In the early 1950's Canada made a major contribution to assisting persons with mobility disabilities. Hamiltonian George Klein developed the electric wheelchair, with a nod to women, to assist WWII veterans and their families.
Meet Canadian women whose inventions, mainly inspired by disability, are reshaping how we live, move, and communicate with dignity and ease.
1. Rachel Zimmerman Brachman (born 1972, London, Ontario)
At just age 12, Rachel invented the Blissymbol Printer during a school science fair (1984–86). This device allows non-verbal individuals, especially people with severe physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, to select Blissymbols on a touchpad, which the system then converts into written text (in English or French) and even voice output. This replaced the earlier laborious system that required a human assistant to translate symbol choices
. Rachel’s innovation was showcased internationally and continues to help users communicate independently in several countries.
2. Lianna Genovese (Hamilton, Ontario)
As a biomedical and mechanical engineering student at McMaster, Lianna developed Guided Hands™ (first prototype around 2019), an assistive device that helps individuals with limited hand mobility to write, draw, and engage with technology. She worked closely with occupational therapists and people living with conditions like cerebral palsy. The device has won extensive recognition, including a 2024 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award and earned her a place on Forbes 30 Under 30.
3. Barbara Alink (Richmond, British Columbia)
Barbara, originally from the Netherlands and now based near Vancouver, invented the Alinker, a stylish, stand‑on/walk‑on mobility device. Designed to counter the stigma of traditional mobility aids, the Alinker keeps users upright and at eye level—hands free and socially engaged. The design is intentionally "radically chic" to promote dignity and pride in mobility for users of various abilities.
Alinker can be dismantled for convenient storage and retails for about C$2,500
4. Colette Bourgonje (Saskatchewan)
Students across Canadian universities have developed numerous accessibility innovations—such as a mechanical arm brace for people with cerebral palsy (Memorial University), a retractable helper arm for wheelchair users (University of Victoria), the Hear2There siren‑detection device for hearing‑impaired drivers (University of Alberta), and the SlapBra dressing aid for those with limited arm mobility (University of Toronto)
While these are team efforts, they illustrate how women and students continue to drive accessible design in Canada.
While not disabled himself, Alex pioneered iAid, a handheld navigation device specifically designed for blind pedestrians. Developed in his early teens, and based on an empathetic confrontation Alex had with a woman who struggled with her visual impairment to navigate in an urban neighborhood, Alex designed iAid with brilliant use of GPS, compass, and cloud services combined with a joystick that tilts and vibrates to guide visually impaired users safely through the same dangerous and complex city communitiesl. The device was tested with Canadian National Institute for the Blind and has earned media recognition as a student‑led innovation improving street safety for those with vision impairment
✨ Why These Stories Matter
It seems very clear that individuals like Rachel Zimmerman and Lianna Genovese designed products intimately informed by the challenges faced by people with disabilities. Also evident is the awareness and amazing intellectual capabilities of people of all ages and genders to see and create, often as team, the sort of condition or product that offers dignity, ease of use, human-centered, design and functionality that brilliantly meets the needs of the struggling person often assigned to the margins of society because of various lacks, including physical disabilities to meet the norms.
Nurturing young visionaries with STEM programs is one way that Canadian educators recognize benefits of acknowledging and funding technology education as making important advancements to our society. We must continue, too, to represenent and recognize the important contributions of all genders, cultures, abilities and social statuses to the betterment of an egalitarian society.
I am personally edified to have granddaughters who are able to access a STEM program in their schools, or attend open classes for College learning. I am thrilled to see the unfettered joy and pride in the grin of a grand-nephew who won a gold medal in the Special Olympics this summer for powerlifting. I am grateful to live in Canada, where we enjoy so many of these rights and privileges. I know that we must strive to build in more opportunities for those who not so fortunate, but we have the foundation, so let's get at it!
📚 References
1. Zimmerman Brachman, Rachel – Blissymbol Printer
*Wikipedia. Rachel Zimmerman. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Zimmerman
*Toronto Star Archive (1990s).
*Canadian Encyclopedia (Communication Aids – Blissymbols).
*Blissymbolics Communication International. https://www.blissymbolics.org
2. Lianna Genovese – Guided Hands™
*Newswire Canada. 25-Year-Old Canadian Disability Innovator Receives Prestigious 2024 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/25-year-old-canadian-disability-innovator-receives-prestigious-2024-muhammad-ali-humanitarian-award-874011740.html
*Guided Hands™ Product Site: https://imaginablesolutions.com
*Forbes 30 Under 30 (2022): Lianna Genovese, Health Care
3. Barbara Alink – The Alinker Mobility Bike
*The Georgia Straight. B.C. Inventor Barbara Alink Aims to Erase the Stigma Around Disability. https://www.straight.com/life/692536/bc-inventor-barbara-alink-aims-erase-stigma-around-disability
*The Alinker Official Site: https://thealinker.com
*CBC Radio. Ideas: Designing Mobility With Dignity (Interview with Barbara Alink)
4. Alex Deans – iAid Navigation Device
*Wikipedia. Alex Deans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Deans
*Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB).
*Windsor Star. Teen Inventor Helps the Blind Navigate With iAid.
5. Colette Bourgonje – Adaptive Sit-Ski Innovation Advocate
*Wikipedia. Colette Bourgonje. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colette_Bourgonje
*Canadian Paralympic Committee Profile.
* CBC Sports Archives. Saskatchewan Sit-Skier Reflects on Her Career and Adaptive Equipment Advances.
6. Additional Innovations from Canadian Universities
*Universities Canada. Inventing Our Way to an Accessible Future. https://univcan.ca/news/inventing-our-way-to-an-accessible-future/
Disclosure: ChatGPT assisted in editing this article.
Comments