Starting school on the right foot

As the school years begins, one of the best ways to help your children get on the path to success is by helping them strengthen their literacy skills.

• One child out of four starts kindergarten without the developmental skills needed to succeed. That’s nearly 9,000 students each year.
• 11,000 students a year are not graduating from high school.
• 20 per cent of B.C. students have difficulty reading.
• 1 million adults in British Columbia don’t have the basic skills to read a newspaper or fill out a job application.

For elementary school students

• Set aside time each day for family reading, and let your children see you read. It’s the best way to set an example.
• While you’re making dinner, have your child to read to you. It’s a good way to build their oral reading skills and a clever way to bond.
• Get a library card with your child and take weekly trips to the library.

For intermediate/middle school students

• Set up a homework area away from the TV with enough supplies and good lighting.
• While they’re doing their homework, do yours. Use the quiet time to balance your chequebook, pay bills, or read. Set an example of strong study skills.
• Be available to help them, but never do their homework for them.

For high school students

• Continue with the established homework routine.
• Have your children take 20 minutes each night to read over and review their notes for that day, in order to retain information longer.
• Encourage your teenager to read a wide range of magazines and appropriate websites. It’ll challenge their minds and open them up to new ideas.

CanAssist's can-do technology helps overcome disabilities

According to Statistics Canada, 570,000 British Columbians – over 13 per cent of the population – have a disability that affects their daily lives.

While most are able to function with minimal assistance or with readily available aids, some people have such specific needs that devices must be designed and manufactured expressly for them.

This is where the University of Victoria’s CanAssist program steps in.

Made-in-B.C. program enhances lives of disabled

Founded in 1999 as UVATT (the University of Victoria Assistive Technology Team), CanAssist got its start when it built a finger switch to aid a severely disabled boy. Over the years, a diverse group of 2,000 people – including specialists, students and volunteers from fields including engineering, kinesiology, music and physics as well as fabricators and a seamstress – have participated in the program.

Thanks to this expertise, CanAssist has developed more than 140 projects such as tricycles and bicycles for children with visual impairments and other disabilities, eye-tracking communications systems and high-tech wheelchair modifications including a customized dog leash clip to assist a quadriplegic who has limited use of his arms.

In addition to the appreciation it receives from those whose lives have been touched by the program, CanAssist has received numerous accolades including a Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Innovative Technology.

Funding for the future

The Province recently presented CanAssist with a one-time grant worth $750,000 to support the work they do to improve the lives of British Columbians with disabilities and special needs.

In addition to increasing their capability to provide more equipment and specialized projects, the funding will help CanAssist recruit more volunteers, strengthen existing projects and expand four main research areas – communication and control, mobility and motion, online learning and community building and human-computer interaction.

Thanks to partnerships with institutions such as UVic and CanAssist, British Columbia is well on its way to reach its goal of building Canada’s best system of support for person with disabilities.

To find more information about CanAssist, its programs and accomplishments, visit www.uvatt.org.

Helping people get around temporary mobility problems

Imagine you’ve developed a temporary disability, putting you in similar circumstances to the 570,000 British Columbians whose disabilities affect their daily activities.

Things you normally take for granted – such as travelling to and from work or school, shopping for groceries or even using the bathroom – have suddenly become difficult.

Think this is a rare occurrence? Think again!

Every year, tens of thousands of British Columbians find themselves living with a temporary disability due to an illness, injury or surgery.

In addition to the physical challenges, temporary disabilities can present a financial burden – especially to seniors and those with moderate incomes. Mobility aids including wheelchairs, walkers and crutches are needed to cope with daily activities; however, buying or renting these things might be beyond their means.

Red Cross – medical equipment loan service

This is where the Canadian Red Cross’s medical equipment loan service steps in. Operating for more than 50 years, the volunteer-based and community-run service provides – at no charge – short-term loans of mobility aids and devices to help people overcome their temporary disabilities.

In 2006, about 68,000 British Columbians used the medical equipment loans service, borrowing more than 120,000 mobility aids and devices from over 100 loan depots around the province.

$2-million funding boost

To support the medical equipment loan service’s continued efforts in helping British Columbians through their time of need, Claude Richmond, Minister of Employment and Income Assistance, recently announced the Province is providing the program with a one-time grant of $2 million.

This funding is helping the Red Cross buy modern equipment or repair what they already have, renovate loan depots and enhance the delivery component of the program. It also supports British Columbia’s goal of having the best system of support in Canada for persons with disabilities – whether they are long-term or temporary.

If you or someone you know would like find out more about the medical equipment loan service, contact the nearest Red Cross office or visit www.redcross.ca and find the health equipment loan programs webpage.