Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today, during the month of June, to celebrate Deafblind Awareness Month across Canada. This important month was established in 2015 when the Senate of Canada unanimously adopted a motion to designate June as Deafblind Awareness Month.

This would not have been possible without the support, dedication and tireless efforts of our former colleagues the Honourable Jim Munson, the Honourable Joan Fraser and the Honourable Asha Seth.

Throughout June, Canadians will join together to celebrate the achievements of Canada’s individuals who live with deaf-blindness, while also increasing our understanding of the unique barriers they face from being treated as equal members of society.

June is also the birth month of Helen Keller, a heroic woman who lived with deaf-blindness, whose determination and trailblazing leadership made a difference in the entire world. We celebrate the strength, spirit and heart of the more than 65,000 Canadians who are living with and those caring for someone with deaf-blindness. We recognize the challenges they face every day and the perseverance they show every day in living life to the fullest. They are an inspiration to all of us.

New technologies, products and services and rights are helping Canadians with deaf-blindness in their everyday lives. While progress has been made, there is still much work to do to ensure that they feel safe and have the opportunity to enjoy life to the greatest extent possible.

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Over the years I have had the opportunity to become aware of the amazing organizations that support the deaf-blind community, namely the Canadian Helen Keller Centre, the National Deafblind Awareness Month Working Group, CNIB Deafblind Community Services and the DeafBlind Ontario Foundation. To each of these noteworthy organizations, thank you for your outstanding leadership, dedication and commitment to serving the deaf-blind community and advocating to ensure these consumers have equal rights and opportunities.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge our former colleague and dear friend the Honourable Vim Kochhar, who inspired me to become part of the deaf-blind awareness community. He is the true champion, a tireless advocate who had dedicated decades of his life to helping others. Vim is the co-founder of Rotary Cheshire Homes, which provides housing to persons who live with deaf-blindness and founded the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons, which provides support to persons with disabilities.

Honourable senators, please join me in recognizing June as Deafblind Awareness Month.