Another goal of the Canadian Paralympic Foundation is to expand the participation in sport by Canadians with physical disabilities. Currently Paralympic and Parasport equipment can cost substantially more than non-adaptive equipment. For example an alpine sit-ski can cost more than $5,000. One of the reasons for these prices is that most current equipment is custom or handmade.

Currently, a joint effort between the Canadian Paralympic Foundation and Carlton University’s School of Industrial Design is working to design mass-production parasports equipment. The Foundation has challenged the Industrial Design students to tackle the cost and availability of Paralympic equipment.

The students were given the following criteria of industrial design inventions:

• to be capable of mass production, immediately solve a current need or improve upon another design,
• to be ergonomically superior to the item that they are to replace.

Through the Foundation the students were introduced to present or retired Paralympians, Paralympic equipment manufacturers and other Paralympic experts.

The potential of these inventions and their appropriateness meet the Foundation’s goal of making Paralympic sport and recreation accessible to all Canadians with physical disabilities. Designs such as these, aimed at making Paralympic and Parasport equipment available at affordable prices, contribute immeasurably to the mission of the Foundation which is to expand participation in sport and recreation by Canadians that are disabled.

The Foundation is confident that the scope of, and methodology used in, this project could be duplicated at other Industrial Design Schools across the country. The benefits of the growth of this program are two-fold, for the members of our community who have been excluded from participating in Paralympic sport as well as providing long-range, rewarding challenges and returns for the school and its students.

Will you help us grow this program to a national level?

For more information contact Sharon McGrath, Manager, Fundraising Programs at (613) 542-7873 or email.