Latest news with #deafblind
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Deafblind man finds independence while calling Sudbury home
A deafblind man has made Sudbury home after moving out of his parent's place for the first time. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual A deafblind man now calls Sudbury home after moving out of his parents' place in Sturgeon Falls. Alec Malette, 24, has been deafblind whole life, with limited sight and hearing through the support of his glasses and a hearing aid. Malette moved out on his own over the summer with the help of DeafBlind Ontario Services. While he was nervous at first, he said he has since settled in well. 'I like to play on my computer, play video games and make food,' Malette said. He cooks most of his own meals, does most household chores and has taken on a part time job at a diner. Following in his older brother's footsteps, he completed some computer science courses at Cambrian College. DeafBlind Ontario provides an array of services, offering community and residential supports for individuals who are deafblind, deaf, hard of hearing, and are non-verbal with developmental disabilities. Alec Malette Alec Malette, 24, has been deafblind whole life, with limited sight and hearing through the support of his glasses and a hearing aid. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News) 'For Alec specifically, we have our intervener services team that provides communications supports, helps him get out in the community, we help him with his job, his school work, we're basically the eyes and ears to facilitate him to live his best life,' said Crystal Pigeon-Way, community engagement manager of DeafBlind Ontario North Region. Malette moved into one of the organization's three homes in Sudbury and lives with two roommates. GAINING INDEPENDENCE Pigeon-Way said the move has allowed him to increase his independence. 'He was really excited to have his own home and gain his own independence,' said Pigeon-Way. 'Coming from a small town, he wasn't able to get everywhere on his own, there was no public transportation, stuff like that. So moving to Sudbury really opened up his ability to engage within his community.' Malette enjoys baking in particular and recently made a chocolate cake and built a gingerbread house. He said he will soon be heading back to Sturgeon Falls to visit his family for Christmas.
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Saskatoon student invents deaf blind communication device
WATCH: A Saskatoon high school student is gaining national attention for his invention that helps deaf blind people communicate with others.
CBC
30-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Saskatoon student receives national recognition for innovative braille device
Watching his grandfather begin to lose his hearing sparked a passion in Joti Gokaraju to support the deafblind community and the idea for an invention that would earn him a national award. Gokaraju, a Grade 11 student at Walter Murray Collegiate in Saskatoon at the time, grew concerned about how his grandfather would communicate the hearing condition worsened. " That's what really started, you know, my passion for helping the deaf blind community, because I found out that it's not just my grandfather who could suffer from this situation," Gokaraju said. That passion led him to create TouchTalk, a braille-based communication system that is now the winner of a 2025 national Ingenious+ Award. "There are about 160 million deafblind people around the world who face this exact same problem," Gokaraju said. "I just wanted to make sure that these people have a way to connect with their communities and their families." With TouchTalk, deafblind people receive and send messages through braille, inputting text through a computer app that translates the message into braille for the TouchTalk's physical display. Gokaraju has just finished the preliminary testing for TouchTalk. He said he built the device for under $100, while similar products on the market usually cost much more. "The most common technology right now costs about $5,000. And if you think about how a lot of deafblind people aren't in first-world countries, having that low cost is really important," Gokaraju said. Youth leading innovation Ingenious+, run by the Rideau Hall Foundation, seeks out creative solutions to complex challenges when selecting its finalists. Amy Mifflin-Sills, a director at the foundation, calls it "innovating for good." "With Joti, what he's done so far with his innovation is a clear example of innovating for good," Mifflin-Sills said. The Ingenious+ Award is open to youth aged 14 to 18 with projects focused on innovation in areas like community and civic engagement, climate change, equity and inclusion, health, technology and entrepreneurship. "There are amazing ideas out there and incredible prototypes, just like Joti's. Our goal is to support as many of them as possible every year through financial awards, mentorship and learning opportunities," she said. "To give them that initial seed money so they can get started and move forward with their innovations. Ideally, we want to help them reach commercialization, move beyond the testing and prototype stages, and even take these projects with them as they go on to college or university." Servicing his community Gokaraju credits much of his success with TouchTalk to hands-on work from researchers at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, whom he connected with to learn more about issues with blindness and deafness. "It's been really nice to actually get some field testing done," Gokaraju said. His work in blind and deaf communication was also recognized by the Loran Scholars Foundation, which awarded him with a four-year scholarship valued at more than $100,000. "It's also nice to, I guess, feel that your innovation has also been recognized, and it's something I think can go forward and I can actually make a company out of it to do something meaningful." Gokaraju hopes more young people become inspired to create solutions to the world's problems. He made sure to note that he wouldn't be here without the support of his family and community. "This is something that I could only do by having that whole community behind me."
