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, at the Rick Hansen Institute (RHI), a Vancouver-based not-for-profit organization that drives innovation in spinal cord injury research and care.

Left to right: Dr. Gary Birch, Executive Director of the Neil Squire Society; the Honourable Navdeep Bains; the Honourable Kirsty Duncan; Mr. Bill Barrable, Chief Executive Officer of the Rick Hansen Institute; and Dr. Jaimie Borisoff, Principal Investigator at ICORD

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.

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.