Bonita works as a registered foot and hand reflexologist, and she also creates organic soap, which she sells at retail stores and farmer’s markets. For both, her listening skills are vital, whether she is working one-on-one with a reflexology client or talking with customers in a busy market.

“The loss of my hearing is significant with regard to both my professions and has a dramatic impact on how I am able to perform in a reflexology setting, where the client frequently shares vital health and/or personal information, and regarding my organic soap when I am selling in a market setting. Customer feedback is vital to the creation of an organic product which people use on a daily basis,” she shares. “[It’s] frustrating and limiting.”

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English Version — la version française suit

A successful collaboration between Place aux compétences, École Anna-Malenfant, and Neil Squire‘s Makers Making Change and Solutions programs resulted in the creation of a simple yet effective 3D-printed adaptation for a Neil Squire client preparing to return to work with pain and limited left arm mobility.

When Atlantic Region Solutions Occupational Therapist, Lianne Boudreau, needed a custom solution for an angled wrist support, she reached out to our Makers Making Change program. Makers Making Change worked with our community partners, Place aux compétences, and through their student entrepreneur program coordinated by Mario Levesque, they were eager to help.

The barrier was presented to a fifth-grade class at École Anna-Malenfant in Dieppe, New Brunswick, who were excited to take on the challenge of designing and 3D printing the adaptive piece needed. To add an extra touch of creativity and care, a third-grade class at École Anna-Malenfant wrapped and decorated the finished pieces to ensure the most heartwarming unwrapping experience possible.

With her new 3D-printed support, as well as a handheld assistive device with programmable buttons and an adjustable forearm support, the client can now begin gradually returning to work with the appropriate accommodations.

This collaboration demonstrates how innovation, education, and community partnership can come together to promote accessibility, inclusion, and independence in the workplace.

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Neil Squire Solutions, Fabricants pour le changement, Place aux compétences et l’École Anna-Malenfant collaborent pour développer une technologie d’assistance personnalisée pour un client

Version française  — the English version precedes

Une collaboration efficace entre Place aux compétences, l’École Anna-Malenfant et nos programmes Fabricants pour le changement et Solutions a permis la création d’une adaptation imprimée en 3D, simple mais efficace, pour un client de Neil Squire qui se préparait à retourner au travail malgré la douleur et une mobilité réduite du bras gauche.

Lorsque Lianne Boudreau, ergothérapeute chez Solutions pour la région de l’Atlantique, a eu besoin d’une solution sur mesure pour un support de poignet incliné, elle a fait appel à notre programme Fabricants pour le changement. Fabricants pour le changement a collaboré avec nos partenaires communautaires, Place aux compétences et par un programme d’entrepreneuriat étudiant coordonné par Mario Lévesque, s’est montré très enthousiaste à l’idée d’apporter son aide.

La barrière a été présentée à une classe de 5ième année de l’école Anna-Malenfant de Dieppe, au Nouveau-Brunswick. Les élèves étaient ravis de relever le défi de développer et d’imprimer en 3D la pièce adaptée nécessaire. Pour ajouter une touche de créativité et d’attention, une classe de 3ième année de la même école a emballé et décoré les pièces finies, afin de rendre le déballage des plus excitant.

Grâce à sa nouvelle support imprimé en 3D, ainsi qu’à un appareil portable avec des boutons programmables et d’un support d’avant-bras ajustable, la cliente peut maintenant reprendre progressivement ses activités professionnelles avec les adaptations nécessaires.

Cette collaboration démontre comment l’innovation, l’éducation et le partenariat communautaire peuvent s’unir pour soutenir l’accessibilité, l’inclusion et l’autonomie au travail.

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Michael is a counselor and trauma therapist, working with clients who have anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other sorts of difficulties in their life. His job involves working with individuals, couples, and whole families.

“I am hard of hearing in both ears,” he shares. “This has made my work particularly difficult with clients who are in distress and their voice modulation is not particularly being attended to. You can imagine how awkward it would be to ask a client to please speak up after sharing something vulnerable. Also, there are times where clients just are soft spoken. It has been very difficult repeatedly asking clients to speak up.”

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Connie, who has hearing loss, is looking for work. Her local WorkBC Centre referred her to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services (ATS) for help funding the hearing aids she needs for the job search process and for her future employment.

“Having this assistance has been life changing for me! I never knew how much I was actually missing not being able to hear properly. Being able to hear clearly what is being said to me both one on one and in larger conversations is going to assist me in my career more than I actually realized,” she shares.

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With the help of WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, Coralee, who has hearing loss, got the hearing aids she needs to find a job and thrive in her future workplace.

“These new hearing aids are giving me more confidence to look for work,” she shares.

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Almoneda works as a pharmacy assistant, and her job includes filling prescriptions and answering phones. She has hearing loss, and she found that she was often having to ask customers and co-workers to repeat themselves.

Through WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, Almoneda received funding for the hearing aids she needs for work. She’s seen a big difference in her workday, now able to hear conversations with much less effort.

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Alaa, who has hearing loss, works as an employment counsellor. Thanks to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, she was able to get the assistive technology she needs to thrive at work.

“WorkBC Assistive Technology [Services] generously funded my hearing aid. [My] case manager was supportive and the whole process didn’t take much time,” she shares. “I am able now to communicate effectively with my colleagues and clients.”

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Brenda works as a receptionist and administrator for a fertility clinic. Her job involves helping patients and staff with treatment cycles, billing the treatment cycles, and medications, as well as answering phones. Recently, however, her old hearing aids were starting to fail, making her job more difficult.

“I am hard of hearing, and I require up to date hearing aids in order to understand my co-workers and patients that are in the office. Fertility is a sensitive topic for our patients, and I need to understand conversations around me,” she shares. “I had older hearing aids recently and they were no longer working as good as they did in the past, this was making me exhausted as I was trying to figure out conversation all day and it can be very draining.”

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Sonya works as a secretary at an elementary school, and her job includes answering phones, computer work, and assisting students when they come to the office. However, she has hearing loss, and was finding it difficult to hear students when they needed help.

Her audiologist referred her to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for help funding the hearing aids she needs to do her job effectively. She decided to apply and was quickly approved.

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Dallas provides catering to remote camps as a head chef and head camp manager. He oversees all of the kitchen duties, and runs the office and operation of the camp lodging.

“Hearing impairment affects my work ability greatly as communication is very important,” he shares. “Without hearing aids, simple communication can become difficult, and instructions given or received can become unclear.”

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