I am pleased and excited to introduce myself as the first Chair of Sensity Deafblind and Sensory Support Network of Canada. I am a parent of a daughter who is deafblind and served on the board of CDBA Ontario for the past three years. When my daughter was two years old I was introduced to CDBA Ontario. Through this organization, now Sensity, I have received knowledge, guidance, excellent services and have met some amazing families and friends. I am honoured to serve as Chair and I look forward to continuing the work of our past chair, Anabela Da Silva, and thank her for her enthusiasm and commitment over the previous years.
Board members Elizabeth Fennelly (Vice Chair), David McCloy (Treasurer), Liz Froese (Secretary), Wilma VanStaalduinen, Anabela Da Silva, Sherry Campbell, Lynne Osasuyi and Savoy Williams will be returning for another year. We are excited to announce that two new members have recently joined the Board. We would like to welcome Jonathan Inacio. Jonathan is a former CDBA Ontario board member who has a family member who is deafblind. We also welcome Grant Davies. Grant is a staff sergeant with the Brantford Police Service and is eager to serve as a Board member and bring perspective as a community stakeholder.
I would also like to take a moment to thank Michael McNeely as he leaves the Board to focus on his law studies at Osgoode Hall at York University. Michael sat on the Board for two years and provided invaluable insight and perspective. His commitment to spreading awareness of what life is like as a person who is deafblind is astounding. We are all better for having met him and wish him great success in his studies.
It is an exciting time of opportunities for Sensity. We launched our new name, logo and website on Jan. 17. While much has changed, I want to emphasize that our commitment to supporting and enhancing the lives of people who are deafblind will not change. I would like to assure you that the Board values all stakeholder input and engagement. We recognize that communication is extremely important during this process and want to express our commitment to offering engagement through various forums, such as this new e-newsletter. The rebranding will allow a variety of opportunities to do this including the new website which will provide tools for information sharing. I encourage you to contact Sensity at info@sensity.ca with any comments or questions as your feedback is invaluable.
By serving on the board of CDBA Ontario and now Sensity over the past three years I have had the opportunity to become familiar with the amazing staff of this organization. Each person I have met has demonstrated passion and dedication to our mission and core values. I would like to thank my fellow Board members, CEO Cathy Proll, and all staff for their dedication and hard work this past year. I look forward to the new year ahead!
Sincerely,
Heather Ali
