25th Anniversary Picture Gallery

This logo was designed by Justin Dressler, son of Elvis Dressler, then Treasurer of ODF.

ODF was approached with a proposal to raise funds using a novel concept: placing kiosks in front of high-traffic stores.

This approach proved to be a valuable fundraising source enabling ODF to launch several charitable activities while growing its dedicated Funds.

The tablet displayed key highlights about ODF’s activities while interested onlookers picked up the informative bookmarks.

Kiosk fundraising ended in 2020 due to the pandemic and high competition.

In 2013, ODF launched this publication, designed to inform Deaf and hard of hearing high school graduates about the available programs and services.

This information kit was distributed free of charge to high school graduates in the provincial schools and mainstreamed programs across Ontario.

In 2013, ODF launched its inaugural calendar art contest, featuring the 13 best entries in the published edition.

Groups and organizations serving the Deaf community sold the calendar, keeping the profits to directly benefit their causes.

ODF held its first International Week of the Deaf (IWD) event in Hamilton, featuring Noah Buchholz, a Deaf American entertainer.

ODF and the Toronto Association of the Deaf (TAD) partnered to share Buchholz’s travel costs. TAD had hosted his debut Toronto performance the previous night.

ODF hosted the first Deaf Women’s Health workshop in Hamilton.

This workshop was well attended, drawing many participants from across southern Ontario.

Assisting at the ODF booth are board directors Suleman Notta, Sally Wall, and Tracey Howard. The booth was featured at Toronto Mayfest held at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

The booth provided excellent opportunities to promote the calendar contest and high school graduate information kits, while raising the awareness about ODF.

In 2019, ODF hosted IWD events, offering educational presentations in the evenings.

Also, ODF sponsored Donna Fano’s storytelling tour about Alice, a Deaf dog, across Hamilton-area elementary schools.

This event also featured a booth exhibit, inviting community members to learn about the programs and services offered by other organizations.

The exhibit remained open during the evening program’s intermission. The Deaf Ontario Community calendars were sold, as well.

This event in St. Catharines marked the successful conclusion of this project, thanks to generous support from the Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health.

Deaf Women’s Health remains an vital charitable need in the Deaf community.

This calendar marks the end of the annual calendar art contest and calendar sales, due to the pandemic.

For several years, the calendar provided ODF with a vital, highly visible platform to showcase its purpose and activities.

These annual editions were published by Silent Voice of Canada from 2018 to 2021 with ODF’s financial support.

The last printed version of the High School Deaf and Hard of Hearing Graduate information Kit was updated in 2021. With a Government of Ontario grant, Deaf Services Canada (formerly Silent Voice) developed the Deaf Youth HUB. This online platform provides Deaf and Hard of Hearing youth with versatile, accessible resources.

ODF experimented with this pilot show on Zoom for Deaf children and their families. The goal was to promote an evening of family bonding, learning, and fun.

The pilot show demonstrated great potential in engaging Deaf children and families with an appropriate audience-focused program. Now called ASL Family Classic Hour, the show has become one of ODF’s important charitable initiatives.

This Hamilton event raised funds to install a historical plaque commemorating the 19th-century school for the deaf at Dundurn Castle.

Education for Deaf children was provided at Dundurn Castle before the Ontario government took over and in 1870, opened a new school in Belleville.

Despite a brief downpour, the walk brought supporters together for their first real chance to reconnect since the pandemic.

The event and the GoFundMe campaign successfully raised $5,400, leading to the eventual design and installation of the plaque.

The contest was offered to high school Deaf students in Ontario. Its purpose was to encourage Deaf youth to develop creative ASL skills, with the secondary aim of nurturing a life-long interest in ASL literature in the Deaf community.

Despite best efforts, the contest fell short of expectations and was discontinued indefinitely.

In collaboration with the City of Hamilton, the unveiling of a prototype of the historical plaque in commemoration of the school for the deaf was held at Dundurn Castle in Hamilton, Ontario.

The school for the deaf, known as the Hamilton Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb, operated in Dundurn Castle from 1866 to 1869.

This plaque was installed in time for the IWD events on September 28, 2025.

It can be seen on the grounds of Dundurn Castle, accessible from the sidewalk of York Boulevard near the Hamilton Military Museum.

This flag was officially approved by the World Federation of the Deaf as the Deaf Flag in 2023. It was created by French Deafblind artist Arnaud Balard.

The flag will be raised for the first time at the Hamilton City Hall in September 2026.