Annual Report 2008/2009
Annual Report 2008-2009 Annual Report 2008-2009 25th Anniversary Announcement Board Members In 1981, Neil Squire, a 24 year old pre-med student and basketball star, was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down Clay Braziller, Chairperson and unable to speak. A relative of Neil’s named Bill Cameron, who was an John D. McAlpine, Secretary inventor and research engineer, designed a machine to register a person’s sips and puffs through a straw. The machine translated these sips and Don Danbrook, Treasurer puffs to Morse Cathy Beaumont, Member Code, which ap- Laurie Dawn Hill, Member peared as letters Ed Levy, Member on a computer Doug Purdie, Member screen, giving Paul Shore, Member Neil a new voice. Executive Team This would prove to be our first step Gary Birch, O.C., Ph. D., P.Eng in linking technol- Executive Director ogy and people with disabilities. Greg Pyc When Neil died in National Operations Manager 1984, the Neil Squire Society was started with a Management Team mere $2,000, which had been Greg Pyc contributed in lieu Western Regional Manager of flowers at Neil’s funeral. Diann Coates Prairie Regional Manager, In 1984, Society Admin. founder Bill Cam- eron envisioned a Elnora Lamb future in which Prairie Regional Manager, technology would Program allow “people who just happen to be Cheryl Colmer disabled” to have Central Regional Manager the same choices, opportunities and quality of life as Diana Hall any other person. Atlantic Regional Manager That vision is still alive today, twenty-five years later.
[Show full text]