Neil Squire Society
Neil Squire Society is a Canadian non-profit founded in 1984 that develops open-source assistive technologies and delivers digital literacy, employment, and innovation programs free of charge to Canadians with disabilities, operating from five regional offices nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersBurnaby, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Neil Squire Society does
Neil Squire Society is a Canadian non-profit organization founded in 1984 in memory of Neil Squire, delivering assistive technology, digital literacy, employment, and innovation programs to Canadians with disabilities. Headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, it operates through five regional offices (Western/Burnaby, Prairie/Calgary-Regina, Central/Ottawa, Atlantic/Fredericton) and approximately 15 additional service points, reaching all ten provinces and cumulatively serving over 114,000 persons with disabilities since inception.
The organization's core technology portfolio centers on open-source assistive devices developed through its Makers Making Change program, including the LipSync mouth-controlled input device (originally funded by an $800,000 USD Google.org Impact Challenge grant in 2016), a library of over 200 open-source assistive device designs, and switch-adapted solutions such as the Battery Interrupter and Interact Switch. Adjacent programs include Computer Comfort and Distance Computer Comfort for digital literacy tutoring, Creative Employment Options and Empower3D (launched November 2024) for workforce development, Solutions and Hearing Solutions for clinical assistive technology assessments, and the Neil Squire Access R&D program. Devices have been delivered to 102 countries by 45,000 volunteers across 1,720+ community build events.
Revenue is generated entirely through government contracts and grants (predominantly the Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia), corporate and foundation sponsorships (Google.org, HSBC, Great-West Life, Coast Capital Savings), and individual donations under registered charitable status (#864366174 RR0001). All services are provided free of charge to participants. The organization is led by Executive Director Dr. Gary Birch (with the organization since 1981, Officer of the Order of Canada, Order of British Columbia recipient) and operates as a private non-profit with no parent company.
Neil Squire Society firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Neil Squire Society
- Legal name
- Neil Squire Society
- Website
- https://neilsquire.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Neil Squire Society is a Canadian non-profit founded in 1984 that develops open-source assistive technologies and delivers digital literacy, employment, and innovation programs free of charge to Canadians with disabilities, operating from five regional offices nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Neil Squire Society industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Disability Services and Assistive Technology
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Assistive Technology (AT) Access & AAC Access Support (OT-Led) (EDAKAFAG), Interagency Coordination & Case Management (VR, DD, Medicaid Waivers) (EDAKANAM), Foundational Reading & Writing Literacy (EDAAAAAA)
Keywords
Where Neil Squire Society is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Burnaby
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Neil Squire Society business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Government Funding and Contracts: Neil Squire Society receives the majority of its funding from federal and provincial government contracts and grants. Programs like WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, CanCode programs, and Employment programs are government-funded.
- Corporate and Foundation Sponsorships: Corporate partners including Great-West Life, London Life, Canada Life, Coast Capital Savings, HSBC, and Google.org provide grants and sponsorships for specific programs and initiatives.
- Donations: Individual donations from the public, including text-to-donate campaigns and charitable giving, supported by the organization's registered charitable status.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Neil Squire Society product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Neil Squire Society is a Canadian non-profit organization that delivers assistive technology, digital literacy tutoring, employment support, and ergonomic services to people with disabilities. Its flagship offerings include the Makers Making Change open-source assistive device program (with the LipSync mouth-controlled input device), Computer Comfort and Distance Computer Comfort tutoring, Creative Employment Options and Empower3D employment programs, and Solutions/Hearing Solutions assistive technology services. Programs are delivered through five regional offices across Canada, online channels, and community-based build events, all at no cost to participants.
Product overview
Neil Squire Society is a Canadian non-profit organization and leader in assistive technology that offers a portfolio of programs and services organized around four pillars: Innovation, Digital Literacy, Employment, and Assistive Technology. The core offerings include Makers Making Change (an open-source assistive technology initiative with over 200 device designs), Neil Squire Access (R&D for assistive devices), Computer Comfort and Distance Computer Comfort (digital literacy tutoring), Creative Employment Options and Empower3D (employment programs), and Solutions/Hearing Solutions (assistive technology services). The organization also operates WorkBC Assistive Technology Services. These programs work together to enable people with significant physical disabilities to achieve greater independence through innovative services and technology for the home and workplace.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Makers Making Change: A program that brings together community-based makers and volunteers to create affordable, open-source assistive technologies for people with disabilities. Launched in 2016, it has delivered over 30,000 devices and engaged 45,000 volunteers.
- Neil Squire Solutions
- Hearing Solutions
- AT Help Desk
- BC Spinal Cord Injury Network
- WorkBC Assistive Technology Services
Products and services
- Makers Making Change Community-based initiative that develops and delivers affordable open-source assistive technologies for people with disabilities through a network of makers, occupational therapists, and volunteers, with a library of over 200 open-source device designs.
- Computer Comfort Volunteer-driven computer skills tutoring program that has provided computer training to people with disabilities since the organization's inception, helping them gain independence through computer literacy.
- Distance Computer Comfort
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 114,000 persons with disabilities served since 1984
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Neil Squire Society
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Neil Squire Society technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Neil Squire Society partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Place aux CompétencescoreCollaboration with École Anna-Malenfant, Makers Making Change, and Neil Squire Solutions to design custom assistive technology for a client.
- Electronic Arts (Full Circle)majorElectronic Arts video game development studio hosted a build event with Makers Making Change celebrating 10,000 assistive devices milestone.
