represents the beginning of a new era for that partnership and a renewed commitment to our shared vision of a society where all people are respected, have full access to communication, and are able to participate without social, economic or emotional barriers,” she said.
Emma Robitaille, who uses sign language to communicate, said having the two agencies under one roof is the “best one-stop shopping” she can think of.
“It means whether a person wants to book an interpreter or needs help negotiating with an employer, there is only one place to go,” she said. “It also means that if you want to ensure the best possible communication between the community and someone with a hearing loss, there is only one place to refer people.”
The new office was made possible through a $100,000 funding grant from the Trillium Foundation.
The new facility includes a Communication Devices and Accessibility Centre provided by the Lion and Lioness Clubs of Multiple District “A”.
The centre is the 15th of 18 centres being installed across the province in partnership with the CHS.
The centre displays a variety of communication devices allowing people to test and try the devices before purchase.
Gagné said the addition of the communications centre will make a difference
with anyone or anyplace in the community that comes in contact with a person with hearing loss.
Maribeth Meijer, Chief Operating Officer of the CHS, agrees.
“The deaf, deafened, hard-of-hearing persons or any member of the community can come in here and can we can see, we can touch, we can test the devices and then we can understand what’s available to us as individuals to help us with communication. We can assure they meet our needs before we purchase these devices,” she said.
The office is located at 74 Cedar Pointe Dr., unit 1009.
Deaf Access Simcoe and the Canadian Hearing Society have opened the doors of their new joint location in Barrie, the first facility of its kind in Canada.
The joint office houses organizations as well as a Communication Devices and Accessibility Centre.
Louise Gagné, executive director of Deaf Access Simcoe, spoke at the grand opening Nov. 6.
She said though the groups have been partners for 22 years, this was the start of a new chapter.
“Today represents the beginning of a new era for that partnership and a renewed commitment to our shared vision of a society where all people are respected, have full access to communication, and are able to participate without social, economic or emotional barriers,” she said.
Emma Robitaille, who uses sign language to communicate, said having the two agencies under one roof is the “best one-stop shopping” she can think of.
“It means whether a person wants to book an interpreter or needs help negotiating with an employer, there is only one place to go,” she said. “It also means that if you want to ensure the best possible communication between the community and someone with a hearing loss, there is only one place to refer people.”
The new office was made possible through a $100,000 funding grant from the Trillium Foundation.
The new facility includes a Communication Devices and Accessibility Centre provided by the Lion and Lioness Clubs of Multiple District “A”.
The centre is the 15th of 18 centres being installed across the province in partnership with the CHS.
The centre displays a variety of communication devices allowing people to test and try the devices before purchase.
Gagné said the addition of the communications centre will make a difference
with anyone or anyplace in the community that comes in contact with a person with hearing loss.
Maribeth Meijer, Chief Operating Officer of the CHS, agrees.
“The deaf, deafened, hard-of-hearing persons or any member of the community can come in here and can we can see, we can touch, we can test the devices and then we can understand what’s available to us as individuals to help us with communication. We can assure they meet our needs before we purchase these devices,” she said.
The office is located at 74 Cedar Pointe Dr., unit 1009.