A mission

The Association of People with a Hearing Impairment (APDA) is a community organization whose mission is to promote the social inclusion of people living with a hearing impairment by offering support and mutual aid services. , then defending rights while raising awareness and making the population aware of the needs of these people and their reality.

A story

In 1984, after studying the possibility of partnering with another organization in the field of deafness, five people who had become deaf met in a residence in Sainte-Foy to set up the Regroupement des become deaf de la région de Quebec (RDSRQ). The first room was at the residence of Sister Alma Brochu, then a room was loaned on rue Saint-Olivier by the Handi-A.

In 1985, the RDSRQ moved to the Institut des Sourds de Charlesbourg and obtained a first grant of $ 1,000 by the Office des personnes handicapped du Québec (OPHQ).

In 1986, the newsletter "To understand" took off with its first appearance. There is also an attempt to merge the RDSRQ and the ADSQ (Association of the become deaf of Quebec). It is also the year in which the first Deafness Summit took place, in which the organization was involved in the preparation and realization. The recommendations formulated in a summary document have enabled the various government departments and agencies to obtain a better analysis of the daily needs experienced by people who have become deaf or hard of hearing.

In 1989, Mrs. Marie-Blanche Paquet and Mr. Denis Lafontaine of the CLSC de la Guadeloupe took the initiative to create RDSRQ - Section Beauce in order to extend the possibilities of the organization.

In 1996, RDSRQ became the AMQ (Association des Deafendants Québécois). Minister Jean Rochon gives $ 3,000 to the association to acquire a computer park.

In 2002, the QMA moved its offices to Boulevard Henri-Bourassa. Then, the following year (2003), the organization organized a benefit exhibition “Do you hear what I see? Which was a great success and which allowed the organization to become better known.

In 2005, the QMA continued its path by moving Carrefour communautaire de Charlesbourg.

The organization then faces several challenges. However, the hard work of the people involved in the cause since its inception has ensured that the QMA continues to exist.

In 2010, the AMQ set up the Ménière group.

Then, in 2012, the organization changed its name to APDA (Association des deafentendants québécois / Association des personnes avec un handicap de hearing). This name change reflects the evolution of the organization's services. The APDA is, in fact, the only association in the province to have opened a specific group to people with Ménière's disease. This group was a natural addition to the service offering since it responds exactly to the mission. Add to this that the Association is aimed at families and is also open to the entire population with an interest in hearing loss. Thus, the organization is gaining more and more visibility and intervenes in important cases such as the legal file of Robert Delarosbil who fought the battle of his life to keep his service dog in his Quebec condominium.

In December 2013, the newsletter became more of a magazine with a new look. The website www.apda.ca was also created. Projects such as Communication Support and Support ”funded by Saison Nouvelle and the“ Gourmet Serenades ”event then took shape in 2016 and enabled APDA to make itself known in a different way.

Persevering in its mission, APDA is expanding in 2018 with two new projects: “From one ear to the other” funded by Quebec, friend of the elders and “Where to go out without limits” funded by the Office des personnes disabled people in Quebec. These two projects once again made it possible to gain visibility and credibility thanks to several mentions on the Web, on television as well as in print newspapers.

In 2019, the APDA is moving to its own house in Charlesbourg in order to pursue its mission and, also, to continue to strengthen the commitment of its members by creating a warm, unifying and family place. After all, it is in large part thanks to the contributions of its members that the organization remains as active as ever.