Independence through

In spring 2009, DeafBlind Ontario Services received a grant from The Ontario Trillium Foundation to develop service standards and benchmarks to ensure consistency and accountability of the quality of services delivered to persons who are deafblind. This project is the first of its kind to evaluate services and supports within the deafblind sector.

An advisory committee was formed, comprised of representation from organizations in both the congenital and acquired fields of deafblindness. The standards were piloted in organizations that provide supports and services to people who have congenital and acquired deafblindness. The pilots resulted in feedback and suggestions from a wide variety of organizational staff and volunteers. Most importantly, recommendations from people who live with deafblindness were incorporated into the development of the standards.

Today, we are happy to report that we now have Standards of Excellence for People Who Are Deafblind. This guide provides direction for planning, delivering, and evaluating services for people who are deafblind in four areas of governance, human resources, financial accountability, and direct service. The standards will help organizations develop and deliver practical and appropriate services, based on the premise that people who are deafblind have access to Intervenor services that best suits their needs and desires.

It is the goal of the committee to make the Standards available to all agencies that provide Intervenor services, ensuring consistency in services for people who are deafblind across Ontario.

For more information on the Standards of Excellence for People Who Are Deafblind, contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Accreditation

We are pleased to announce that DeafBlind Ontario Services has begun the process of seeking accreditation with FOCUS! Following the success of our Standards of Excellence for People who are Deafblind, DeafBlind Ontario Services has engaged with FOCUS Accreditation Ontario, to develop standards for people who are deafblind and seek accreditation for our organization.

Why become accredited? By becoming accredited, we are committing to ongoing, continuous learning, and growth. As an organization, we are demonstrating to families, funders, community partners, and most importantly, people who use our services that we are dedicated to excellence and accountability.

What is involved in the accreditation process? Parts of this are currently under way! Initial training and orientation with FOCUS has begun with DeafBlind Ontario Services core development team, under the leadership of Jolene Stowell, Quality Assurance Coordinator. We have completed our organizational self assessment, and started the process of identifying areas of strength and needed improvement. The next steps involve submitting documentation to the FOCUS Validation team, followed by an intensive on-site validation process. The on-site validation process will involve not only the internal development team at DeafBlind Ontario Services, but interviews and surveys with staff, volunteers, family members, community partners, and people who are deafblind that use our services. Once the on-site validation is completed, FOCUS will inform us of the outcome.

Where can I get more information? We will be updating the website regularly, as well as providing additional information to staff, families, and residents.  You can also contact Jolene Stowell by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 905-853-2862 ext. 234. For more information about FOCUS, please visit their website at www.focusaccreditation.ca