We changed our name from Christian Horizons to Karis Disability Services. Why? We want our name to clearly say what we do. Our new name helps build our vision of belonging.
Karis Disability Services opens the door for more people to feel welcome and find the supports they need. It helps people know they can belong - people looking for services, for employment, or to partner with us.
Our new name also helps us be ready for the future. As people with disabilities across Canada continue to direct and choose their own service providers, we want to be well-positioned to welcome all people to Karis.
Our name has changed, but our values, vision, and mission remain the same.
Why Karis Disability Services?
Karis conveys the Christian heart of service of our organization in response to God's grace. It celebrates the value and giftedness of all people created in God's image.
Disability Services clearly describes what we do. We come alongside people with disabilities. We embrace the word “disability” as an important aspect of human diversity. We celebrate the people we journey with and their unique identities and gifts.
What Does Karis Mean?
"Karis" is a phonetic variation of Greek χάρις (charis) that can be translated as grace, favour, or loving-kindness. It is related to “charisma” or gift.
In the Christian tradition, Karis conveys God’s grace and the gift of God’s radically accessible goodness in Christ. Through charisma, it also expresses our conviction that everybody has value and unique God-given gifts.
We are committed to valuing all people. Each person is a gracious gift to their communities. Our communities are not whole without people with disabilities and their gifts. We nurture communities by promoting opportunities where everybody can recognize, grow, and share their unique gifts.
To honour our name change and the central role of people’s unique gifts in the work that we do, our core value of “respecting gifts” is graduating to “celebrating gifts.” We not only respect people’s gifts from a distance, we rejoice in and celebrate the gifts of people with disabilities, our employees, and our communities as they welcome and value everybody.
The Renaming Process
In 2021, we started brand research to assess how various stakeholders view and understand Christian Horizons. We worked with people who knew Christian Horizons well - people with disabilities and self-advocates, their families, our staff team, and donors. We also talked to people outside of our organization, including other organizations in the sector, faith leaders, and government officials.
What’s Next?
On September 25, 2023, we launched our new name. We will be fully transitioning to Karis Disability Services over the next year. You will start to see the new name and logo across our services and in our materials. This will be a phased approach.
The future is bright and strong. We are excited about what is ahead for the future of disability services. We look forward to how our new name will help build our vision of belonging. We appreciate your support during this transition.