Medical Sign Language Interpreting Services – Follow-Up

The Provincial Language Service, a program of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), is seeking your input. [See ASL Vlog for more info] We have held engagement sessions around the province. The purpose of the engagement is to understand the values and specific needs related to creating a successful provincial medical Sign language interpreting services. Deaf, hard of hearing and Deaf-Blind community members came together and provided valuable input. Engagement sessions were held in Kelowna, Greater Vancouver, Victoria and Prince George.

We are now inviting you to the follow-up meeting in Vancouver where we will report on the feedback we received. TO REGISTER or if you have any questions, please email Emina@rmdelaney.com.

The meeting will take place at:

4:30 pm on Wednesday, June 20
Vancouver
BC Children’s and Women’s Health Centre
Clinical Support Building
932 29th Ave. Bikeway
Room V2-222

We have also organized meeting space at five (5) other locations that will join the meeting via telehealth. Remote location details are:

1. Kelowna
Kelowna General Hospital
2268 Pandosy Street, Kelowna
Room: Boardroom

2. Prince George
Prince George University Hospital Northern BC
1475 Edmonton Street, Prince George
Room: Vern Fraser Rm

3. Nanaimo
Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
1200 Dufferin Cr, Nanaimo
Room: 1203

4. Victoria
Royal Jubilee Hospital
1952 Bay Street, Victoria
Room: EMP Boardroom 188

5. Terrace
Terrace Mills Memorial Hospital
4720 Haugland Avenue, Terrace
Room: Education Rm

New Victoria Office

NEW OFFICE NOW OPEN!

The new IDHHC Victoria office is located at #130, 1555 McKenzie Avenue.

The following bus routes travel to 1555 McKenzie Avenue:

  • Bus #12 University Heights/UVic
  • Bus #16 Uptown/UVic
  • Bus #24 Cedar Hill
  • Bus #26 UVic
  • Bus #27 Gordon Head
  • Bus #28 Majestic
  • Bus #39 Westhills/Interurban
  • Bus #51 Langford/UVic – Royal Oak/UVic

You can find driving directions from Google Maps.

View of front of building, from McKenzie Avenue. Note there is a pedestrian/wheelchair ramp from McKenzie Avenue leading up to the entrance.

View of back of building, from Garnet Road. There is a ramp at the back of the building, to access upper parking.There is plenty of free visitor parking (up to 2 hours).

View of entrance to IDHHC, from upper level parking (P2), take stairway or elevator to 1st floor, Room 130

Town Hall Meeting with the Deaf Community

The Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre senior staff and Board of Directors want to set up a Townhall Meeting with the Deaf community. The purpose is to review existing services and to discuss future plans together, as we move forward.

Full details are in the attached video.

LOCATION: The Townhall Meeting will be held at the University of Victoria, David Strong Building, Room C118

View UVic Campus Map

Image Description:
A woman with short dark hair, wearing a black v-neck sweater, sits in her home office, directly facing the camera. A black-framed picture with an indistinct blue image is on the wall behind her head. Also, behind her to the right of the frame, is a low wooden file cabinet adjacent to a desk with three drawers. She smiles warmly and begins to sign.

Video Transcript:
Hello my name is Linda Cundy; I am from Edmonton.
The Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre senior staff and board of directors want to set up a Townhall Meeting with the Deaf community.
The purpose is to review existing services and to discuss future plans together, as we move forward.
Please hold the date Saturday June 16th, from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm.
The meeting will be held at the University of Victoria. The room number will be announced shortly. Lunch will be provided.
I will be the facilitator for this Townhall meeting.
If you would like to meet with me prior to the meeting, or if you’re unable to attend the Townhall on June 16th, we can set-up a mutually agreed time to have a 10 to 15 minute video chat by FaceTime of Skype.
You may contact me at LJCundy@icloud.com to discuss your ideas and share your comments.
I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, June 16th.
Thank you.

IDHHC Board Member Nominees

Following the procedures as outlined in the IDHHC Bylaws, five people have been nominated for election at the Annual General Meeting of IDHHC. The AGM will be held on June 27th at 6:00 pm at the IDHHC (new) Victoria office: #130, 1555 McKenzie Avenue. We are pleased to introduce each of the candidates to you in the videos below.

NOTE: All videos are captioned, click on CC to view captions.


Hello. My name is Michael Hayes and I am very pleased to be standing for another term as a Director of the Board at IDHHC. I have been on the Board for eight years, serving two terms as President. I have a bi-lateral loss. As someone who has struggled with hearing loss at work and in personal settings, I have come to appreciate the support and services that IDHHC provides to individuals and families. I am a retired school teacher and vice-principal and also worked privately as a business coach / consultant and mediator. I have been a community activist all of my adult life and I look forward to using some of this experience to help improve opportunities for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. I look forward to working with the other Directors, staff, membership and the community to increase access for all Deaf and hard of hearing on Vancouver Island.


Hello. My name is Suzanne Lang and I feel very privileged to have been appointed as one of the newest members to the Board at IDHHC. After 23 years in administration with the BC Government I took early retirement and worked for 5½ years as a pre-board screening officer at Victoria International Airport until officially retiring. I have volunteered with Greater Victoria Victim Services (both Victoria City Police and Sidney/North Saanich RCMP); Victoria Hospice at Royal Jubilee Hospital and the Saanich Peninsula Palliative Care Unit, and I am currently a volunteer medical driver with Beacon Community Services. In 1986 I developed tinnitus, and the start of a gradual hearing loss that became more progressive. Five years later I began wearing hearing aids. My audiologist recognized how passionate I’ve become about accessibility awareness for the deaf and hard of hearing community and encouraged me to seek a position on the Board of IDHHC … so here I am. I am delighted and eager to be working with the Board and staff to generate widespread recognition of the challenges in everyday life for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals in our community.


