Contributor(s)

Zoya Khan, Assistive Technology Products and Services, Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg, Canada

Description

Funding for assistive technology is still unattainable for many within the healthcare system in Canada, with funding sources being limited through Government or Public health sources and with very few private sources available. Due to this specialty aids for Activities of Daily Living are becoming cost-prohibitive for many client populations in our service area.

Meanwhile, 3D printing and the use of 3D design is a technology that is rapidly growing in profile. Many people in different industries are applying the technology in innovative ways.

As a specialty healthcare service with a mandate to help our clients achieve as much independence as possible, but with a very limited capacity for laborious fabrication, we wanted an innovative way to provide solutions to more clients with less drain on our physical resources. In our Occupational Therapist led Assistive Technology program, 3D printing and 3D design is being harnessed to develop low cost, customised assistive technology to increase the accessibility to Assistive technology devices for our clients.

Presenter(s)

Zoya Khan