June is Deaf-Blind Awareness Month

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 29, 2014) - Many of us receive information through our eyes and ears on a daily basis. Whether it's from TV news, conversations with neighbours, headlines on a mobile device, or reports of stormy weather - these seemingly incidental bits of information, which most of us take for granted, are out of reach for a person living with deaf-blindness.

June is celebrated around the world as Deaf-Blind Awareness Month, marking the birth month of Helen Keller, unquestionably the most famous person who was both deaf and blind. Helen Keller's journey is an inspiring story, which took her from silence and darkness to a life of vision and advocacy. She waged a seemingly impossible battle to re-enter the world she had lost, and through her actions and achievements, Helen Keller is recognized as one of the most powerful symbols of triumph over adversity.

Many people are familiar with the story of Helen Keller, but unaware that her dual disability is all too real for an estimated 15,500 Canadians who are deaf-blind, including many who live in Toronto.

One of those individuals is Megan McHugh. Megan is deaf and blind and lives independently in her own apartment. She works as a computer and technology instructor through the Canadian Helen Keller Centre (CHKC), teaching people who are deaf-blind to use computers, iPads and iPhones to access information, communication, entertainment, education and much more. In her free time, Megan plays ice hockey, skis, bikes and explores Toronto with her guide dog Billy and the assistance of intervenors, who act as the eyes and ears of people who are deaf-blind.

"Technology makes a huge difference for people who are deaf-blind, explains McHugh. "It allows people to communicate with other people, to email friends and family members, to access information and be informed by reading the news online or reading books, to communicate via various chats and social media, to get information on products and services, to buy things online independently and much more."

Technology also plays an important role in the life of Elio Riggillo, a deaf-blind consumer who lives in Toronto with his wife of almost 19 years and three children. He uses a BlackBerry to communicate via text and email and uses Skype to communicate with friends and family. Elio works as an American Sign Language (ASL) instructor for CHKC, Rotary Cheshire Homes (RCH) and George Brown College. He is a passionate advocate for the deaf-blind community.

Note to Media: The disability of deaf-blindness, which includes all types and degrees of dual hearing and vision loss, can be isolating and restrictive. Megan and Elio are available to tell their stories to the media and explain how training and intervenor services help people who are deaf-blind achieve their full potential.

JUNEFEST - JUNE 18 IN TORONTO

RCH and CHKC are proud to present the 12th annual JuneFest, an awareness festival that recognizes and celebrates June as Deaf-Blind Awareness Month in Ontario. This year's event is on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 at Mel Lastman Square in Toronto.

Starting at 12:00 p.m., there will be information booths hosted by various organizations and agencies to raise awareness about the dual disability of deaf-blindness, the latest technology and devices, and the services and resources that are available. Many deaf-blind consumers will also be in attendance.

The public, local business community and media are invited to attend JuneFest with friends, families and colleagues to learn about deaf-blindness while enjoying music, a charity barbeque, games and activities, free samples and more.

Over 200 students in grades four through eight from across the Greater Toronto Area will participate in JuneFest for the second year in a row. Youth-oriented programs and games will provide them with opportunities to read Braille, learn other alternate forms of communication and interact with people who are deaf-blind. They will also enjoy performances by local pop-punk sensations Crash! Radio, which is fronted by award-winning singer-songwriter Ivy James, recently named Best Young Songwriter by the Toronto Independent Music Awards.



WHAT: JuneFest - an annual awareness festival recognizing and celebrating
Deaf-Blind Awareness Month in Ontario.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 18, 2014
12:00 p.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: Mel Lastman Square
5100 Yonge Street at North York Centre subway



ABOUT DEAF-BLINDNESS

Deaf-blindness is a disability in which an individual has a substantial degree of loss of both sight and hearing, the combination of which results in significant difficulties in accessing information and in pursuing educational, vocational, recreational and social goals. Deaf-blindness is a unique and separate disability from deafness or blindness. An individual with the combined losses of hearing and vision require specialized services including adapted communication methods.

ABOUT THE CANADIAN HELEN KELLER CENTRE:

The Canadian Helen Keller Centre (CHKC) is the only residential training centre in Canada for people who have become deaf-blind. CHKC was developed to fulfill the unmet needs of the deaf-blind community by providing training in independent living skills, communication, computers, and other activities of daily living. Additional information is available at www.chkc.org.

ABOUT ROTARY CHESHIRE HOMES:

Rotary Cheshire Homes (RCH) operates North America's only barrier-free independent living residence with intervenor services for people who are deaf-blind. RCH tenants are active adults and seniors who live independently in their apartments. RCH also provides case management, outreach and emergency intervenor services.

Intervenors are professionally trained to provide auditory and visual information to people who are deaf-blind. Acting as the eyes and ears, an intervenor provides complete information of the environment and surrounding circumstances to the person who is deaf-blind who is unable to attain this information for him or herself because of a dual sensory loss. Intervenors also act as interpreter-guides. By using various modes of communication, they provide opportunities for people who are deaf-blind to gain independence, pursue goals, have control their lives and interact with the environment. Additional information is available at www.rotarycheshirehomes.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
FURTHER INFORMATION AND MEDIA REQUESTS:
Adam Bello or Christine Payne
Primoris Group
(416) 489-0092
media@primorisgroup.com


www.rotarycheshirehomes.org
www.junefest.ca
www.chkc.org