The Canadian Helen Keller Centre (CHKC) is planning to build a 56-unit, affordable and accessible apartment complex in Etobicoke accommodating deafblind people.
Phil Corke, the board chair of the CHKC, hopes this initiative will allow those in the deafblind community to feel more entrenched in the community.
“We hope to provide residents and those in the deaf-blind community with affordable, independent living options along with the associated training they need to live independently,” Corke said.
Elio Riggillo, a deafblind man and the Consumer Relations Coordinator at the CHKC, was born deaf. As he aged, his vision became impaired. He relies on pro-tactile American Sign Language that relies not only on hand-touching for communication but also on the entire body.
“The new building is to be fully accessible for deaf and blind people, and it will also provide more socialization opportunities,” Riggillo told Humber Et Cetera.
He said many in the deafblind community feel a sense of isolation. However, friends and family will be able to visit in this type of housing.
“I am profoundly deaf,” Riggillo said. “Because of that, my sense of taste, smell, and touch all become heightened because I use them for communication.”
He said he looks forward to creating more awareness of the deafblind community.
“It’ll provide a lot of opportunities for the deafblind,” Riggillo said. “We face a lot of barriers.
“The more people learn and educate themselves about the deafblind, the more opportunities are provided for the deafblind, and the more barriers are dismantled,” Riggillo said.
Riggillo said many deafblind people are either underemployed or unemployed. Many people believe blindness and deafness to be a barrier, but he said there are many ways in which they can communicate.
His job highlights helping deaf, blind, and deafblind people alike get access to intervenors and interpreters.
Riggillo said people who are deaf but not blind rely on vision so that if they lose their sight it can be difficult to adapt to other senses the way deafblind people have. The building will provide support for those dealing with the issue.
The CHKC applied for funding through the Rapid Housing Initiative. This initiative was created by the federal government through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to provide affordable housing to vulnerable people.
Corke said he received a phone call from the CMHC recommending the CHKC apply, telling them their organization would be a good fit. Corke reviewed this with the board and they applied accordingly, he said.
Ultimately, after two applications, the CHKC received the funding.
Jennifer Robbins, the executive director at CHKC, said she has an apartment building with services available to those that are deafblind.
“I run a 16-unit apartment building in Willowdale,” she said. “People who are deafblind live there independently.
“There are some support services, intervenor services attached to that housing,” Robbins said. “All the units are renter’s income. The new project is a huge extension of what we’ve already had for the past 30 years.”
Robbins said she was glad to see deafblind people involved in the decision-making process.
The former building, at 150 8th St. in Etobicoke, has been demolished. Corke said they expect the foundation after permits and site plan approvals to probably start in March 2023.