 Get ready to have your heart warmed and your community brightened! The DeafBlind Ontario Services (DBOS) yarn bombing initiative is back for another year — and it’s more vibrant than ever, thanks to a beautiful and growing partnership with the talented knitting and crocheting crew from Royal Oak Senior Living. A Tapestry of Awareness
This initiative is more than just a burst of colour on our streets. It’s a creative call to recognize National Deafblind Awareness Month, celebrated each June across Canada. Yarn bombing — a global form of tactile street art — becomes a sensory expression of inclusion and connection, symbolizing how people who are deafblind engage with and contribute to the world around them. What started as a creative collaboration between DeafBlind Ontario Services and Royal Oak Senior Living has grown into a heartwarming connection that reflects the best of community spirit. The Royal Oak knitting group, made up of residents with decades of experience and deep creative passion, has embraced this initiative with open arms (and busy needles). Since joining forces last year, they have poured love, time, and energy into producing dozens of bright, textured pieces — everything from cozy stripes to imaginative motifs — all destined to transform St. Thomas into a vibrant tapestry of yarn and unity. Threaded Through St. ThomasTheir efforts shine brightly across the city — with yarn installations popping up at Pinafore Park, the St. Thomas Public Library, and the Elgin Centre. Even Jumbo the Elephant is getting involved, being lit up in blue for the first week of June in solidarity with this powerful awareness campaign. Shining a light on deafblindness Deafblindness is a combination of hearing and vision loss that affects access to information, communication, and mobility. According to the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability, over 2% of Canadians aged 15+ — that’s more than 600,000 people — are deafblind. In Ontario, that includes over 246,000 individuals. Yet, the voices and talents of people who are deafblind often go unseen and unheard. That’s what makes this initiative so special — it creates space for visibility, celebration, and connection. It invites the community to learn, engage, and celebrate the unique contributions of those who are deafblind — and to recognize the beautiful ways we can come together across abilities, generations, and experiences. Stories in every stitch! So take a stroll through the parks and malls of St. Thomas this June — and let the yarn lead you to stories of resilience, artistry, and community. Every strand tells a story. Every colour carries a message. And every installation is an invitation to learn, connect, and celebrate. Let’s give a standing ovation to the residents of Royal Oak Senior Living for their heartfelt contributions, and to the DeafBlind Ontario Services community for inspiring this beautiful initiative. Together, we’ve woven a story of inclusion, creativity, and connection — stitched with love and wrapped around the heart of our city. AuthorLESLIE GIESBRECHT Leslie is the Director of Communications and Employee Experience of DeafBlind Ontario Services. DeafBlind Ontario Services is a not-for-profit organization that supports individuals who are deafblind or have sensory loss with additional disabilities. They provide customized, person-centered services that empower individuals to live independently, connect with their communities, and achieve their goals.
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