- North ForgeminorPartner for Winnipeg build events with Women in 3D Printing and Red River College Polytechnic.
- Bell MobilitymajorBell Mobility partnered with Makers Making Change for the Bell LipSync Buildathon at Toronto's STEAMLabs, engaging volunteers to build assistive devices.
- TOM:Alberta (Tikkun Olam Makers)coreCollaboration with TOM Alberta for the first LipSync Buildathon in Calgary in conjunction with the 2017 TOM:Calgary Makeathon.
- STEAMLabsminorToronto maker space that hosted the Bell LipSync Buildathon event.
- ResnetcorePartnership with Resnet Inc. (Edmundston, New Brunswick) to expand assistive technology services in Northern New Brunswick.
- Community Futures Manitoba and SaskatchewancoreLong-standing partnership referring clients to Digital Jumpstart program to help rural entrepreneurs with disabilities raise computer skills and get online.
- École Anna-MalenfantminorCollaborated with Place aux Compétences and Neil Squire programs to design custom assistive technology for a client.
- Women in 3D PrintingminorPartner organization for Winnipeg Makers Making Change build events.
- Red River College PolytechnicminorEducational partner for Winnipeg Makers Making Change build events.
- D-Camps (Diabetes Canada)minorPartnership to bring STEM programming through device builds to children with diabetes at summer camps across Canada.
- TELUS World of Science EdmontonminorHost of nine Makers Making Change build events at summer camps where kids built over 200 devices.
- Ronald McDonald House SaskatchewanminorRecipient of Assistive Technology Resource Kits donated by Prairie Regional Office through Solutions for Schools initiative.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Neil Squire Society competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ALS Society of Canada: Canadian non-profit supporting people living with ALS through equipment grants, advocacy, and research funding — directly comparable in mission (disability services), charitable status, and equipment-provision service model.
- War Amps Canada: Canadian charitable organization providing amputee support, assistive devices, and advocacy — comparable mission focus on physical disability, veteran and civilian populations, and peer-driven service delivery.
- Easter Seals Canada: Federation of provincial disability non-profits providing programs, equipment funding, and accessibility services for people with physical disabilities — comparable in mission, charitable funding mix, and equipment-focused service offerings.
- Muscular Dystrophy Canada: Canadian non-profit providing equipment funding, advocacy, and support services for people with neuromuscular disabilities — comparable scope, charitable funding model, and equipment-procurement service line.
- March of Dimes Canada: National Canadian non-profit delivering employment services, accessibility, and rehabilitation supports for people with disabilities — closely comparable mission, funder mix (government + donations), and program portfolio to Neil Squire Society.
- Spinal Cord Injury Canada: Canadian national non-profit (formerly Canadian Paraplegic Association) serving people with spinal cord injuries through peer support, employment, and advocacy services — directly comparable service model to Neil Squire, particularly its BC Spinal Cord Injury Network subsidiary.
- CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind): Canada's primary blindness-related non-profit providing rehabilitation, assistive technology, and advocacy services — comparable as a national disability-services charity with government contracts and a sustained assistive technology practice.
- Rick Hansen Foundation: Canadian non-profit advancing spinal cord injury research, accessibility, and inclusion — comparable in mission focus on SCI, government/foundation funding mix, and national advocacy positioning to Neil Squire.
Others
- RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America): Professional society advancing rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology, which awarded Neil Squire's LipSync its Most Disruptive Technology Award — not a direct competitor but a credentialing body and ecosystem participant in the same assistive technology field.
Broad incumbents
- TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers: Global non-profit network using community makers to develop affordable assistive technology for people with disabilities — explicitly listed as a Neil Squire partner through TOM:Alberta, with overlapping open-source maker-driven AT development model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Neil Squire Society social profiles
Digital presenceNeil Squire Society financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Neil Squire Society leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Neil Squire Society subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Neil Squire Society funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Neil Squire Society M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Neil Squire Society
What does Neil Squire Society do?
Neil Squire Society is a Canadian non-profit organization that delivers assistive technology, digital literacy tutoring, employment support, and ergonomic services to people with disabilities. Its flagship offerings include the Makers Making Change open-source assistive device program (with the LipSync mouth-controlled input device), Computer Comfort and Distance Computer Comfort tutoring, Creative Employment Options and Empower3D employment programs, and Solutions/Hearing Solutions assistive technology services. Programs are delivered through five regional offices across Canada, online channels, and community-based build events, all at no cost to participants.
Is Neil Squire Society a public or private company?
Neil Squire Society is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Neil Squire Society founded?
Neil Squire Society was founded in 1984. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Neil Squire Society based?
Neil Squire Society is headquartered in Burnaby, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Neil Squire Society make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Funding and Contracts are the primary driver. The others are corporate and Foundation Sponsorships and donations.
Who are Neil Squire Society's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ALS Society of Canada, War Amps Canada, Easter Seals Canada, Muscular Dystrophy Canada, March of Dimes Canada, Spinal Cord Injury Canada, CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) and Rick Hansen Foundation. RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America) is listed as an others. TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Neil Squire Society have an API?
No public API is recorded for Neil Squire Society.
What industry is Neil Squire Society in?
Neil Squire Society's product category is Disability Services and Assistive Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAM, Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech), with a secondary code of EDAKAFAG, Assistive Technology (AT) Access & AAC Access Support (OT-Led). Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8200.