What IDHHC Learned from the Consultation with the Hard of

WhatIDHHCLearned
fromtheConsultation
withtheHardof
HearingCommunity
ASummary
Introduction
Atotalof26stakeholdersparticipatedinIslandDeaf+HardofHearingCentre’s(IDHHC)second
focusgroupreview.Inputwasreceivedfromhardofhearing(HoH)consumers,familymembers
andhearinghealthprofessionals.Inaddition,15participantscompletedanonlinesurvey,
bringingthetotalnumberofparticipantsto41.Thisreviewistobeseenasseparatefrom
IDHHC’sreviewwiththeDeafCommunity.
AbreakdownofparticipantsutilizingspecificservicesandprogramsofferedbyIDHHCis
presentedinthechart(Table1).Itappearsthatcounseling(withinHearingHealthServices)and
captioningservicesholdthehighestusage.
Program/ServiceArea
Percentageofparticipants
HearingHealthServices
100%
CaptioningServices
90%
EmploymentServices
10%
FamilyandCommunityServices
2%
Table1:StakeholderparticipationinIDHHCservices(n=41)
ProgramandServiceOverview
IDHHCstrivestoensurethatallclientsreceivethebestpossibleservices.Eachprogramis
summarizedbelow:
• Stakeholdersreporta100%satisfactionratingfromthose
participatinginHearingHealthServices
• ForCaptioningServices,66%ofparticipantsindicatehigh
satisfactionlevelswiththeprogram,whereas34%of
respondentsdidnotknowthatsuchaserviceexisted.
• UnderEmploymentServices,9%ofparticipantsindicatedhigh
levelsofsatisfaction;however,thereisstillalargegroup(91%)
ofpotentialclientswhohaveneverusedtheservice,orhave
noknowledgeofit.
• Approximately2.5%ofparticipantsutilizingFamilyand
CommunityServicesdemonstratehighsatisfactionlevels,with
97.5%ofstakeholdersreportingthattheyhaveneverutilized
thisservice.
OverallforIDHHCservices,onlyafewparticipantshadaccessedother
services,otherthanfamilycounsellingoremploymentsupport.
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StrengtheningServices
DespitehighsatisfactionlevelsforserviceswithinIDHHC,thereweresixprimaryareasthat
couldreceiveadditionalsupport.Thesefocusonadvocacy,knowledgegrowthandfinancial
supportfortheagency.
Increasesupport
andeduca;on
groups
Researchand
maintain
awarenessof
current
technology
OfferASL
support
WorkwithHoH
Youth
IncreaseIDHHC
fundingsupport
Greaterpublic
awarenessand
advocacyonthe
Island
OpportunitiesforGrowth
Goingforward,IDHHChasagreatstandingrelationshipwiththeHoHCommunity.Afew
recommendationsweremadebythereviewwithrespecttoIDHHC’sgrowthandpresence
withinthecommunity:
• Considerplacingenhancedvideoswithcaptioningandusefultechnology(i.e.speechto
textapps)ontheIDHHCwebsite
• CollaboratewiththeWesternInstitutefortheDeafandHardofHearing(WIDHH)to
garnermoresupportforHoHs
• ConsiderexpandingHearingHealthServicestoNanaimo,andupIslandcommunities
• Frequent(bi-weekly)emailupdatesonagencynewstosharewithclients
• Creatingarecycling/reuseprogramforusedhearingaidsandothertechnology
IDHHChasseveralprogramareasthataremeetingtheexpectationsoftheHoHCommunity:
• Providingfinancialassistanceforhearingaids
• Referralsforfamilycounselling
• Supportgroups/tinnitusprograms
• ResourcelistofaccessibleplacesinVictoria
• Staffunderstanding,empathyandrespectforHoHs
• Obtainingqualityworkplaceequipmentanddevices
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OpportunitiesforImprovements
Threekeythemesarosefromthereview,whereparticipantsindicatedareasthatcouldbe
improved:
Increased
Support
Public
Awareness
Communication
• Distinguishbeginnerspeechreadingclassestoadvanced
levels
• Considereveningsupportgroupsforthosewhoare
employed
• Supporthardofhearingyouth
• Increasepublicrelationscampaignstothegreater
community,includingprofessionals/employersworking
withhardofhearingpeople
• Engageseniorsandclientstomakefundingapplications/
presentationsonbehalfofIDHHC
• Alargedesireisfoundhereduetoacollectivepositive
experiencewithIDHHC
• Regularnewsletters,emailblasts,vlogsareencouraged
• Aneasier,moreaccessiblewebsitethatisnavigationable
withup-to-dateinformation/resources
• Addresstheissueofphonesnotbeingansweredduring
lunchhoursasmessagesdonottransmittothecorrect
person.
OverallOutcomes
TheresponsesfromtheHoHcommunityindicatethatIDHHChasapositiveandeffectiveworking
relationshipwiththeircommunity,includingaudiologists.However,thereissomeroomfor
improvement,inparticularwithrespecttoadvocacyandpublicrelationsworktoraisetheprofileof
programsandaccessibilitytotechnology/communicationforHoHconsumers.Anexamplewouldbe
assistanceinreducingthecostofhearingaids,orsimplycreatingamorecompetitivemarket.
Participantsencouragedincreasedcollaborationandpartnershipswithotherorganizations,where
consumerservicescouldbeincreasedandevenfacilitatedbyseniorcentres(CentreforAgingat
UniversityofVictoria)orcarefacilities,asanexample.
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ConcludingRemarks
TheBoardofIDHHC,togetherwithitsExecutiveDirectorandagencystaffextendsthankstoall
hardofhearingpersons,audiologyprofessionals,andotherswhoparticipatedinthisreview.It
isfromopendialogueandfeedbackthatpositivechangecanoccur.
IDHHChaslistenedandwillworktowardincorporatingrecommendations,withinourmandate
andbudget,intoprogrambusinessplansandagencyoperational,strategicplans.
RichardLetourneau
Chair,BoardofDirectors
IslandDeaf+HardofHearingCentre
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