CanAssist
The Victoria Foundation first learned about the work of CanAssist in the fall of 2006. With a mission to develop and deliver technologies, programs and services that improve the quality of life of those with special needs, CanAssist routinely receives and responds to requests from across British Columbia, Canada and the world.
Established in 1999, CanAssist is a non-profit organization that has taken on hundreds of projects and engaged and mobilized hundreds of resources both on and off the UVic campus. To date, more than 200 faculty and staff and over 3,000 students, from virtually every discipline, have participated in their activities.
The relationship with CanAssist started when the Foundation received a particular letter of interest regarding a project focused on developing and providing communication devices to adults with extraordinarily challenging developmental disabilities. The project involved working with Victoria- based clients and their families, many of whom are totally dependent on their caregivers. Their clients’ range of limitations included limited motor control and severe cognitive impairment, and many were also non-verbal, non-ambulatory and unable to clearly define a yes/no choice.
An overwhelming show of support was evident when the Board approved funding for CanAssist from three sources: the Kay Fund, the Goodwill Fund and the Willard and Elva Dawson Fund. In total, over $38,000 was awarded to CanAssist in support of their initiative at the time.
"The support from the Victoria Foundation is incredibly important and greatly appreciated. Apart from allowing us to provide immediate assistance to a number of our clients and their families, it also means that we can direct more of our resources towards the development of some extremely promising, but technically very complex devices and solutions" said program Director, Dr. Nigel Livingstone.?
Of significant importance to CanAssist is the student element of participation in the projects. Not only do they offer the student an opportunity to provide technical solutions to challenging problems, but students also come to understand the day to day challenges faced by the client. They gain an interest and understanding of disability issues and often become strong champions and advocates for the special needs community.
Graduate student Rob Prinz has being positively affected by his experience with the program. "Being a grad student with CanAssist is great. We're encouraged to seek out research topics that interest us, but also to work towards developing a product that will benefit a member of the community with special needs. I had no intention of pursuing a master's degree until I discovered I really enjoyed research and development during a co-op term with CanAssist,” said Prinz.
The beneficiaries of the Victoria Foundation’s support are the clients – those who use the technology developed - and their circle of caregivers. Patricia Gunn, a Victoria senior citizen living with multiple sclerosis and a CanAssist client says, "The assistance CanAssist has provided has enabled me to access the computer and perform tasks that I otherwise would not have been able to, such as: read the paper, do online banking, access the library, and setup appointments for the handy DART service."
