#ShareYourSmile Campaign

Why We Support #ShareYourSmile

Hey! My name is Alex (right) and I cowrote Mouth Window: A Story Exploring Disabilities, Accessibility & Inclusion with Emilie (left) for a school project that was near and dear to my heart. I have been deaf since birth and got my first cochlear implant at four years old and my second at twelve years old. Being deaf hasn't been an easy road for me and growing up, I often was reminded by people and events that yes, I wasn't abled-bodied, and needed more accommodation and help than I was willing to admit. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 was no different, and I realized very quickly that I was being thrown into a world that wasn't made for me as a young deaf adult, pandemic or not, so I began researching. Through this research, I found Access Masks and the partnership between the Como Foundation and The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association. This gave me a bit of hope in the difficult times that we are in, and reminded me that in the end, we are never alone, even when we feel like we are.