Our Purpose:

The Bowen Island Land Stewards society for Blind and DeafBlind People (commonly known as the Bowen Island Land Stewards Society or BILSS) is a charitable organization founded in 2011 that has a main purpose: “to establish, operate, maintain, and hold in trust in perpetuity, on behalf of blind and DeafBlind Canadians, blind and/or DeafBlind-led national recreation, training and meeting centres, primarily for the use of blind and DeafBlind Canadians, which provide education and other specialized services for the blind and DeafBlind in order to relieve conditions (societal and otherwise) associated with blindness and DeafBlindness.” We partner with the Camp Bowen and Pacific Training Centre divisions of the Canadian Organization of the Blind and DeafBlind (COBD), a fellow charity. We provide, maintain, and steward the space for them to offer the Camp Bowen summer independence camps for blind, DeafBlind and low vision Canadians of all ages and their families and the country's most comprehensive blindness/DeafBlindness independence skills training program. We are currently raising funds through a capital project to establish the Bowen Island Centre for the Blind and DeafBlind and secure our home for these vital programs, reducing overhead significantly over the current rental model.

All programs offered through the Bowen Island Centre for the Blind and DeafBlind fill a huge gap in service delivery, and are the only programs in Canada that use the world-renown empowering, problem-solving model of instruction, called Structured Discovery learning, where blind and DeafBlind people are the instructors, administrators and board members. Thus, students at the centre learn from teachers who have actual lived experience of being blind and DeafBlind; they gain confidence and raise their own expectations of the capabilities and potential of blind and DeafBlind people.

The Blind People In Charge blindness/Deaf blindness independence skills training program seeks to address the high unemployment rate (75% nationally), isolation, and low average annual income, between $10,000 and $20,000, of blind working-age adults. The program also works to address the lack of adequate, consistent or intensive rehabilitation available to blind Canadians.

Camp Bowen's Summer Independence camps are overnight camps that bring together blind/DeafBlind campers for 5-8 days to foster independence, do recreation, build friendships; providing a safe, fun, & empowering environment for campers to expand their skills & experience new things while combating the isolation many blind/DeafBlind Canadians face. Camps made up of 12-40 campers take place each summer on Bowen Island and the Bowen Island Centre for the Blind and DeafBlind can accommodate up to 9 such camps per season. Camps have a focus area that incorporates independence living skills, fun, and recreation. Focus areas include: non-visual musical instrument playing, adaptive technologies exploration and coding, family support for families of young blind/DeafBlind children, literacy instruction, and more.

People who are blind/DeafBlind often have difficulties being viewed as equals by their sighted peers. When they get to a supportive place with others who share their perspective, they have the freedom to be themselves & find solutions for their challenges. Emotional connections formed with those who share their challenges & experiences help them develop social skills & self-worth. Bowen Island Centre for the Blind and DeafBlind is an environment where people are not defined by blindness/DeafBlindness but by what makes them who they are.

The centre provides the opportunity for blind people to learn how to live without sight in a safe environment. It is not about sighted people doing things for the blind or DeafBlind; it is about blind and DeafBlind people doing things for themselves, and it is about blind and DeafBlind teachers working with blind and DeafBlind participants to increase skills and confidence. Blind and DeafBlind people learn from and teach each other in a supportive, can-do atmosphere. Staff help participants of all ages develop positive strategies for coping with blindness, DeafBlindness, and vision loss in a sighted world. COBD programs have had participants as young as 0 and the eldest participant was 94 years young.

These programs increase expectations of the capabilities of blind and DeafBlind people both among the blind and DeafBlind communities and the general public. Those who are exposed to this positive philosophy of blindness and DeafBlindness are more likely to hire a blind or DeafBlind person for a job or volunteer position, to welcome a blind or DeafBlind person into a social or community group, and generally to treat blind and DeafBlind people on a par with sighted counterparts.

