[2022-06-11] Deafblind Awareness Month

Mel and I stopped by the Hazeldean Branch of the Ottawa Public Library the other day and saw colourful patches of yarn displayed on the trunk of the tree outside the building. As we got closer to the tree, we saw a sign that read "Wondering what this is?" I was, indeed, wondering just that. The sign read:

June is National Deafblind Awareness Month

Deafblind Community Services has joined a global campaign to build awareness about people are who Deafblind by engaging in "yarn bombing" or tactile art installations for the month of June.

Yarn bombing is an activity that takes knitted, crocheted or loomed squares of yarn and attaches them to objects or structures in public places as a form of street art. The initiative is uniting countries around the world to build a better understanding about people who are Deafblind.

Follow the global campaign by checking out the hashtag #DeafblindAwareness on social media.

Interested in learning more about Deafblind Awareness Month? deafblindservices.ca

I did a little more digging and share some interesting details about deafblindness and Deafblind Awareness Month (with sources identified):
  • Deafblindness is a combination of sight and hearing loss that affects a person's ability to communicate, access information and get around. It's also sometimes called "dual sensory loss" or "multi-sensory impairment". (UK National Health Service)
  • Deafblind Awareness Month is designed to help Canadians develop an understanding of, and a comfort with, the people in their communities who are Deafblind. (CNIB Deafblind Community Services)
  • June, the birth month of Helen Keller, was proclaimed by the Senate of Canada in 2015 as National Deafblind Awareness Month. (DeafBlind Ontario Services)
  • Many people are familiar with the story of Helen Keller, but are unaware that her experience as an individual who is deafblind is all too real for over 1% of Canadians (460,000). (Canadian Helen Keller Centre)
  • A blind or visually impaired person may use a white cane. A deafblind person may use a red and white striped cane. (Deafblind UK)
  • National Deafblind Awareness Month is a chance to help the public learn more about all the ways people who are deafblind contribute to their communities. People who are deafblind can live full lives. When they have access to the formats and supports they need to communicate, they can be fully involved in their work, families, and social lives. Raising awareness should reduce the discrimination that people who are deafblind may live with. (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act)
I also learned that today, June 11, is International Yarn Bombing Day, whose aim is to raise awareness of the art of knitting and crocheting and to add meaning and color to urban locations.

On the way back from the library, Mel and I saw another example of art bombing in support of Deafblind Awareness Month, on a railing outside the Maker Savvy store for textile arts on Hazeldean Road in Kanata. We'll be on the lookout for other yarn bombing installations. They're easy to spot.