NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

Fred O'Kelly is busy in his North Vancouver workshop. The retired mechanical engineer was just recognized
for his effort to aid the disabled by designing devices to make everyday life a little easier.

K inventor it

Delbro

By Layne Christensen

Community Reporter
layne@nsnews.com

FRED O'Kelly doesn’t
think of himself as an
inventor.

Yet the 72-year-old
Delbrook resident has come
up with close to 100 gadgets
to help the disabled.

These include a trumpet
holder for a wheelchair-
bound musician, a flashin,
light for a young girl with
cerebral palsy who was
unable to raise her hand in
class, and about 60 cup-hold-
ers, custom designed for cach
individual's wheelchair.

One of the latest projects
completed in his basement
workshop is a portable padi-
um built for.a man recover-

iis
Pore

ing from a back injury who
was unable to sit for extended
periods of time. The tabletop
podium allows him to stand
while using his laptop com-
puter.

The collapsible contrap-
tion, which was built from
scraps of plywood, is not
something that deserves the
tide of “invention,” said the
retired mechanical engineer.

“This isn’t really an inven-
tion,” he said madestly. “The
guy told me what he aceded
and I buiit it.”

It was one of four projects
honored Wednesday at the
first annual Gizmo awards.

The Gizmos recognize
members of the Tetra Society
of North America and their
projects.

The society, which began
in Vancouver and was incor-

porated in 1993, has 20
chapters across Canada and
eight in the U.S. The
Vancouver chapter includes
30 members.

Tetra volunteers work

tly with occupational and

ysical therapists to help
people with disabilities five
and work more independent-
ly.

The awards, said event
coordinator Audrey Mariin,
recognize the collaborative
effort berween client, volun-
teer and therapist.

‘Tetra volunteers are noc in
the _ business igang
products for commercial sale.
Instead, they respond to indi-
vidual requests for devices
not available wn the market-

face, said O'Kelly, wh
heen a member since Tetra’s
incorporation.

nored

“We wait until we're
asked,” he said. “We don’t
try to compete with what's
already out there.”

For more information
about the Tetra Sociery, call
Vancouver chapter coordina:
tor James Scanlan at 688-

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