Judging Panel
The panel members are all BC residents. There is always at least one Technology for Living member on the panel. All other judges have a technical background and can be from a company, non-profit etc.
Judges need to be familiar with the assistive technology field and are advocates and/or users of technology and home automation.
Wayne Pogue
As the Team Lead of Biomedical Engineering at TFL, Wayne oversees the provision of technical expertise in both the TIL and PROP programs. “Since I started at TFL in 2006, this organization, and its mission, have really become a huge part of who I am. Knowing the difference the PROP and TIL programs make in the community, knowing that I’m a small part of that difference, and seeing the independence our programs help provide our members is extremely rewarding!”
Within the TFL programs, Wayne and the team of technologists/technicians ensure TIL members are receiving technology and support that assist with their independent living goals at home, maintain and repair PROPs fleet of medical devices, managing recalls/alerts, preventative maintenance, educating staff/members on device use, etc.
Wayne has also been a respiratory medical device consultant, assisted with the development of ASTTBC’s Biomedical Engineering “Guide to Professional Practice”, and is an active member of BCIT’s Biomedical Engineering Technology Program Advisory Committee.
Chris McBride
Since 2010, Chris has served as the Executive Director of Spinal Cord Injury BC, where he brings a passion for making a difference for people with disabilities and their families.
He also brings 25 years of experience as a researcher and research-community network builder. After completing a PhD in Neuroscience from UBC, Chris’s past roles include managing director of UBC ‘s ICORD spinal cord injury research centre, managing director of the Rick Hansen Institute (now Praxis Spinal Cord Institute), and co-leader of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research-funded Disabilities Health Research Network. He recently served as co-chair of the province of British Columbia’s Accessibility Legislation and COVID-19 Advisory Committee. Presently, he chairs Spinal Cord Injury Canada’s Executive Director’s Council and is on the executive of the SSHRC-funded Canadian Disability Participation Project.
Nancy Paris
Dr. Nancy Paris, PEng is an accomplished researcher and product developer with over thirty years of experience in developing medical and assistive devices and building applied research teams and infrastructure. She has also co-founded two health technology companies. Her areas of expertise include the product development process, medical and assistive devices, and health technology research. She has received funding from private sector companies, NSERC, Western Economic Diversification and WorkSafeBC. She is also an inventor of the PROSTALAC Hip Replacement System which was licensed to Depuy of Johnson and Johnson.
Specialties: Health technology development. Management consulting skills. Experience founding and operating health technology companies. Lastly, experience in building long-term partnerships with organizations and institutions with similar goals and objectives.
Vivian Garcia
Vivian Garcia sustained a spinal cord injury in 1988. She brings lived experience to her role as a judge for the Simon Cox Student Design Competition.
Vivian raised her two sons, now 28 and 36, on her own, in a world changing from unfriendly and inaccessible environmental design to where we are today. She has been involved with Technology for Living and the We Talk Tech Seniors program for a few years and loves it. As a community advocate for over 30 years,she is currently a Peer Mentor with Spinal Cord Injury BC and runs a monthly coffee group in Surrey. She also sits on the City of New Westminster’s Facilities, Infrastructure and Public Realm Advisory Committee and is mentoring her third group of students with The UBC Health Mentor’s Program. Vivian feels the freedom she gains from using innovative technology, new designs and connectivity tools, helps to increase independence, inclusion and ultimately a more meaningful life. Using brains over brawn, makes a significant difference in her life, her overall health and her achievements. It also leaves her with more time for fun, friends, creativity and playing with her dog.
Taylor Danielson
Taylor Danielson is the Community Coordinator with TFL: “I started working with TFL in 2020 as a technician helping our members with their technology. Through my interactions with our membership, I had the opportunity to hear their stories, learn from their experience, and discover my own passion for helping the community. Now, as TFL’s Community Coordinator I work every day to help our community outreach programs such as Pathways to Independence & the Simon Cox Student Design Competition continue to flourish and provide our members with the knowledge, resources, and equipment they need to continue living successfully in their community. I hope to continue to share my own lived experience as a person with a disability (Spinal Muscular Atrophy II) with our members and am grateful whenever I have the chance to learn from my peers. In my personal time I run a small business primarily focused on 3D printed assistive technologies. I also enjoy spending time with my two dogs, reading books, and working on my smart home.”