Neil Squire
Encyclopedia
Neil Squire was an accounting student at the University of Victoria
and a basketball player. After a car accident left him a high level tetraplegic, Neil’s tireless efforts to learn a new form of communication became the inspiration for the creation of the Neil Squire Society
.
Born December 24, 1959, Neil grew up in Nanaimo, British Columbia
, Canada
. Throughout his childhood Neil had always been very involved in school, music and sports. By the time he reached high school, he had won several awards for scholastics, service, band and sports. When he graduated, he was an accomplished basketball player, having been very successful at the provincial level.
In December of 1980 Neil, who had begun studying accounting at the University of Victoria
, hit a patch of black ice
only a short distance from his home. His car hit a tree and Neil severed his C3 and C4 vertebrae. This accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, unable to speak and reliant on a respirator.
After many months of rehabilitation at the Shaunnessey Hospital Spinal Cord Unit Neil began working with his inventor relative Bill Cameron (Founder, Neil Squire Society)
to learn to use the “sip-and-puff
” machine that Bill had created from an old teleprinter
to aid Neil in communication. Neil learned to use Morse code
, which was converted into words on a screen through Bill’s device. This original device was soon replaced by a computer.
By the time Neil died of kidney failure on April 18, 1984, he had moved from Shaunnessey Hospital to an extended care unit at Gorge Road hospital in Victoria, BC. There, many volunteers worked with him and other patients in what had come to be called the Computer Comfort program.
These volunteers had been looking for an appropriate name to give their efforts. They named their group the Neil Squire Foundation, later the Neil Squire Society
, and this organization has been helping persons with disabilities across Canada increase their independence ever since.
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
and a basketball player. After a car accident left him a high level tetraplegic, Neil’s tireless efforts to learn a new form of communication became the inspiration for the creation of the Neil Squire Society
Neil Squire Society
Neil Squire Society is a Canadian national not-for-profit organization that empowers Canadians with physical disabilities through advocacy, computer-based assistive technology, research and development, and various employment programs.- History :...
.
Born December 24, 1959, Neil grew up in Nanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Throughout his childhood Neil had always been very involved in school, music and sports. By the time he reached high school, he had won several awards for scholastics, service, band and sports. When he graduated, he was an accomplished basketball player, having been very successful at the provincial level.
In December of 1980 Neil, who had begun studying accounting at the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
, hit a patch of black ice
Black ice
Black ice, sometimes called glare ice or clear ice, refers to a thin coating of glazed ice on a surface.While not truly black, it is virtually transparent, allowing black asphalt/macadam roadways to be seen through it, hence the term "black ice"...
only a short distance from his home. His car hit a tree and Neil severed his C3 and C4 vertebrae. This accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, unable to speak and reliant on a respirator.
After many months of rehabilitation at the Shaunnessey Hospital Spinal Cord Unit Neil began working with his inventor relative Bill Cameron (Founder, Neil Squire Society)
Bill Cameron (Founder, Neil Squire Society)
Bill Cameron, BFA, In. Dsn. was a prolific inventor, engineer and founder of the Neil Squire Society. Bill designed many devices to help people with disabilities including a Sip-and-puff communication system, and a robot arm called M.O.M...
to learn to use the “sip-and-puff
Sip-and-puff
Sip-and-Puff or Sip 'n' Puff ' technology is a method used to send signals to a device using air pressure by "sipping" or "puffing" on a straw, tube or "wand." It is primarily used by people who do not have the use of their hands...
” machine that Bill had created from an old teleprinter
Teleprinter
A teleprinter is a electromechanical typewriter that can be used to communicate typed messages from point to point and point to multipoint over a variety of communication channels that range from a simple electrical connection, such as a pair of wires, to the use of radio and microwave as the...
to aid Neil in communication. Neil learned to use Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
, which was converted into words on a screen through Bill’s device. This original device was soon replaced by a computer.
By the time Neil died of kidney failure on April 18, 1984, he had moved from Shaunnessey Hospital to an extended care unit at Gorge Road hospital in Victoria, BC. There, many volunteers worked with him and other patients in what had come to be called the Computer Comfort program.
These volunteers had been looking for an appropriate name to give their efforts. They named their group the Neil Squire Foundation, later the Neil Squire Society
Neil Squire Society
Neil Squire Society is a Canadian national not-for-profit organization that empowers Canadians with physical disabilities through advocacy, computer-based assistive technology, research and development, and various employment programs.- History :...
, and this organization has been helping persons with disabilities across Canada increase their independence ever since.