‘Totally shocked:’ Nanaimo residents trying to fill service gaps left by Deaf centre’s closure

“Totally shocked as we weren’t expecting it and no warning was given. IDHHC’s closure has had a big impact to the Deaf community of Vancouver Island. I especially feel sorry for families that have a new Deaf baby and won’t know who to go to for help.”

Sandi and her husband, Ron, were both involved with IDHHC for years, calling it an important resource to help people learn important skills, such as ASL. (Image Credit: Submitted/Sandi Thorpe)

Sandi was born hard of hearing and became deaf as an adult, while her husband Ron, now 80, lost his hearing when he was 14 months old due to meningitis.

After moving to Nanaimo from Kamloops in 1989, Sandi said IDHHC was there to help her settle into her new community and connect her specialized equipment to her home.

“Flashing lights for the doorbell, smoke detector, and telephone. When I found out about IDHHC, they sent someone to connect everything. I also went to IDHHC, and they helped me with making a resume and getting a job.”

Sandi met her future husband Ron shortly after, and they both began volunteering with the organization, helping with fundraisers and workshops aimed at supporting their community.

Job searching and resume writing, speech reading lessons for new hard-of-hearing people, and being a liaison between deaf employees and their new employers were some of the services provided.

Sandi was also hired as an ASL (American Sign Language) instructor and mentor for Deaf and hard-of-hearing adults, staying in the role and continuing her volunteer duties for over 30 years.

“The families and adults were grateful to have the service of learning ASL, especially new parents with Deaf babies. Now that IDHHC has closed, that service won’t be provided.”

Sandi and her husband participated in a town hall hosted in Victoria on July 17th with over 100 members of the Vancouver Island Deaf community in attendance.

“Most people were very upset, emotional, and angry about the closure,” Sandi said. “Now the Deaf community is trying to come up with ways to provide services to Vancouver Island residents again. We have set up a committee and have had a couple of meetings so far. Writing letters to the MP’s and MLA’s.”

IDHHC also provided interpretation and captioning services across B.C., which now means members of the Deaf community need to rely on interpreters from agencies outside Vancouver Island or freelance interpreters, which can be expensive and time-consuming.

Due to these constraints, NanaimoNewsNOW was unable to speak with Sandi and Ron directly through an interpreter, and the interview was conducted via email, highlighting in real time the important work IDHHC provided.

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by Jordan Davidson

‘Totally shocked:’ Nanaimo residents trying to fill service gaps left by Deaf centre’s closure

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