On June 26th, 2023 at the 31st Annual General Meeting, Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre was proud to introduce the newest Honorary Lifetime Member, Chuck Filtness. Chuck was named an Honorary Lifetime Member for his extraordinary contributions as a volunteer with our Sound of Change Initiative and embodies the Vision of IDHHC. We are grateful for his continued support and acknowledge his remarkable dedication to our Mission.
Chuck Filtness has lived in Victoria for 30+ years after a career as a seaman and then working in the forestry industry in industrial safety. He enjoys being an amateur astronomer and enjoys microscopy and finds using a microscope to give a new perspective as opposed to being awed by the vast distances of space.
Chuck got involved with IDHHC many years ago after realizing that trying to handle his hearing loss on his own just simply wasn’t working. He admits that it was difficult at first asking for help, but soon realized it was not a challenge – everyone at IDHHC was so eager to help. Speaking to others about how they were dealing with hearing loss was a tremendous benefit and he is so grateful for the help that IDHHC provided. After attending group meetings for a year or two, Chuck was asked to help sort out a “couple of bags” of tech aids – this led to processing ALL IDHHC tech aid donations and the tasks requirements to refurbish donated hearing aids for the Sound of Change Initiative.
Chuck actively solicits donations of used hearing aids and tech aids and is constantly advocating for IDHHC. He feels that working as a volunteer plus having the privilege to work with such a dedicated team is immensely rewarding. All the staff consider Chuck to be part of the team and we all thank him for his continued dedication. Because of his belief and active participation in our vision and mission Chuck Filtness was respectfully confirmed as a 2023 Honorary Lifetime Member.
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Posted: September 11, 2023 by IDHHC
Community Workshops & Presentations
Our commitment to community education remains a top priority as we continually strive for a more inclusive world.
With the establishment of the Accessible BC Act to identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility, it crucial for all businesses and organizations large and small to become informed, aware and doing what is necessary to ensure workplaces and public services are inclusive and accessible. IDHHC can assist with those goals by providing Deaf and Hearing Loss Awareness Training sessions presented by knowledgeable individuals including those with lived experiences. These workshops can help inform your management team or staff on communication strategies, how to create visually friendly spaces, inclusive services, and barrier free workplaces for Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees. Contact us today at communication@idhhc.ca to arrange for your own Deaf Awareness, Hearing Loss Awareness and Inclusive Training session.
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Posted: September 8, 2023 by IDHHC
Agency Updates
As many of you already know from our announcements this spring, IDHHC is no longer receiving contract funding from the Ministry of Children and Family Development for the delivery of services by our Family and Community (F&C) Program. For the last 30 years the funding from this contract was used to pay wages for F&C staff in Victoria and Nanaimo. So unfortunately, we have had to say goodbye to Susanne Harnden and Leslee Scott from our Victoria office. Although moving on to other avenues – or retirement! – we thank them both for their commitment to supporting the Island community. Both of them have agreed to occasional work with IDHHC on contract for specific projects – and we thank them for wanting to share their experience, expertise and knowledge. We also say goodbye and happy retirement to Alex Walker from our Nanaimo office. Alex started with IDHHC in Nanaimo as this program and contract first began in 1992 and has helped it to grow and flourish over the last 30 years. All of us at IDHHC and the community will miss her warm and caring support and thoughtful guidance, and we thank her for all of her dedication and commitment.
So now we begin a new chapter! What will services for Deaf and hard of hearing families and individuals look like in the days ahead??
Change is always difficult – but sometimes change can create new opportunities. IDHHC is committed to finding new ways to improve services to Deaf and hard of hearing individuals across Vancouver Island; strengthen our current partnerships and explore new ones; to engage the community to assist in determining the types of services we should provide in the future.
We thank everyone for their patience and support during this time of transition and we look forward to developing new and improved opportunities in the months ahead.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Staff,
Denise Robertson
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Posted: September 7, 2023 by IDHHC
2023 Honorary Lifetime Member
On June 26th, 2023 at the 31st Annual General Meeting, Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre was proud to introduce the newest Honorary Lifetime Member, Chuck Filtness. Chuck was named an Honorary Lifetime Member for his extraordinary contributions as a volunteer with our Sound of Change Initiative and embodies the Vision of IDHHC. We are grateful for his continued support and acknowledge his remarkable dedication to our Mission.
Chuck Filtness has lived in Victoria for 30+ years after a career as a seaman and then working in the forestry industry in industrial safety. He enjoys being an amateur astronomer and enjoys microscopy and finds using a microscope to give a new perspective as opposed to being awed by the vast distances of space.
Chuck got involved with IDHHC many years ago after realizing that trying to handle his hearing loss on his own just simply wasn’t working. He admits that it was difficult at first asking for help, but soon realized it was not a challenge – everyone at IDHHC was so eager to help. Speaking to others about how they were dealing with hearing loss was a tremendous benefit and he is so grateful for the help that IDHHC provided. After attending group meetings for a year or two, Chuck was asked to help sort out a “couple of bags” of tech aids – this led to processing ALL IDHHC tech aid donations and the tasks requirements to refurbish donated hearing aids for the Sound of Change Initiative.
Chuck actively solicits donations of used hearing aids and tech aids and is constantly advocating for IDHHC. He feels that working as a volunteer plus having the privilege to work with such a dedicated team is immensely rewarding. All the staff consider Chuck to be part of the team and we all thank him for his continued dedication. Because of his belief and active participation in our vision and mission Chuck Filtness was respectfully confirmed as a 2023 Honorary Lifetime Member.
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Posted: September 6, 2023 by IDHHC
Autumn 2023 Newsletter
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Posted: July 10, 2023 by IDHHC
An important message from the board
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Posted: April 21, 2023 by IDHHC
Poverty Reduction Feedback
The BC Government wants your feedback on how to reduce poverty. Please come to our feedback event, and we will tell the government your ideas. Your comments will be anonymous: your name will not be used in the feedback report. This is not only for PWD or low income as this is for anyone to welcome share feedback.
Date: Tuesday, April 25
Time: Drop-in anytime between 4-6:30PM (you can come late!)
Place: IDHHC Victoria office on Quadra St.
Zoom link (if you can’t make it in person): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85797114075
If you instead want to fill out the survey by yourself, you can go here:
Poverty Reduction Strategy Survey (gov.bc.ca)