Government of Canada funds digital technologies to improve accessibility for Canadians with disabilities
On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the Government of Canada stated its commitment to help more Canadians with disabilities participate in the digital economy. More than $3 million in funding for the Makers Making Change initiative was announced by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities.
The funding is a part of the $22.3-million Accessible Technology Program, which provides support for the development of assistive and adaptive digital devices and technologies to help Canadians with disabilities take full advantage of technology.
Following the funding announcement, Executive Director of the Neil Squire Society, Gary Birch, moderated and participated in a panel discussion on innovative technologies that support Canadians with Disabilities. Other panelists included:
- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification.
- The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
- Mr. Bill Barrable, Chief Executive Officer, Rick Hansen Institute
- Dr. Jaimie Borisoff, Canada Research Chair in Rehabilitation Engineering Design at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and ICORD (International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries)
The funding will allow us to continue developing an open-source assistive technology model across Canada that greatly reduces the cost of many assistive devices. Read the full press release on the Government of Canada website.
