Six-year-old Torin, who had significant hearing loss, poses in front of a new sign near his Uplands-area home on Friday, Jan. 9, advising drivers to slow down for kids playing in the area. (Image Credit: Submitted photo/Geli Qualizza)

By Alex Rawnsley

children at play

‘Torin just lit up:’ unique signs installed supporting deaf child in Nanaimo neighbourhood

Jan 13, 2026 | 5:55 AM

NANAIMO — Three words displayed on a couple of signs in a north-end neighbourhood are giving peace of mind for a local family.

Installed Friday, Jan. 9, a pair of ‘Deaf Child Area’ signs bookend the Uplands-area home and outdoor play space of six-year-old Torin, and his family including two brothers and his mother Geli Qualizza.

Qualizza told NanaimoNewsNOW Torin was born with a single gene loss, which severely limits his hearing without a Cochlear implant, and presented as a potentially dangerous scenario over the summer after Torin learned to ride his bike.

“We looked at our street, we looked up and down, and we realized we couldn’t see the corner. We had a few near misses with a couple vehicles, one being a truck, one being an EV vehicle that he couldn’t hear at all until it was right behind him, and that just kind of caused us to go, what can we do?”

One of the two new signs in a north end Nanaimo neighbourhood, advising drivers of kids at play including one with a substantial hearing loss. (Image Credit: Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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The idea of a sign came from Torin’s sign language tutor, who’d seen similar versions in other communities.

An email to the City early in the summer initially went unanswered, however as students went back to class, Qualizza finally got a response from Madeleine Koch, the City’s active transportation project specialist, and a promise something would be done.

“I left it up to her because she was willing to help me, and I honestly was kind of surprised to get such willing help right off the hop. She came up with that signage, which I’m so grateful for, because…it’s not just a child is playing here, potentially, it is the area that he lives.”

Qualizza said the signs went up while Torin was at school on Friday, a day after his sixth birthday.

The family spotted them on their walk home, with Torin’s older brother Luca noticing first.

“I got him to look up at the sign, and…I said, ‘what does it say?’ And he read it out loud, and he said, ‘deaf child area’ and Torin just lit up, and I thought it was so cute. ‘That’s your sign, buddy, that’s a sign, so everyone knows to drive a little bit slower, be more cautious.'”

Qualizza, an operating room nurse at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, said the signage was a “huge breakthrough mentally” for her and the family after years of advocating for help and accommodations for Torin’s needs.

She knows while it won’t eliminate the danger, or Torin’s hearing loss, it does add an extra element of awareness for all kids in the neighbourhood.

“The saddest things happen, and it’s so avoidable. If everyone just took a beat and realized that we’re not all made equally, or we might not all be on our best game…we need to look out, have each other’s back. A small bit of danger can have huge consequences on your life.”

With a Cochlear implant, Torin has around 93 per cent of normal hearing. Without, however, he would only be able to hear a jet engine taking off by standing nearby. (Image Credit: Geli Qualizza)

City manager of transportation Jamie Rose said the request was the first one of its kind to come across his desk during his career.

He also said he’s not aware of any similar signs elsewhere on Vancouver Island, admitting this was a “very unique situation”.

“We’d definitely be looking at these as sort of one-by-one opportunity. This is a very low volume street in a quiet neighbourhood, and the folks who would be on that road…probably already have a slightly heightened awareness. Having these signs, we’re hoping we’ll just kind of elevate it just a little bit more.”

Rose said he doubts the signs would warrant any sort of formal program, but they’re open to conversation and would look at any initiative through a strategic lens.

Costs for the signs were minimal, according to Rose, with the materials already on hand and creation of the signs done in-house by City staff.

The signs will remain up until the family moves or deems them no longer necessary, at which point the City will collect them to store, or potentially re-deploy to another area.

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