As we celebrate 10 years of Makers Making Change (new window), we wanted to look back on the legacy of Milad Hajihassan.

Having joined Neil Squire initially as a co-op student in 2012, Milad eventually became one of the first staff members of our Makers Making Change program. A user of assistive technology himself, Milad was passionate about designing assistive technology that could empower others with disabilities — he combined his skills as a systems engineer with his own lived experience with disability.

Sadly, Milad passed away in 2024. However, he continues to inspire our work, and his work continues to make an impact on the lives of people with disabilities around the world.

Making a Difference

As a fourth-year engineering student at SFU, Milad first joined our team in 2012 for his second co-op placement. He developed accessibility features — including implementing text-to-speech plug-ins — for Moodle, an online learning management system used in our Distance Computer Comfort program. Having enjoyed the experience, Milad continued on with Neil Squire for his third and final co-op placement.

After leaving to co-found his own start up after earning his degree, Milad (pictured above with the original LipSync (new window) prototype) re-joined our team just as the development of the open-source LipSync was about to begin in February 2016. As part of the inaugural LipSync team, Milad worked on the software and firmware for the LipSync. A big part of his work was developing a version of the LipSync that could connect wirelessly via Bluetooth. Milad particularly enjoyed the challenge of working on an open-source device — designing with the intention that others could replicate the device when building it and modify it as needed.

As the team worked on the LipSync, it soon became apparent that the open-source, volunteer-built model could be much bigger than just one device. By the end of 2016, the LipSync team became the Makers Making Change team, with Milad as part of the original team.

Milad worked tirelessly on improving assistive technology, designing the circuit boards for many of the devices in our library, including the Light Proximity Switch (new window), the Resistive Touch Switch (new window), and the Analog Sip and Puff Switch (new window). He played a big part in many different LipSync iterations, including the initial gaming variant that could connect to the Xbox Adaptive Controller, and he worked on the latest iteration of the LipSync, completely re-designed from the ground up to make it both easier to use and build.

Milad designed several of his own devices, including the Enabled Controller (new window), Enabled Controller Mini (new window), the Feather All in One (FAIO) Switch and variants, the Serial Hand Raiser, the VirtualJoystick, the Voice Switch (new window), and the Rocket Switch Interface (new window) (circuit board pictured above). While some of these devices are no longer featured in our device library, many of their features laid the foundation for later devices like the Forest Hub (new window).

A Personal Mission

Milad knew firsthand the importance of assistive technology. He had Muscular Dystrophy and was an assistive device user himself. He used switches to control his electric wheelchair and on-screen keyboard for writing text, and programmed scripts that allowed him to work more effectively.

“Improving lives and helping others to reach their potential is what makes me passionate to work with Neil Squire and Makers Making Change. At the end of the day, a lack of assistive technology is what makes a lot of people with a disability dependent on the help of others, and knowing that creating low cost assistive technology would make them more independent is what makes me passionate,” Milad said in an interview in 2022.

“Working together with the engineering team to create devices that can improve quality of lives is what I am most proud of.”

However, assistive technology wasn’t his only passion. He was also a talented artist, enjoying drawing cars and characters, saying that a relative drawing a plane for him when he was four years old inspired his creative side as it showed him that the possibilities are limitless. (Pictured below: Milad was recognized by the North Vancouver RCMP for artwork he had submitted).

In his work, Milad often combined his passion for art and engineering. Milad loved to add artistic touches to the circuit board designs he created, including a blinking Canadian Maple Leaf badge and a very elaborate Terry Fox badge with intricate details, complete with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability. (Milad was inspired by Terry Fox’s legendary determination). For prototyping work, Milad designed several useful proto boards, which still get used for testing new circuit designs, and by students learning to solder. (Photo of some of Milad’s circuit board designs below).

In addition to his many contributions to the device library and his skill as an engineer, Milad brought a lot of joy and humour to the Makers Making Change team. One year, he designed a LipSync costume for Halloween, and wore it, joking that it was scary because it drifted. When he wore it to the office, it brought smiles to the whole development team.

Milad’s legacy continues to inspire our work at Makers Making Change.

This post originally appeared on the Makers Making Change (new window) website.