UNITED KINGDOM: Run by charity Motivation in partnership with 3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker, the project is called Motivation InnovATe. It designed to establish the technologies, infrastructure and skills within developing countries to enable custom 3D printed wheelchairs to produced where and when they are needed.
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Disabled Passengers Say New Canada Transportation Act Rules Increase Air Travel Barriers
Tracy Odell recalls with a mix of pride and pain the sunny spring day two years ago that her daughter got married in California.
Pride in the milestone. Pain at having to miss it.
Airlines, she said, effectively failed to accommodate her disability, a problem that thousands of Canadians continue to face despite new rules designed in theory to open the skies to disabled travellers.
Ryerson University Encouraging Students to Participate in Wheelchair Sports
Ryerson encourages inclusive orientation activity
Students at Ryerson University are starting their school year by trying out some new wheelchair sports. Pauline Chan, Health Reporter
Published Friday, August 30, 2019 5:34PM EDT
As part of its orientation activities, Ryerson University is inviting students to participate in events such as an afternoon of wheelchair basketball and sledge hockey.
“The reason we are doing this is that wheelchair basketball and sledge hockey are part of our larger mission in Recreation to provide inclusive and accessible programming,” Client Services and Program Outreach specialist Kathryn Maksym said.
On Thursday, there were varsity basketball players laughing alongside freshmen students and seniors in the gym at Kerr Hall.
Biomedical Engineering Students Design Life-Changing Technology
The University of Manitoba Biomedical Engineering Design Team (BMED) brings together students with a passion for the biomedical field to foster design experience, device building, public speaking and networking opportunities.
Throughout their first year as a team, BMED organized events, tours and outreach programs to distribute knowledge about biomedical engineering. The team focused on completing autonomous design projects that aim to improve the quality of life of clients. Within these projects, students designed, prototyped and tested their devices before taking them to competitions and conferences. BMED worked on three projects: Wheelchair Transfer, Wheelchair Handwarmer, and EMG Muscle Rehabilitation.
Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/biomedical-engineering-students-design-life-changing-technology/
‘No No No No No No’: Wheelchair Users Say Even Accessible Taxis Will Refuse Rides in Vancouver
Two weeks ago, Gabrielle Peters spent a rare day out in Vancouver with friends. They took in a cultural festival in the afternoon, then headed for dinner at a restaurant Peters had always wanted to try.
“As soon as we sat down, my anxiety started. In the back of my mind was, ‘I’m going to have to call a taxi,’ and that’s likely to be not a good experience,” she remembered.
Navigating the NYC Subway in a Wheelchair Is Hell
Sometimes it takes Sasha Blair-Goldensohn three times longer to get to work than it used to, and sometimes he’s stuck on a subway platform with no easy way to get up to street level.
The 43-year-old software engineer, who’s been using a wheelchair since 2009, is one of about a million differently-abled people facing daily struggles as they navigate New York City’s aging subway system.
Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/navigating-the-nyc-subway-in-a-wheelchair-is-hell/
Canadian Transportation Agency Announces Plans to Enhance Accessibility of Canada’s National Transportation System
Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act, which received Royal Assent, will provide the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) with new tools to help advance the accessibility of the national transportation system.
Once in force, this legislation will provide the CTA with
Sudbury’s Transit System to Make Accessibility Improvements
Published Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Some changes to Sudbury’s transit system are coming later this summer, including the new name GOVA.
Buses are about to become a lot more accessible thanks to a series of changes being made including current lifts, which will soon become a thing of the past.
Sudbury’s new Transit Action Plan will see the lifts replaced with lower buses and ramps as the city looks to replace this aging fleet.
“It will look like a conventional bus, low floor, just a little bit smaller, and geared for our Handi-Transit residents.” said Michelle Ferrigan, of Sudbury Transit Services.
Another change in protocol is the elimination of the term “physical disability,” opening up the service to those who may be otherwise disabled.
Province in British Columbia, Canada to Develop Online Tool to Track Accessible Parking Spaces
An online tool to track accessible parking spaces is being developed by Richmond Centre for Disability (RCD), thanks to a $28,000 provincial grant they received last year.
The province is once again calling for grant proposals for community projects that improve accessibility for the second year running, the province is giving out a total of $500,000 in grants.