What’s your big IDeA for making the world more accessible?

Do you have an IDeA for how to make the world easier to navigate for your peers that experience barriers to accessibility? The 2016 Innovative Designs for Accessibility (IDeA) Student Competition wants to hear from you! IDeA is a design competition for Ontario undergraduate students which challenges you to come up with innovative solutions to accessibility issues. As an individual or with a team, participating in the competition empowers you to connect with industry, government and community partners to identify an issue, build a plan to tackle it, and implement your solution. Among several reasons why you should think about putting your name into the competition include the opportunity to network with community partners, cash prizes, a sweet resume line, and, most importantly, the opportunity to make a difference in peoples' lives. To give you an idea of what kind of projects fit the bill for IDeA, let's take a look at some finalists from U of T over the past few years. 1. The Swivet 2015 finalist, submitted by Liam D'Souza, Angela Chen, Mazhar Jabakhanji, and Adithya Prashant The Swivet allows hockey players who use wheelchairs to more easily transport their equipment through an attachment on the back of their wheelchair. On their poster, the team writes that the chair aims to "foster greater independence in the players' daily lives."

2. C.A.R.E for Huntington's 2015 finalist, submitted by Caulan Rupke, Siddharth Pai, Tianshi Cao, and Jiali Yan C.A.R.E stands for Chorea Attenuation and Relief Exoskeleton. C.A.R.E. is designed to help Huntington's patients by "minimizing the effects of involuntary muscle movements in their day-to-day lives." 3. Left Neglect 2013 finalist, submitted by Erik Gluk, Devang Saxena and Ali Al-Safi A collaboration with St. John's Rehabilitation at Sunnybrook Hospital, Left Neglect is designed for users with Hemiagnosia, which is often developed in elderly patients following strokes. Left Neglect is a "levelling device" which helps such patients become more aware of their posture and proximity to objects.

4. Temporary, Modular Stair Ascension Drive 2012 finalist, submitted by Ayman Alabdallah, Lawrence Buchan, Ali Kianirad, Mario Kovacevic, Vaheesar Manivasakan, and Andrew Woollard The Temporary, Modular Stair Ascension Drive was designed by students in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the university. It's an extension for staircases in residential homes to create accessibility for people who use wheelchairs or other mobility assistance devices. Learn more about the IDeA contest and how you can get started on your submission on their website.