Tetra Society | GTA Chapters

Wheelchair Driveway Hoist

Admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:32:33 +0000

Wheelchair Driveway Hoist

This driveway wheelchair hoist was built by Tetra Society of North America’s volunteer engineers so a young man can access a steep driveway in his wheelchair. Previously he had to be transferred to a vehicle and driven up and down.

Adapted Bike Trailer

Admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:28:53 +0000

Adapted Bike Trailer

This adaptive bike trailer was built by Tetra Society of North America’s volunteer engineers to enable a teenage girl with cerebral palsy to enjoy bicycling with her father and younger sister.

Scooter Travel Ramp

Admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:08:30 +0000

Scooter Travel Ramp

This travel ramp was custom built by Tetra Society of North America’s volunteer engineers to enable a lady who gets about by scooter to negotiate inaccessible European sidewalks — in this case, Paris, France

Proposed Integrated Accessibility Regulation

Admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:38:45 +0000

The Government of Ontario is proposing a new Integrated Accessibility Regulation under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.

From September 2, 2010 to October 16, 2010, a summary of the Integrated Accessibility Regulation will be available for public review on the government’s Regulatory Registry.

The Regulatory Registry can be accessed through the following link:
http://www.ontariocanada.com/registry/quickSearch.do?searchType=current

All comments on the proposed regulation must be directed through the Regulatory Registry.

Règlement proposé sur l’accessibilité intégrée

Gouvernement de l’Ontario propose un nouveau règlement intégré sur l’accessibilité en vertu de la Loi de 2005 sur l’accessibilité pour les personnes handicapées de l’Ontario.

Du 2 septembre 2010 au 16 octobre 2010, un résumé du règlement sur l’accessibilité intégrée figurera au Registre de réglementation du gouvernement pour que le public puisse l’examiner.

Le Registre de réglementation est accessible par le lien suivant :
http://www.ontariocanada.com/registry/quickSearch.do?searchType=current

Tous les commentaires au sujet du règlement proposé doivent être soumis au Registre de réglementation.

Merci.

Eric controls iPod through his powered wheelchair

Admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:53:20 +0000

Wheelchair control of iPod

Zongyi Yang, a Tetra volunteer with the GTA chapter, put together this custom wheelchair-iPod interface for Eric, a client who has also been volunteering with the chapter for a few months. Eric has been using his new custom interface for a few days now, which allows him to access all features in his iPod using the sip & puff switches mounted on his wheelchair. He even set up the text-to-speech feature on the iPod so he doesn’t have to look at the device anymore like we see on the video. This definitely goes to show that adding accessibility features to mainstream devices makes them a lot easier to use for everybody.

We should also note that this was Zongyi’s first (and hopefully not last) project with Tetra, quite impressive huh?

EyeWriter allows man to paint despite paralysis

Admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:08:15 +0000

The Eyewriter from Evan Roth on Vimeo

The Grafitti Research Lab and Eyebeam OpenLab strike again. With a bit of irreverence, tons of will and some off-the-shelf components, these artists hack the world into shape for people with disabilities.

By the way, did I already mention this project is open source? Find out how to make your own at: http://fffff.at/eyewriter/

Tetra GTA launches YouTube channel

Admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:08:25 +0000

Tetra GTA project: exoskeleton support for hand extensors

We have just recently launched the Tetra GTA YouTube channel which will be featuring videos from the wide range of projects we are working on. We will also be using this Tetra GTA YouTube channel to share our experiences with other Tetra chapters and with the general public. We hope this new will help us continue building a stronger community of volunteers so we can provide the best possible services to people with disabilities in the GTA.

Tetra GTA volunteer develops two-switch iPod interface

Admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:53:45 +0000

A Tetra volunteer has enabled two-switch control of the iPod music player

Zongyi, a recent Tetra volunteer from the University of Toronto, has been working away on an interface that will allow a switch user to control the iPod music player using only two switches. This work is part of the MTO.42.09 MP3 player adaptation project by the Toronto Tetra Chapter. All Zongyi needs to do now is to put together a few more electronics parts together so the system can be attached directly to the client’s sip & puff interface so he can finally have full access to all the player’s features!

Assistive Technology Forum: Final Report

zav — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:21:23 +0000

The Tetra Society’s Greater Toronto Area chapter planned and hosted an Assistive Technology forum at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Office on 18 June, 2009. This forum was the first of its kind, and was designed to be an opportunity for collaborating with and eliciting perspectives from the various people connected to assistive technology (AT). The forum brought together approximately 130 community members, including people with disabilities who use assistive technology, parents and caregivers of assistive technology users, researchers, educators, businesses, students, and Tetra Society volunteers. Among the notable attendees was the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

The Forum also included facilitated small-group discussions among participants to identify successes and gaps in assistive technology, and to elicit perspectives on what roles the government, researchers, businesses, educators, and the Tetra Society should play in improving assistive technology for everyone.

This report, entitled “The State of Assistive Technology Research, Funding, and Usage in Toronto,” is a summary of the proceedings from these small-group discussions:

Regular Version
Large Sans Serif

Forum Contacts

Two Tetra GTA volunteers awarded Gizmos

Admin — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:29:30 +0000

2009 Gizmo Award Winners

David Crane and Jorge Silva, volunteers with the Metro Toronto Chapter, were the recipients of two of the four Gizmo Awards presented this past Friday at the Rose Theatre in Brampton, Ont.

His Honour David Onley, The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, presented the awards during the annual celebration of the Tetra Society in Ontario, where the effort and commitment of dedicated volunteers in Ontario is acknowledged.

Jorge received the HTX Innovation award for the design of a custom wheelchair joystick, while David won the coveted Gizmo of the Year award for his design of a triggered pool cue powerful enough to break the game.

Thanks to Tetra’s Ontario Development Coordinator, Glenn Barnes, the event’s sponsors and many Tetra volunteers, this year’s event was definitely a success!