About Blind, DeafBlind, and Low-Vision Clients:

Due to a lack of adequate rehabilitation, blind, DeafBlind and low-vision people often lack basic life and employment skills. The majority of blind and DeafBlind people stay in their homes and do not take part in community life, leading to isolation and disconnection from others. They are particularly vulnerable to gaps in service delivery, as they often experience failure in the transition from school to the work world. COBD regularly receives inquiries from blind youth and their parents asking for assistance in these areas and the Bowen Island Land Stewards Society for Blind and DeafBlind People provides the Bowen Island centre for the Blind and DeafBlind as a space for these vital programs to happen.

Studies show that 75% of blind Canadians are unemployed and exist on minimal incomes provided through disability. Compared to the rest of the population with disabilities, only 25% report being employed versus 51% of people with disabilities in general. Without these services, blind, DeafBlind and low-vision people across Canada will continue to face isolation, mental health struggles, unemployment, and other challenges.

There is a severe lack of intensive rehabilitation available to blind and DeafBlind people in Canada. Many blind and DeafBlind Canadians have never had the opportunity to learn the skills of independence, or have recently lost their vision and have nowhere to go to access regular training in these techniques. The Bowen Island Centre for the Blind and DeafBlind aims to change this reality. Working with our partners at the Canadian Organization of the Blind and DeafBlind we aim to fill an important gap in services provided to this population.

Our Model:

The model used at the Bowen Island Centre for the Blind and DeafBlind by our partners at COBD is ground-breaking in Canada and involves an entirely new approach to teaching independence skills to blind and DeafBlind people. COBD programs use an empowering, experiential style of learning, called Structured Discovery, where blind and DeafBlind people learn to problem-solve and take charge of their own lives. The programs feature confidence-building activities and a focus on a positive philosophy of blindness and DeafBlindness. Vital blindness/DeafBlindness independence skills training connects participants with support and resources for career-path planning and offers job shadowing and internship opportunities with local businesses and community groups. Meanwhile, summer independence camps offer a balanced program of recreation, confidence/independence skills building, and fun.

All programs provide essential blindness/independence skills training to blind, DeafBlind and low vision Canadians. The programs fill a gap in service delivery, and are the only programs of their kind in Canada. The Blind People In Charge blindness/deaf blindness independence skills training program is the only program in Canada that offers regular, intensive, group-based blindness skills training to adults who are blind, losing their vision or who are DeafBlind.

CARF Accreditation:

In January 2019, with the help of a capacity-building grant from the United Way, the Blind People In Charge blindness/DeafBlindness independence skills training program earned the full 3-year accreditation from the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), which is uncommon for a first application. In 2022, the program's accreditation was renewed for an additional 3-year term with a score of more than 96% on its survey. the Program is the only blindness service-provider in British Columbia that is accredited by CARF.

“By pursuing and achieving accreditation, the program has demonstrated that it meets international standards for quality and is committed to pursuing excellence. This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable. CARF is an independent, non-profit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. Attaining and maintaining CARF-accredited status requires a significant effort, strong teamwork, and a commitment at all levels of an organization to providing quality services and enhancing the lives of the people it serves.”

Our Capacity:

The Bowen Island Centre for the Blind and DeafBlind is vital is it provides the ability for the programs to have the security of our forever home but also because building ownership reduces rental costs that are preventing these vital programs from serving at capacity. Due to high rent, the Blind People In Charge blindness/Deaf blindness independence skills training program is currently only able to support 8 training participants per year (25% of the full 32 person capacity), with many more blind/DeafBlind people on the program's waitlist. Similarly, the Camp Bowen Summer Independence Camps are only able to run at 44 campers per year (about 20% of the 200 person capacity).

These programs are critical to blind people from across Canada, who have nowhere else to turn. Any and all donations have an immediate, direct, and positive effect on the lives of blind and DeafBlind people from across Canada by giving more blind and DeafBlind people the opportunity to participate and begin the journey to a better life. We need your help!

Bowen Island Centre for the Blind and DeafBlind

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