When Alex Jurgensen pledged in 2010 that Camp Bowen would not disappear, he wasn’t making a speech—he was answering a calling. That promise, made not only to his fellow campers but to the community of visually impaired individuals, has since grown into a mission: to preserve a Bowen Island tradition and ensure its future for…

Talent Shows and Campfire sing-alongs were, and continue to be, a big part of the camp experience and created support within the community. Steve Barclay: “I can remember talent nights where people would get up and do a little performance and some of the performances were (better than others) but those kids got just as much…

The raising of the totem pole on Bowen Island, to mark the 75th anniversary of the B.C.-Yukon Division of the CNIB, was very significant event for both the blind and indigenous communities. This totem found its way to Bowen Island to be raised after being originally carved from a centuries-old log in the Shíshálh Nation…

Bowen Island offered a safe and welcoming place for the blind. In a 1974 newspaper article Joe Lewis wrote: “The moment a blind person sets foot on this island he is aware of being in totally different world. There is no traffic, confusion, no crowds, no noise. It’s different that’s all”. A 1981 letter written…

The overwhelmingly positive reviews of the lodge prove its positive impact in creating spaces of relaxation and entertainment for the blind community: “I want to go back every summer. It gives me something to look forward to for the rest of the year”. “It’s a wonderful place” says 80-year-old Miss Florence Richards, her face reflecting…

The Bowen Island lodge was a ground-breaking Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) project established in 1963 and offered a unique opportunity for blind and low vision individuals to experience a holiday in an incredible natural environment specially adapted to their needs. The lodge was built to offer a perfect blend of summer holidays…

A legacy of inclusive design During the Union Steamships era, the Fraternal Order of Eagles sponsored fishing camps for the blind. This captured the attention of Captain M.C. Robinson, who was the CNIB director for British Columbia and Alberta. He had become blind at the age of eighteen while serving in the First World War…

The blind and low vision community is an important part of Bowen Island’s history as well as its current social and cultural life. Bowen has been home to the blind and visually impaired since the beginning of its development. During the steamship era of Bowen’s history, the Terminal Steamships (1902 – 1920) and Union Steamships…