Community Service in University Curricula - Design and Use of Assistive Technology - page 61

Fig. 7.2 CanAssist's adjustable umbrella holder is designed to be mounted on a walker
or wheelchair to provide users protection from the sun or rain. Its design has gone through
a number of iterations, primarily to reduce the cost of production and its weight
Through (a) the efforts of its regular full-time staff, (b) the recruitment
of university faculty, staff, and students from virtually every discipline on
campus, as well as community volunteers (typically, but not exclusively re-
tirees), and (c) access to infrastructure support and facilities (e.g., machine
shops, sophisticated laboratories, and equipment), CanAssist has become a
significant resource for the disability community. It has been able to take on
projects that are well beyond the scope of other agencies, either because of
the technical challenges and/or the perceived lack of opportunity to recoup
project costs.
While CanAssist is extraordinarily cost effective, program funding is a crit-
ical issue. We believe that through having multiple, diversified revenue sources
(beyond infrastructural and direct support from the university) CanAssist
can be sustainable. These sources include:
1. Service contracts with public and private sector agencies.
2. Funding from government (provincial and national).
3. Revenues accrued through the commercialization of technologies or deliv-
ery of other services.
4. Grants from traditional research funding agencies (e.g., provincial or fed-
eral agencies supporting scientific, medical, and engineering research).
5. Grants from philanthropic groups and organizations, corporate sponsors,
and donations from individuals.
6. Social financing.
To date, CanAssist has not had a policy of charging individuals or families
for its services. Rather, beneficiaries of the program who have some financial