Building Awareness and Community at the Vancouver Vision and Hearing Resource Fair

AUDIO VERSION

By Chantal Oakes

AEBC’s BC Affiliate was pleased to participate as a vendor at the Vancouver Vision and Hearing Resource Fair held on September 27, 2025 at the Lions Den in Vancouver. The event was hosted by The Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) BC-Yukon Division and Lions from MD19, who were also proudly promoting the Helen Keller 2.0 Challenge, celebrating 100 years since Helen Keller inspired Lions to become “Knights of the Blind.”

At our vendor table, we offered some swag for visitors, including keychains with braille words on them, signature guides, and lanyards in addition to AEBC brochures and business cards. We enjoyed connecting with participants which allowed for opportunities to highlight the meaningful work of AEBC.

I noted several AEBC members in attendance throughout the day and, even as vendors, we also had the opportunity to visit many of the tables to learn what other organizations had to offer. There was a wide variety of goods and services to explore and it was motivating to see many people engage in conversation all around. Many tables demonstrated products related to the services they provide. Thanks to Ryan Fleury from Canadian Assistive Technology (and AEBC member), I was able to experience firsthand a couple of pieces of technology I’d not seen before. Lens Crafters had a variety of smart glasses available for folks who wanted to try them. The Britannia Branch - Vancouver Public Library demonstrated different book readers, and Vision Loss Rehab also displayed items on their table often used during a blind person’s rehabilitation journey. As a person who reads braille, I was able to visit Braille Literacy Canada and pick up bookmarks which will be very useful. 

The fair certainly offered a variety of resources; whether you wanted information on recreation, learn new life skills, receive mobility and technology training or find out more about the world of advocacy, there are options and individuals can explore which organization suits their needs. 

This fair was designed for the sighted community as well as for the blind and it was great to see so many people taking advantage of community information, services and new technology.

Our thanks again to CCB and Lions of MD19 for hosting this event.