DeafBlind Ontario Services

DeafBlind Ontario Services

Transforming a Brand and Mobilizing Support for the Deafblind Community

For people who are deafblind, independence often depends on specialized support known as intervenor services—professionals who bridge communication and environmental access in daily life. DeafBlind Ontario Services (DBOS), formerly known as The Independent Living Residences for the Deafblind in Ontario, plays a vital role in delivering these services across the province.

 

The Challenge

As the organization evolved, its brand and communications no longer reflected the scope or impact of its work. DBOS needed a modern identity and a clearer voice to help raise public awareness, strengthen relationships with government and donors, and position the organization as a leader in services and advocacy for the deafblind community.

 

The Strategy – What BlueSky did

BlueSky partnered with DBOS to lead a comprehensive brand transformation and build a long-term communications strategy that would strengthen visibility and stakeholder engagement.

The work began with a full organizational rebrand, including a new name, visual identity, and refreshed mission, vision, and values that better reflected the organization’s evolving role in supporting people who are deafblind. The new brand was rolled out across internal and external platforms, including a redesigned website, updated marketing materials, and brand guidelines to ensure consistency across communications.

As our partnership evolved, the focus expanded to public awareness, fundraising, and advocacy campaigns that highlighted the importance of intervenor services and the experiences of individuals and families in the deafblind community. When a significant government funding cut threatened these services, BlueSky developed a coordinated government and media relations campaign designed to mobilize public support and influence decision-makers.

Through stakeholder storytelling, targeted media outreach, and spokesperson coaching for both organizational leaders and family advocates, the campaign brought national attention to the issue and amplified the voices of those directly affected.

 

The Results

The integrated communications strategy delivered measurable impact for DBOS:

  • 124% increase in total fundraising revenue
  • 53% growth in overall donations
  • Significant media coverage across outlets including The Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, and regional Ontario publications
  • Successful advocacy campaign that contributed to the reinstatement of government funding for critical services

 

The Impact

Today, DeafBlind Ontario Services is widely recognized as a leading voice for the deafblind community in Ontario. Through sustained communications, advocacy, and storytelling, BlueSky helped transform the organization’s public profile, strengthening awareness of intervenor services, expanding donor engagement, and ensuring that the needs of people who are deafblind remain visible in policy and public conversations.

Content Development

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Corporate Communications

An integral part of any business, your brand reputation and corporate communication sets the tone with the public, your clients, employees and stakeholders – and we make sure you get the tone right. BlueSky helps you understand what matters to your audiences – both external and internal – and develops meaningful programs that resonate. We help clients with crisis and issues management, employee and executive communications, community relations and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Whether it’s a workplace fundraiser event, an annual report, infographics, HR video or speechwriting, we help you share your message with relevant stakeholders.

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Social Media

Social media demands an always on, two-way communication, transparency, and authentic interaction. More importantly, it demands strategy. We’ve managed social communities, developed social media guidelines and created engaging, impactful content, whether a short Instagram caption or long-form executive-published posts on LinkedIn. Through social listening tools and insights, we can make sure you’re talking about what matters most to your audience, and that your online and traditional PR efforts are integrated seamlessly and effectively.

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Public Affairs & Advocacy

Our in-depth experience providing integrated government relations, public affairs and strategic communications tailored to your needs helps our clients navigate the public policy process in order to successfully achieve central objectives. We work with you to better position your priorities within the current political landscape to ensure you’re able to gain the ear of key decision-makers and reach your goals.

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Influencer Marketing

When it comes to social influencers it’s not about who has the biggest audience, but about engagement, trust and authentic connection. We leverage valued relationships with nano- to celebrity-level creators, working collaboratively to ensure they deliver quality content that resonates with your target audience and is on-point with your brand messaging. Our winning formula requires a thoughtful approach that combines the right people, the right content and the right distribution to maximize engagement and drive impact at scale. You’ll see the results in our campaign evaluations – supported by numbers that exceed industry average performance.

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Media Relations & Media Training

In an environment that is increasingly pay-to-play, earned media remains the holy grail of coverage for brand credibility. Over the years we’ve developed solid relationships with traditional and online media, and we know the elements of success for securing interest from trusted journalists at top-notch publications. We excel at crafting tailored, compelling stories that help keep your brand top-of-mind across print, broadcast and digital channels. You’ll see the results through our media measurement and reporting and assess your share of voice (SOV) among competitors.

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