Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre to close after 35 years, ending vital Vancouver Island services

Victoria-based hearing and Deaf services organization shuts down after decades of community support. (University of British Columbia)

A Vancouver Island organization that has spent more than three decades providing vital services to deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing people is preparing to close its doors.

The Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre Association (IDHHC) says it will permanently cease operations on June 30, bringing an end to 35 years of work serving communities across Vancouver Island.

The closure means the loss of a broad range of programs, including hearing health services, employment supports, American Sign Language instruction, interpreting and captioning services that helped make schools, workplaces, medical appointments and community events more accessible.

Among the organization’s best-known initiatives was Sound of Change, a program that provided free hearing assessments and refurbished hearing aids at no cost to people with low incomes. According to IDHHC, the program delivered hearing technology and services with an estimated retail value of $9 million over the years to people who otherwise would not have been able to afford them.

The organization also partnered with deaf educators to provide American Sign Language instruction to families of infants and children with hearing loss, helping parents build communication skills from an early age.

“Working with deaf community teachers, IDHHC co-ordinated thousands of hours of teaching ASL (American Sign Language) to families with infants and children with hearing loss. Over 100,000 hours of interpreting and captioning services created accessible spaces and places for deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing individuals to access everything from school and work to medical appointments and theatre performances,” IDHHC said in a statement.

“Thousands of deaf and hard of hearing individuals have found meaningful employment with IDHHC support, living fuller and richer lives as a result.”

IDHHC says a combination of financial pressures ultimately made it impossible to continue operating and it faced growing challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic, including the cost of relocating its Victoria and Nanaimo offices.

It also lost a long-term government contract in 2023, creating a significant gap in funding.

“Despite generous donations from members and aggressive cost containment measures, the gap between revenue and expenses has continued to grow. All efforts to seek continuing funding from government has been unsuccessful, resulting in the closure of all services.” they said.

The association says the decision comes with profound sadness, marking the end of an organization that has served local communities since 1991.

Its closure leaves uncertainty over who will provide many of the specialized services clients have relied on for decades, while highlighting the ongoing challenges community organizations face in securing stable funding for accessibility and hearing health services.