Eleonore Riffe
Photo and video portfolio
Charline Savard, exchanges with her friend during a poker game, at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds de Montréal, in Montreal, on Friday, March 17, 2017. Twice a year, the CLSM organizes a poker tournament that nearly 100 people attend coming from Ontario and USA.
Young people participate to a poker game at the Montreal’s Leisure Center for the Deaf, on Friday, March 17, 2017. 2/ Young people participate to a poker game at the Montreal’s Leisure Center for the Deaf, on Friday, March 17, 2017. For more than 50 years now, the deaf people have been running the place themselves.
Kim Pelletier and Charline Savard enjoy their evening night with friends, at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds, in Montreal, on Friday, March 17, 2017. Deaf people organize nowadays their own activities because “they know what they need and they know what they want”.
Monique Pellerin congratulates one of the partner of her team at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds, in Montreal, on Friday, March 24, 2017. Every Friday, two teams of deaf people compete a game of bean bag toss.
Monique Pellerin congratulates Philippe Martin, one of her team member at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds, in Montreal, on Friday, March 24, 2017.On Tuesdays, Fridays and on the weekends, doors are open to welcome any deaf person looking for distraction.
Gilles Boucher looks at Anne-Mary Coté who informs with Quebec sign language the public, at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds de Montréal, on Saturday, April 1, 2017. Gilles Boucher, a deaf man is the president of the center. Anne-Mary, an hearing woman, makes an internship as she learns the sign language. She organizes the board games afternoon.
Deaf people and their family members or friends gather at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds, in Montreal, on Saturday, April 1, 2017. On the weekend, the center organizes public events with activities for families, from the young people to the elders.
A deaf woman uses her phone with a video mode to communicate with Quebec sign language, at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds de Montréal, on Saturday, April 1, 2017. The arrival of smartphones changed in a better way life of deaf people, offering them a real chance to communicate more easily with deaf and hearing people with video mode and text messages.
From left, Guylaine Jacob explain the rules of a board game to Aristide Desroches, at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds, in Montreal, on Saturday, April 1, 2017. Guylaine Jacob is an interpreter of Quebec sign language and Aristide, a deaf woman who participates to many activities organized by the center.
Members gather at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds, in Montreal, on Saturday, April 1, 2017. An afternoon with board games were organized to introduce new games to enjoy. Interpreter join the event to facilitate the communication between deaf and hearing people.
A young girl communicates with his father using Quebec sign Language, at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds, in Montreal, on Saturday, April 1, 2017. Usually the first language learnt by kids with deaf parents is a sign language. Her father is involved in many activities happening in the center.
Members of the center learn a new board game with the help of an interpreter, at Centre des Loisirs des Sourds, in Montreal, on Saturday, April 1, 2017. The centre plays a role in families with deaf member offering them a chance to share more activities together.

Leisure Center for Deaf People

Montreal’s Leisure Center for the deaf, in the neighborhood of Villeray, plays a major role in the life of the deaf community from Montreal and the surrounding areas. Deaf people visiting the city, would usually make a stop there.

People gather here and find a place where they have a chance to meet fellow deaf people, share similar experience of life and feel less isolated, a common feeling that the hearing world convey them unconsciously.

Thematic evenings  are organized for the elders on Tuesdays and for young folks on Fridays.

Deaf people share the same language, LSQ, the Quebec sign language. Being deaf is first of all being part of a linguistic minority. The Center also plays an educative role as it shows families with deaf member the importance to exchange with sign languages. Many children of deaf parents learn sign language as their mother tongue.

In the opposite situation, many parents will try to “fix” the problem, which is too often perceived on the medical aspect, before accepting to learn how to communicate with their deaf child.

By organizing activities for families on the weekend, the center gives children a chance to believe that deaf people can be model in the deaf community. It defends the existence of the deaf culture, and for the hearing parents, it’s a way to discover that they have a mean to communicate easily with their kids.

Cheerful atmosphere and an obvious solidarity demonstrates a real sense of community.

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