Thank you for your question.
I think they definitely do. I don't have any numbers to support that. I know that in a previous session, we talked about OASIS numbers, and certainly they're very distressing.
At DeafBlind Ontario Services, we offer supported living opportunities, and I would say it is quite expensive to make sure that each of those locations that we operate is accessible in the sense that they are safe. They are places where someone, who may have more than one disability in addition to being deaf-blind, would be able to move around, be independent, and be able to engage safely in daily living tasks that you or I may take for granted, and usually, of course, with the support of either an intervenor or a direct support professional.
You may be someone living in one of our locations. You look at adding in those accessibility pieces when you're renovating a home or purchasing it, even if they're not needed at that point in time. Certainly, they can be expensive. While you don't need railings on the side of the walls to help guide you down the hallway, maybe in about five years' time, as part of the aging process, you really will need those to help you, so why would you look at adding in that navigation tool later rather than ahead of time?
Definitely, I think it's really important to look at that planning piece and make sure that any housing is a safe place where someone can live as independently and as safely as possible and look forward to aging in place so that they are not forced to live in other alternative housing that maybe doesn't have the accessibility pieces in place that they need to be safe and to live a good quality of life, but also where they have the supports they need, which in the case of our organization means the support of an intervenor or a direct support professional.