Hello, I’m Anne Minnings and I’m standing for election for my first term as a Director for the Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre. I am a Chartered Professional Accountant, and hold a degree in History and a diploma in business administration. I am retiring in June from a 25 year career with the Province of BC. My last position was with the Ministry of Children and Family Development where I was fortunate to have a colleague who was profoundly deaf. She is a strong advocate who works hard to foster understanding and inclusion and I learned a great deal from her about the obstacles she faces in a hearing world. I was also able to research human rights legislation and provincial standards to ensure I had a good understanding of my obligations as an employer and her rights as an employee. I have extensive skills and experience with strategic planning, financial and risk management, budgeting and controls as well as organizational and human resource management. I look forward to contributing to the advancement of IDHHC’s goals and I look forward to working with and learning from the other board members, staff, membership and the community.


Hello Everyone! My name is Cheryl Pardue and I have been a member of the Board of Directors at IDHHC since September 2017. I have enjoyed it very much. I have 18 years experience as a Psychiatric Nurse with persons with disabilities and 22 years experience working for the Provincial Government. I have volunteered on the Board of Directors for the Washington Co-op and have learned a lot about living in that community by being involved on several Committees. I have been living with bi-lateral hearing aids since 2006 and am so grateful for them. As I lose more hearing along the way, I am trying to adjust and learn how to deal with losing conversation with others. I want to develop ideas and communication support to deal with the challenges I will face in the future. I am very happy to be working with the Board and staff and community to enhance all of the work that is done to help others in the Deaf and hard of hearing community. I look forward to continued learning and supporting the agency. Thank you.


Hello, my name is Southard Quint and I have been on the IDHHC Board of Directors since March of this year. During these past three months I have gained valuable knowledge about this non-profit society and the amazing work it does. I am a retired teacher and during my career I’ve had a wealth of experience working with individuals on many levels. It is through my loss of hearing that I became interested in IDHHC, what it does and how it helps make lives better. I look forward to working with the staff and the community and to adding a voice to the decision making process on the Board of Directors.


For your information, there are four other people who were elected to the Board at last year’s 2017 Annual General Meeting. These four are now in the second year of their two-year terms and do not need to be re-elected this year.


Hello my name is Mark Dunn, I’ve been involved with the Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre Board of Directors for the last 3 years. My role is as the liaison between the Deaf community and IDHHC. I am also involved as the Treasurer for the Southern Vancouver Island Association of the Deaf for the past 5 years. I’ve been President for the Canadian Deaf Hockey Federation. I am also administrator for the BC Deaf Scholarship Trust. I am here to continue Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre’s success and to improve access for the Deaf community. Thank you so much.


Hello, my name is Robert Lemmon and I am the Treasurer and a standing member of the 2018-2019 Board of Directors, completing the second year of a two-year term. I have 40 plus years of experience as a Chartered Accountant and 15 years as an officer, director and committee member of Non-Governmental Organizations in the fields of health care, the arts and recreation. In the fall of 2016, I was invited to join the board because of my experience as a chartered accountant in areas of non-governmental organizations to fill the role of the outgoing Treasurer. Thank you.


Hello my name is Daniel Pagan. I have been involved with the Board of Directors for one year. I look forward to continuing for one more year. I was born in Oman and moved to a few different countries before finally immigrating to Canada. I recently graduated from law school and now I work for the Government of BC as a public servant. I look forward to the future where I get to help the Board of Directors continue their success and improve access for the Deaf and hard of hearing community in Victoria. Thank you!


Hello – I am Helen Parker. I am entering my 2nd year as a member of the Board. I have worked with Deaf and hard of hearing people for almost 40 years. In England I was a social worker and interpreter working for not-for profit and local authority. From 1977-1980 I had the privilege of working with the British Deaf Association, Professor Madsen from Gallaudet University and the Deaf community. We were working on establishing assessment tools for the establishment of a British registry of interpreters for the Deaf. In 1980, our family relocated to Canada and I took a position as a Rehabilitation/ Employment Counsellor with the WIDHH. I was also the agency liaison with the CNIB and CDBRA where we worked with deaf blind children and adults. We moved to Victoria in 1998 and I worked as a claims advisor with VIHA until I retired. I look forward to continuing my work with the Board, staff and community. Thank you!

Happy Retirement

After 11 years of dedicated service, our colleague Roxanne Beatty will be retiring on June 28th . In her role as Administration and Hearing Health Services Assistant in our Nanaimo office, Roxanne developed expertise in hearing assistive technologies – and her mastery will be missed by staff and clients alike. There was no technical issue that Roxanne couldn’t resolve. She provided outreach and education to several communities during her years with us, and provided invaluable support to adults adjusting to hearing loss and the use of hearing aids. Thank you Roxanne for your commitment and outstanding work! We will miss you, and wish you the very best in your retirement.

Welcome New Staff Member

We would like to introduce the newest member to the IDHHC employment team, Kara Winlaw. Kara has a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy and significant work experience in vocational rehabilitation, job coaching, case work and action plans for employment and the social services field. Kara is excited to work with Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals in Victoria to assist them with preparing for employment and their job search. We are thrilled to have her join the IDHHC team.

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