EATI

EATI: Equipment and Assistive Technology Iniative. It's really quite cool. This government funded program helps people with disabilities get the equipment and training they need to be able to work and live independently. Through this program, people with disabilities who have depended on others to be able to leave the house, have access to technology that allows them to explore and participate in their community. Can you imagine the ecstasy of being able to leave your home unaided, after years of laying on a bed unable to move? Some people who have been helped by EATI have pasts like that.



One man, who is now in his forties, was injured in a diving accident when he was a teenager. He broke his neck. He doesn't have control of his arms, legs or diaphram even. He underwent a tracheotomy so that he can breathe through a tube that enters directly into his trachea. He uses shoulder movements to force air into the tube, just as we use our diaphram to force air into our lungs. He has to consciously focus on making those movements though, or he'll run out of air.

But the most amazing technology this man has is his power wheelchair. I had never seen anything like it before I started working for BCITS. He has three tubes arranged near his mouth that are connected to the chair. By sipping or blowing he controls his chair. Different lengths and intensities of breath tell his chair to move back, forward or turn, fast or slow. It's amazing to watch. He gets around quite well and lives a very full and satisfying life.



We are so blessed to live in 2010 with this amazing technology available to us. For more information about EATI, visit the website.