Backgrounder: Ottawa Invests In Equipment For Persons With Disabilities

CanAssist is a community-based disabilities assistance program at the University of Victoria dedicated to developing and delivering technology, programs and services that improve the quality of life for those with special needs. It is unique in North America.

CanAssist, formerly known as UVATT, was founded at UVic in 1999. It has grown from a single, volunteer-based technology project to a successful program that blends research and technology development, skill-building and job training, education and awareness, knowledge transfer, and community engagement and service.

CanAssist harnesses the ingenuity of faculty, students and staff from virtually every discipline at UVic, as well as volunteers in the community. More than 2,500 people, including 2,200 UVic students, have participated in CanAssist projects. Students are provided with extraordinary experiential learning opportunities. Community volunteers include retired physicians, machinists, engineers and seamstresses.

CanAssist responds to community requests for new devices, technologies or services from across Greater Victoria, BC and around the world. It typically receives four to five requests a week from individuals with disabilities, family members or caregivers, physicians and other health care professionals. In many cases, solutions are tailored to individual needs and are highly complex in nature. CanAssist only develops devices or programs that are not available commercially or through other service providers.

To date, CanAssist has developed more than 140 innovative technology solutions and provided direct assistance to many hundreds of clients. The team has also developed software that is freely available to all users via the CanAssist website.

CanAssist clients range from visually impaired children to adults with advanced neuromuscular degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and ALS. Projects include tricycles for children with physical and visual impairments, wheelchair and walker accessories, and eye-tracking communication systems for people with especially challenging disabilities.

CanAssist also has a long-term research program that complements its project-based activities. Key research and development areas are: mobility and motion; communication and human-computer interaction; environmental controls; and online learning and community-building.

CanAssist's long-term goal is to grow into a province-wide, university-based resource and centre of excellence for the disability community by expanding its capacity for developing assistive technology devices and services, creating training, skill-building and supported employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and promoting education and awareness of disability issues.

For more information on CanAssist, visit www.canassist.ca.