Our programs are free and available to people who are blind, Deafblind, or have low vision, as well as their families, friends, and caregivers.
From children and youth programs to employment workshops, recreational activities, peer support groups and technology training sessions, our innovative programs are designed to educate, engage, and support our participants across all areas of their lives.
In the last year, CNIB delivered 750+ unique programs to people impacted by blindness nationwide.
To measure the success of our programs and understand how our program offerings impact the lives of our participants, CNIB conducts an annual Common Outcomes Survey.
About the CNIB Common Outcomes Survey
The survey serves as an evaluation tool to help us understand why participants attend a program and assess how well we performed in meeting their expectations.
It includes questions that explore why participants connected with CNIB and their reasons for participating, followed by rated responses that assess our performance in relation to those reasons, as well as addressing common issues facing people who are blind, Deafblind, or have low vision.
The survey is available to every participant of CNIB programming from the last 12 months and is administered through phone calls and emails.
2023 CNIB Common Outcomes Survey Results
The 2023 Common Outcomes Survey was deployed in December 2023 and January 2024 and covered participants in programs between November 16, 2022, to November 15, 2023.
We emailed 7,573 participants (472 of whom had the preference to be emailed in French) and phoned 739 participants requesting.
The 2023 CNIB Common Outcomes Survey received a total of 1,092 responses.
See the table below for the formal survey breakdown.
2023 Results – Reasons for participating
| Reasons for Coming to CNIB | Number Selected Answer | Percentage of Total Respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Cope with the feelings of adjusting to sight loss | 410 | 37.3% |
| Learn new skills so I can maintain my independence | 604 | 54.9% |
| Socialize with people or have fun | 388 | 35.3% |
| Maintain my physical health | 203 | 18.5% |
| Support my educational or employment goals | 309 | 28.1% |
| Support others with sight loss | 299 | 27.2% |
| Other | 158 | 14.4% |
Other reasons for participating included:
- Support someone with sight loss (child, spouse)
- Stay up to date on technology
- Learn life skills
- To be able to advocate for myself
- Employment support
- To be safe, secure, and independent
- Have a CNIB ID card
- Learn about sports and keep fit
- Phone It Forward program
- Was recommended by doctors
- To learn about new discoveries to improve my sight
How well did we perform at meeting these individual's reasons?
| Outcomes Question | Respondents Who Replied Very or Moderately to the Question |
|---|---|
| Based on your reasons for participating, how well are your reasons for participating being met with CNIB programs? | 69.5% |
| To what extent did your CNIB programs provide you with exposure to other people with sight loss? | 60.8% |
| To what extent did you learn about coping with sight loss from your experiences with program participants, volunteers, and program staff? | 60.1% |
| How comfortable are you in accepting yourself as a person with sight loss? | 77.3% |
| How confident are you about participating in social activities and interactions that are important to you? | 74.4% |
| How comfortable are you in communicating your needs related to your sight loss in social and community settings? | 66.6% |
| How confident are you about participating in educational and/or employment related activities that are important to you? | 77.8% |
| How comfortable are you in communicating your needs related to your sight loss in educational and/or employment settings? | 70.3% |
| How comfortable are you in setting goals around your participation in social and recreation activities? | 62.1% |
| How comfortable are you in setting goals around your participation in educational and/or employment settings? | 74.2% |
| To what extent do you feel confident about your ability to achieve your personal goals? | 68.8% |
| To what extent are you involved in social and recreational activities based on your interests? | 51.8% |
| How satisfied are you with your ability to make new friends and seek out support when you need it? | 64.9% |
| To what extent are you involved in educational or employment activities that are important to you? | 45.9% |
2022 Results
| Outcomes Question | Respondents Who Replied Very or Moderately to the Question |
|---|---|
| Based on your reasons for participating, how well are your reasons for participating being met with CNIB programs? | 69.2% |
| To what extent did your CNIB programs provide you with exposure to other people with sight loss? | 63.3% |
| To what extent did you learn about coping with sight loss from your experiences with program participants, volunteers, and program staff? | 63.0% |
| How comfortable are you in accepting yourself as a person with sight loss? | 76.0% |
| How confident are you about participating in social activities and interactions that are important to you? | 74.1% |
| How comfortable are you in communicating your needs related to your sight loss in social and community settings? | 68.2% |
| How confident are you about participating in educational and/or employment related activities that are important to you? | 65.8% |
| How comfortable are you in communicating your needs related to your sight loss in educational and/or employment settings? | 64.4% |
| How comfortable are you in setting goals around your participation in social and recreation activities? | 64.7% |
| How comfortable are you in setting goals around your participation in educational and/or employment settings? | 62.8% |
| To what extent do you feel confident about your ability to achieve your personal goals? | 68.2% |
| To what extent are you involved in social and recreational activities based on your interests? | 53.4% |
| How satisfied are you with your ability to make new friends and seek out support when you need it? | 59.7% |