Technology for Living

06/10/2026

This week, we had the opportunity to attend ConnecTra's 2026 Abilities Expo: Connected Futures.

It was a great day of connecting with community partners, learning about innovative assistive technologies, and exploring resources that support accessibility, independence, and inclusion.

Thank you to ConnecTra for bringing together so many organizations, advocates, and community members committed to creating a more accessible future!

ConnecTra

06/02/2026

National AccessAbility Week 2026 🌟

May 31st – June 6th, 2026

"Building a Strong, Accessible Canada"

Celebrating the achievements and contributions of people with disabilities while working toward a more inclusive future for everyone.

National AccessAbility Week is a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions, leadership, and achievements of people with disabilities across Canada.

This year's theme, "Building a Strong, Accessible Canada," highlights the importance of creating communities where everyone can participate fully and equally. Accessibility benefits us all, whether in our workplaces, schools, public spaces, or online environments.

As we mark National AccessAbility Week, let's continue working together to identify and remove barriers, promote inclusion, and build a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

💙 Together, we can help create a more accessible and inclusive Canada for all.

05/30/2026

May 30 is World MS Day, an international awareness day that brings the global MS community together to share stories, raise awareness, and advocate for change for the estimated 2.9 million people worldwide living with multiple sclerosis. Learn more at https://worldmsday.org/



This year’s My MS Diagnosis: Navigating MS Together campaign focuses on the importance of early and accurate diagnosis, while highlighting the barriers many people face in accessing timely care, support, and treatment. The campaign also calls for stronger awareness, better training for healthcare professionals, and continued research and clinical advancements in MS diagnosis.



MS is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system and can affect vision, mobility, memory, balance, and energy levels in different ways for every person living with it. World MS Day is an opportunity to raise awareness, share experiences, and support more informed and accessible communities for people affected by MS.

Share stories, raise awareness and campaign with everyone affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). The theme for 2024-2026 is diagnosis, support the My MS Diagnosis campaign today. World MS Day is coordinated by the MS International Federation and its members.

05/29/2026

🍨 This week, we took a moment to celebrate our incredible Biomedical Engineering team with a well-deserved ice cream sundae bar!

We are proud to recognize the important role biomedical engineering plays in improving accessibility and independence for people with disabilities. Thank you for making a real difference in people's daily lives, creating safer homes, stronger communities, and more accessible futures.

We are so grateful for everything you do! 💙🍦

05/27/2026

🎉 The 11th Simon Cox Student Design Competition Awards Show and Highlight Video are now live!

This year, 110 post-secondary students from across BC partnered with people living with physical disabilities to design and build innovative assistive technology solutions. From omnidirectional wheelchair drives to brain-signal smartphone controllers, the ingenuity on display is truly inspiring. 🏆

🎬 Awards Show: https://youtu.be/B_ZSV2-Wj8I

✨ Highlight Video: https://youtu.be/zyPbmSQMW40

We are incredibly proud of every student, peer participant, mentor, and supporter who made this possible. 🙌

The Simon Cox Student Design Competition, organized annually by Tec...

05/26/2026

Last week, our Community Advisor, Robin attended the inaugural OneAbility Games in Richmond, BC. The Games brought together BC kids and youth with disabilities for a fantastic multi-sport event focused on participation, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

The event was also a great opportunity to promote Technology for Living’s Youth Assistive Technology (YAT) project, which helps youth ages 9 to 18 with physical disabilities across British Columbia access assistive technology and adaptive video game equipment.

For more information about the YAT project, visit: https://www.technologyforliving.org/yat/

05/25/2026

🎮✨ Adaptive Gaming Booth ✨🎮

We were very excited to host the Sunny Hill Adaptive Gaming Booth at the Children’s Hospital! 💙

Families had the opportunity to explore inclusive gaming and assistive technology in a welcoming and interactive space. Visitors learned more about our Youth Assistive Technology (YAT) Project, which supports youth in BC aged 9–18 with physical disabilities through personalized assistive technology solutions on a long-term loan basis.

Attendees also got to experience accessible gaming firsthand by trying out adaptive controllers with the new Nintendo Switch 2! 🎮

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to learn, connect, and play with us. We loved meeting so many amazing families and sharing how adaptive technology can help young people live more independently.

05/22/2026

This Biomedical Engineering Week, TFL is proud to recognize the important role biomedical engineering plays in improving accessibility and independence for people with disabilities.

From environmental control systems and adaptive technology to customized access solutions, our biomed team helps turn barriers into opportunities for greater independence and inclusion. We are grateful to our Biomeds for making a real difference in people’s daily lives.

Your work helps create safer homes, stronger communities, and more accessible futures. Thank you for the impact you make every day!

05/21/2026

What an incredible day at the 11th Annual Simon Cox Student Design Competition! 🎉

We are so grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s event such a success, thank you to our sponsors, donors, volunteers, staff, judges, mentors, guests, and supporters for believing in the power of innovation and accessibility.

Most importantly, thank you to the amazing students who brought their creativity, passion, and dedication to this competition. 💙

This year, 20 teams and over 110 post-secondary students from across BC developed assistive technology solutions designed to improve independence and quality of life for people with disabilities. The innovation, compassion, and ingenuity showcased throughout the competition were truly inspiring.

Congratulations to this year’s winners:

🏆 Simon Cox Principal Award — Team ODIN ( Okanagan) for their Omnidirectional Drive for Independent Navigation
👟 Achievement Award in Honour of Marco Pasqua — Team AceLace (UBC Okanagan)
🧠 Innovation Award in Honour of Ari Kinarthy — UBC MindTap
👏 Peers’ Choice Award in Honour of Neema Nafisvand — Team AceLace

A special thank you to our longstanding supporters and generous sponsors whose contributions help bring this event to life year after year.

We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

First West Foundation, Kinsmen Foundation of BC - Going Strong, BC Rehab Foundation, Stuart Belkin Education Fund, Hamber Foundation, The Lohn Foundation, Axis Insurance, Air North, Yukon's Airline, Odlum Brown Limited, RBC, KPMG, BC Hydro University of British Columbia

05/08/2026

Dear Technology for Living Supporter,

Did you know your will has the power to change the world? You can create lasting change by supporting one of Canada’s incredible charitable organizations and you don’t have to be wealthy or have a huge estate to leave a gift.

The majority of charitable gifts in wills are left by Canadians of average means. You may be surprised to find that when all of your assets are realized, you too are likely to have a tidy sum for support of both loved ones and causes you care about.

Here’s a fact you might find surprising: if only 3.5% more ordinary Canadians included a gift in their Will in this decade, it would result in an additional $40 billion dollars being directed to charitable causes.

A gift will cut your estate taxes, keeping more for everyone, for example on a $750,000 estate, if you wanted to leave 5% of your estate to charity (a $37,500 donation), your estate would get about a 2.5% reduction in taxes (equivalent to $18,750).

Speak to an advisor who can help you maximize the tax benefits of your charitable giving, many offer free consultations.

Sincerely,

The TFL team.