2019-2020
ANNUAL REPORT

"Making tomorrow better than today!"

CHAIR'S MESSAGE

by Jane Hooey, Chair of the Board

“The Bob Rumball Canadian Centre for Excellence for the Deaf is a very unique organization. There is nothing else quite like it. We have group homes for Deaf plus individuals; supportive independent living; seniors programs and the TDSC; rent geared to income apartments; mental health services through PAH!; enrichment programming and supportive services. This is just a sample of the services that we provide.

The clients and the Deaf Community at large that we're able to serve so well are due to the committed staff and volunteers that they we're so fortunate to have.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything and nothing at all. Our clients continued to receive excellent care and this is because of the senior staff and their response to the epidemic. And as a result, we had no significant outbreaks as many of the outside community services for special needs homes experienced. It's been hard for everyone. Staff had to keep clients who may not understand the seriousness of COVID-19 safe. This is a challenge and will continue to be as outbreaks continue to rise. Staff had the additional responsibility of personally following the protocols strictly as they don't have the luxury of 'relaxing' because there's too much at stake. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to express our deep appreciation to all staff for their past and continued dedication.

Speaking of the board of directors, we continue to meet virtually during the pandemic. There are a total of nine
members of the board with five members who are or were leaders in other organizations that serve the Deaf community. There are three current or past business owners, a previous municipal counselor, Several CEOs, two CODA's, a chartered accountant, a government leader in the provision of services to the Deaf Community, a lawyer, three Deaf, two hard of hearing a person of color, four hearing people and five Board members who are competent in ASL. It is a group that is committed to the principles of service to the Bob Rumball Canadian Centre of Excellence for the Deaf.

Lastly, the board of directors would like to thank the president Derek Rumball, who through his leadership and example, set the tone for managing all of the challenges of keeping our organization and the people we serve on a healthy path. Like many of you, I look forward to a more normal life. Until then, stay healthy. Wear a mask. Wash your hands frequently. Maintain social and physical distancing. Thank you very much for watching.

Chair's message

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

by Derek Rumball, President of BRCCED

So much of our attention has been focused on what has happened in the last six months of world history. You know the challenges and the changes. How we at Rumball continued to bring the highest quality of life and the people that we serve here and that it will always be the focus of our organization.

Sometimes it's easy to forget what happened in 2019 and early 2020, and what I can tell you is that we've been serving more and doing more than we ever have. It's been an honor and a privilege to serve as president of the Bob Rumball Canadian Center of Excellence for the Deaf. We always have been and always will be, the organization that put others first. But we don't do that alone.

We get support from all three levels of government, many private foundations, and other agency partners.
But above all, we're very grateful and thankful for the countless individuals and families who believe in our
mission, our vision, and our values. We could not do this without you. We face challenges in this very complex world that we're living in.

Our methods are simple. We make today better than yesterday, and we're going to plan for tomorrow will be better than today.
And thank you for being part of it.

President's message

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S MESSAGE

by Karen Chambers, Chief Executive Officer of BRCCED

I remember when I was much younger how far off the year 2020 seemed and yet here we are!

The beginning of our fiscal year was filled with much excitement when The Range (one of our social enterprises) was nominated by the Milton Chamber of Commerce for the “Mid-Sized Business of the Year Award” and Bob Rumball Canadian Centre of Excellence for the Deaf was nominated by the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce for their “Business Achievement Award”. This was a true testament to the connections we’ve been making with local businesses in Halton Region.

We’ve also been very busy this year with various government ministries in efforts to ensure the needs of the Deaf Community are not overlooked. To that end we issued a letter to the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care with respect to the establishment of Ontario Health Teams and the need for accessibility to be part of the planning and not an afterthought. We presented to the Ministry of Education D/deaf and Hard of Hearing Reference Group and played an active role on the Deafblind Network of Ontario Board of Directors to assist in informing the Ministry of Children and Community Services’ framework in developing a single point of access in Ontario for Intervenor Services.

In June of 2019 we celebrated Bill C-81 – Accessible Canada Act receiving royal assent which recognizes American Sign Language, Langue des Signes Quebecoise and Indigenous Sign Language as the primary language for Deaf Canadians. This can only help to remove barriers and improve accessibility!

Building physical capacity is always challenging but in November, with the help of some very generous donors we were able to purchase a new 8 acre property in Milton that has a 3 bedroom house and a six-plex on the property. We are excited about the possibilities of increasing the number of people this will allow us to support and the space this property provides for additional programming opportunities.

In December, our senior leadership team met for 3 days to celebrate our accomplishments from previous years and developed our 2020-23 strategic plan. Our goals speak to governance, service excellence, financial, facility and asset management, innovation and technology and of course strengthening our workforce.

In February 2020, we established an Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) to address what was then known to us as the “novel coronavirus” now more commonly known as Covid-19. We acted quickly and implemented many measures. As the days and weeks went on our EPC, senior management team and every Rumball staff member navigated this uncharted territory with one common goal of keeping the people we support and our staff members safe and healthy. As I write this report we are still feeling the significant effects of Covid-19 in our workplace, our homes and in our community. The contributions and sacrifices of our entire staff team are remarkable and

brought out true excellence in everyone. We are truly grateful to all of our Rumball heroes that demonstrated their compassion and commitment to those we serve. We are now turning our minds to innovative ways of providing quality services and supports in these times that barely resemble what they once did prior to Covid-19.

I will end off by expressing my gratitude to our donors, Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments who provided funding for many additional projects, sector stabilization and Covid-19 expenditures this year. We are also very grateful to our community partners for the synergy they bring in helping to achieve our common goals.

As I look to the future there is much to be excited about as we move our focus to continued innovation and excellence!

CEO's message

COO's message

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER'S MESSAGE

by Trevor Lumb, Chief Operations Officer of BRCCED

Recently, I came across a quote that read, “Don’t settle for excellence some of the time, rather strive for excellence always”. This past year has been one where our programs have continued to move towards excellence. We have created specialized training opportunities for staff better equipping them to do their work, we have improved and expanded our services, and we have continued to focus on the people we support, by making today better.

Program staff have increased their focus on assisting Individuals to build skills and meet their goals – in fact we supported one person as he attended the World Special Olympics in Abu Dabi to play for Canada’s basketball team – returning home with a bronze medal.

We have increased our efforts on building and maintaining healthy relationships and community inclusion- whether it be volunteering, employment social and recreational opportunities or bridging and creating new relationships. Our senior’s department have worked to bridge and maintain relationships with other senior groups in Belleville and Halton, rekindling or strengthening friendships that go back 60+ years.

Program staff have striven to create more efficient practices and effective service delivery. We have upgraded technology (check about AE funding), and have successfully supported many individual and program complexities. 2019-20 saw the addition of a new autism treatment group home in Milton, which will allow us to better provide clinical supports to autistic individuals.

BRCCED has strengthened relationships with our community partners. Staff have presented workshops, provided training and built capacity in service access points like Developmental Services Ontario, Centre for Addictions and Mental health, local hospitals and police forces. We have participated in research, ensuring that best practices are accessible and inclusive.

And we continue to receive hundreds of calls from all over Ontario and beyond asking for BRCCED’s help – help in accessing services; help in finding housing or employment; counselling… clearly there is more work to do, and more ways BRCCED will continue to grow towards excellence. I am proud to be part of the Rumball family, and look forward to continued work with our teams in creating excellence for the Deaf community.