Our history
From CB Linguistic Services to Eversa
The first steps of an ambitious company
CBLS’s story started in 2016. At the time, companies weren’t taking up many projects that would have enabled Deaf and hard-of-hearing people to make a greater contribution to society. CBLS president and founder Cynthia Benoit already offered linguistic services, and seeing the need for these projects, decided to take action.
Three years earlier, she had been living in the United States, doing public health research for the University of Minnesota. This led her to founding CBLS, a visionary company that would enable her and her team to meet the high demand. She used her courage and ambition to put in place a range of services to remove barriers that had such a large impact on the quality of life of Deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Quebec and Canada.
CBLS: a pioneer in Quebec and a big step forward for society
Over the course of its first seven years of existence, CBLS has become one of the most significant vectors of change for the Quebec and Canadian Deaf community through its collaboration with experienced contractors and by creating jobs for qualified employees.
In 2023, Cynthia joined the SIVET team and handed over the reins of the company to Audrey Beauchamp. CBLS became Eversa, a leading provider in Montreal and Canada of LSQ courses, sign language translations, and accessibility and sign language consultations for Deaf and hard of hearing people. We are very proud of the progress we’ve made together. It’s proof that anything is possible!
In 2022, we felt the need to reflect deeply on our position in society. We knew our goal: to drive a profound and positive change in society by speeding up the integration of the Deaf and hearing communities and and increasing the participation of Deaf and hard-of-hearing people in our society. We needed the necessary tools to communicate our goal best.
That’s why we decided to rebrand to build a stronger brand that reflects our personality, our vision, and our commitment to speeding up change in mindsets and habits so that they are in line with the Deaf community. We’re decentralizing perspective and empowering not only Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, but society as a whole.
Our commitment to our partners makes it possible to create the more inclusive world we dream of.
Our purpose
To actively contribute to removing all barriers and prejudices preventing Canadians from evolving in an equitable and egalitarian society.
Our mission
To support institutions, companies, and individuals in their efforts to improve accessibility for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people by using a range of complementary linguistic services in training, translation, and consulting.
Our values
Quality
Eversa’s purpose is to offer quality services based on our client’s accessibility needs. Our biggest strength lies in our dedicated and qualified teams, who care deeply about the quality of our products and services.
Flexibility
Eversa’s flexibility when it comes to sign language, its study and linguistics allows us to go beyond the basic accessibility and to always offer added value in our services.
Innovation
The passion and creativity of Eversa team members are reflected in their development of innovative solutions for services, products, and communication accessibility.
Accessibility
As a corporation made up of a predominantly Deaf and hard-of-hearing workforce with the mission to contribute to society by improving communication accessibility, we place accessibility among our most important values.
Collaboration
Eversa respects and values the relationships it builds with its employees, partners, and customers. We are attentive to our customers’ needs and deeply understand the issues faced by the Deaf community. The company sees collaborations between all stakeholders as the perfect way to make a meaningful and lasting difference.
Eversa: a bridge between the worlds of the Deaf and the hearing
Eversa is inspired by the word “conversation,” but also “flexibility,” which can mean versatility, multifunctionality, and adaptability.
Eversa’s name sign is a combination of the signs “bridge,” “visionary,” and “catalyst for change.”
The middle finger represents the hearing society, the thumb for the Deaf community, and the index finger is the bridge between the two worlds: Eversa. Like the index finger, Eversa is the link between the two. We enable two communities to have a conversation that will speed up a change in mentalities.
The logo was designed to represent Eversa’s name and name sign, which is an unusual process that is starting to become more common among Deaf-owned companies. This includes Gallaudet University, Eversa, and hopefully many more in the future!
The rebranding process was steered by none other than Carlisle Robinson, the graphic designer who developed the whole strategy in a solid, coherent way.
