Hunter works as a line cook at a popular pub in Vancouver. Whether he’s preparing food or relaying a ticket to other kitchen staff, the job requires effective communication to get the job done and to stay safe. He is hard of hearing and needs to use hearing aids.

“I need to be able to hear and understand instructions properly in order to ensure orders go out correctly, to ensure safety for myself and others, to avoid any potential problems with allergies, to hear timers and alarms, and more. I am unable to read lips at work as everyone is required to wear a mask,” he shares.

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Trina is starting a new business as an intuitive coach in Delta and throughout the Lower Mainland. In starting her own business, she has to build up her brand through social media, advertising, and finding new clients. Her line of work also involves continually learning new skills and techniques.

However, Trina lives with learning challenges in reading and writing, as well as memory retention.

“This impacts both learning new tasks, retaining information, and overall interest in any function that includes written words,” she shares. “I find I am often behind in paperwork, new updates, and learning when they are self-directed or are written.”

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Watching Philippe sing his songs, you’ll notice he can be a bit of a one man band — he’ll sing, he’ll play the guitar, he’ll do the percussion all at once, sometimes he’ll even throw in a harmonizer effect to create harmonies by himself.

Born blind in Clair, New Brunswick, Philippe started his musical journey at five years old, and he can play almost any instrument you can name. He learns songs by ear and adds his own flavour to them, and is a prolific songwriter himself.

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Brian has about 40 years of experience as a realtor. Based in Victoria, he is passionate about serving his clients needs, and as a senior, wants to keep working.

“My most important duty is understanding the needs and desires of my clients, and then translating those needs into results,” he shares.

“My problem over the last few years has been mainly communication. My hearing has been deteriorating leading to embarrassing episodes where I have misheard my clients and had to have [them] repeat [themselves], sometimes several times. That is not conducive to trust and confidence.”

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Vanessa works seasonally with Community Living BC. Born with spina bifida, a left ventricular shunt, and a cognitive delay, she does workshops for high school students with disabilities looking for the next steps out of high school, as well as with families looking into their services.

Her occupational therapist referred her to the WorkBC Assistive Technology Services program.

Through WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, Vanessa received a power elevating seat lift, allowing her to reach things higher up at work. She also received the components to retrofit it into her current power wheelchair.

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“Retirement was not for me, but I did not have necessary technology to enable me to be productive,” says Randy, who is blind.

Randy is a founding board member of the One in Spirit Healing Arts Society, a non-profit society facilitating transformative healing moments, rooted in First Nations teachings. He recently started work as the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Elder-in-Residence for the Nanaimo campus of Vancouver Island University, a job he credits WorkBC Assistive Technology Services helping him to get.

He had heard about the program on the radio and decided to apply.

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Linda used to work as a pharmacist but had to stop due to severe pain in her hands and wrists.

“I live with chronic pain in my hands, feet, and hips from previous injuries. It is very difficult for me to use a mouse and keyboard, to use a pen to write, to hold and use my smart phone, to sit for prolonged periods of time or to stand for prolonged periods of time,” she says from Richmond. “As a result, working at a computer station is very difficult for me. For a long time, I was not volunteering or working as a result of these limitations.”

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Our friends at the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation are recruiting Canadian subjects to test two new assistive switch designs. If you have ALS or Muscular Dystrophy and would be interested in participating, see below. Even if you are ineligible to take part in the research, there is an opportunity to help improve the designs, which will be released on the Makers Making Change library when the study concludes.

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Karman works as a Business Development and Communications Coordinator for a non-profit organization in Victoria.

“I have lower spinal and cervical spinal injuries, a degenerative condition in lower spine, and sacroiliac joints and chronic pain,” she explains.

She learned about WorkBC Assistive Technology Services from a conversation with a program representative and decided to give it a try for herself. She was assessed by the Assistive Technology Services team to find the right ergonomic and assistive technology solutions for her.

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Lonnie was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, chronic renal failure, and type two diabetes in 2018, forcing him to find a new career.

“This had left me with life changing circumstances where I found myself looking for a new career because physical work was no longer an option,” he explains, noting he also has hearing loss in his right ear.

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