Independence through

In summer 2009, DeafBlind Ontario Services launched an exciting Sensory Excursion facet to the Program Module. Prior to the launch, a committee was formed and investigated several organizations and researched the benefits and feasibility to incorporating such a program.  The results and several presentations to management delivered the consensus for supporting Sensory Excursions.

The DeafBlind Ontario Services’ definition of a Sensory Excursion is “a trip taken by an individual who is deafblind for leisure and educational purposes.  It is based on their dreams and provides opportunity for diversity and enhanced sensory experiences in lives.”  Sensory Excursions focus on experiences that stimulate the client’s senses and are based on the results of their MDPT (goal meeting) and Internal Review meetings, the clients’ wants/needs/desires, their various assessments (Sensory, Environmental, Orientation/Mobility, Physio, etc) and past history and experiences.  The Sensory Excursion process also requires the client, with the assistance of the Intervenors, to research, develop an extensive itinerary and include variety methods to budget/save for an excursion (bottle drives, garage sales, catering services, paper route, etc.) and final aspect complete an experience tool before and after the excursion.

A pilot Sensory Excursion was conducted in April 2009 with a client where it was determined within his goal meeting he would like to partake in an excursion.  He flew to Ottawa (his first time on a plane) and took in a Senators hockey game, stayed in a hotel, ate in different restaurants and collected items to create an Experience Tool based on his excursion. Imagine the stimulation of the different senses of being on a plane, smelling different foods, sleeping in a different bed, the temperature of the arena and the atmosphere of the crowd.

Since summer of 2009, several of our clients have been fortunate to experience Sensory Excursions, each more memorable than the last.