Meet the 2019 IDeA competition winners

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First place

Université de Montréal

Submitted by Louis-Pierre Auger and Evelina Pituch

Stroke affects sexuality in approximately 50% of survivors. In collaboration with a rehabilitation hospital, the sexual difficulty screening tool was created to help health care professionals identify post-stroke patients who require sexual counselling as part of their rehabilitation.

The tool is non-invasive, free of charge and offers immediate results, ultimately improving the rehabilitation process for stroke survivors.

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Second place

Western University

Submitted by Dylan Di Girolamo

The Epilepsy Toolkit was created to help individuals and caretakers better understand epilepsy and provide effective support for someone who is having a seizure.

The toolkit contains a helpful resource guide, a timer to monitor the length of a seizure, and an audio recording device that explains to users what to do when someone nearby is having a seizure.

The toolkit is practical, cost-effective and can be placed in any home, workplace, school, athletic centre or other space where a kit is needed.

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Third place

University of Toronto

Submitted by Christina Park, Keren He and Yifan Zhang

For people who live with autism or sensory processing disorders, navigating places like museums, airports, malls, hospitals and libraries can be a big challenge.

MuseGO is an indoor navigation application that was developed to enable people with sensory processing needs to navigate community spaces.

By reducing barriers, MuseGO aims to minimize stress, exhaustion and confusion for these individuals and their families and caregivers.

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First place

University of Waterloo

Submitted by Jared Uramowski, Kristian VandeKemp, Evan McColl, Matthew Levy and Jon Cameron

Wheelchair users often face challenges when deciding which device to use to get around. Regular wheelchairs are easy to maneuver, but hand-cycle wheelchairs offer better speed efficiency.

The Enhanced Mobility Wheelchair tackles this challenge by adding a unique drive mechanism to an ordinary wheelchair, providing users with the comforts and maneuverability of a traditional wheelchair while offering the speed of a hand-cycle wheelchair.

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Second place

OCAD University

Submitted by Uttara Ghodke

Individuals who are blind or visually impaired rely on alternative learning aids such as 2D-tactile graphics, braille maps and 3D models to learn about geography. However, these aids can be costly, are not readily available and pose several challenges for the learner.

The Cross-Sensory Globe is a 3D audio-tactile globe that allows blind or low-vision individuals to perceive geo-spatial tactile information – such as elevation and size of landmasses – and listen to audio information about cities, countries and continents across the globe.

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Third place

Université de Montréal

Submitted by Soukaina Paquin

For people living with reduced mobility, finding accessible businesses, restaurants and other establishments can be time-consuming and limit their ability to participate in social activities.

The “OnRoule” mobile app offers an innovative solution: an interactive directory of accessible businesses, activities, parking spaces and washrooms within a specific distance of the user. The app will be developed based on a user-centred design approach to meet the specific needs of people with reduced mobility.

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First place

OCAD University

Submitted by Brandon Biggs

There is currently no way for people who are blind or visually impaired to view online digital maps, such as Google Maps.

The Nonvisual Digital Auditory Map is a map widget that allows users to access and navigate digital maps by using conventions from audio games. The prototype simulates walking and allows users to follow a specific route, get an overview of a location and identify basic shapes and objects.

The widget can be embedded into any web page and works with every modern screen reader on every platform.

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Second place

University of Victoria

Submitted by Brent Godau, Gordon Borchert, Austin Sawyer, Ross Clifford, Levi Puckett, Kelvin Filyk, Graeme Thompson, Vinayak Pendharkar, Rylan Boothman, Aimee Jones and Misha Hasan

Urinary incontinence affects many individuals with physical disabilities and neurological disorders. For those who are also wheelchair-bound, prolonged exposure to urine can result in serious skin conditions and infections.

The CareChanger is a device that uses temperature and humidity sensors embedded into a wheelchair seat that wirelessly alerts caregivers of void events for patients with physical disabilities and neurological disorders, ultimately helping ensure these individuals receive timely care.

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Third place

University of Alberta

Submitted from Sydney Hampshire and John Christy Johnson

For many wheelchair users, it is physically demanding to navigate the environments and spaces around them.

Click & Push Accessibility Inc. is comprised of a wearable wheelchair activity monitor and mobile app that gather dynamic data about the motion of a wheelchair. This data is then used to create accessibility maps of public spaces to help wheelchair users identify the easiest and safest route from one location to another. In doing so, the app will enhance convenience, prevent injury, and reduce frustration for people who use wheelchairs.