Ontario Mission of the Deaf

The Ontario Mission of the Deaf Long Term Care Centre is home to 64 residents in an 8-acre park-setting overlooking Lake Simcoe.

The only long term care home for the deaf in Canada, the form, colour and material of the building are reminiscent of the lakeside cottages characteristic of the area.

The design of the building promotes the resident’s right to self-determination and autonomy by facilitating visual communication and creating a unique environment of care that preserves Deaf culture, language and heritage.

The building design enables seniors who depend on a visually oriented environment by providing diffuse light from clerestory windows and skylights that eliminate harsh shadows and silhouettes and allowing for long sight lines that assist signing as well as providing comfortable and spacious areas for residents to congregate.