As extreme weather events grow more frequent and dangerous, it becomes increasingly evident that climate impacts are not evenly distributed. For people with disabilities, including those with spinal cord injuries (SCI), the risk during heat waves is compounded by physiological vulnerabilities and systemic gaps in emergency response planning.

This critical intersection is where innovation, advocacy, and strategic philanthropy converge. The B.C.-based Praxis Spinal Cord Institute, a global leader in SCI research and innovation, is working to bridge these gaps through collaboration with community voices, health organizations, and funders like Gore Mutual Foundation.

Central to Praxis’s person-first approach is deliberately hiring and integrating individuals with SCI in research and, innovation. “The SCI community helps identify the priorities in the space,” says Andrew Forshner, Praxis’s Associate Director of Innovation. “It’s important to ensure meaningful solutions are being developed.”

One such priority came to light during a community consultation after the deadly heat dome that affected Vancouver in 2021. A Praxis PLEX (persons with lived experience) team member raised concerns about the vulnerability for individuals with SCI, where even a moderate increase in room temperature can pose a serious health risk. “Thermal regulation is impaired for individuals with disabilities, and experience difficulty to cool their core body temperature carries a serious and even fatal risk.”

Forshner and his team sprang into action. After identifying a major infrastructure gap in heat resilient housing and trust and use of portable technologies, Praxis began testing and deploying portable cooling solutions. The team’s first pass distributed several hundreds of portable cooling devices, but it was clear that scaling impact into residential cooling would require deeper collaboration and serious funding.

That’s where Gore Mutual Foundation stepped in.

The second phase of the project was made possible through the grant from Gore Mutual Foundation, and the efforts of Technology for Living (TFL), a B.C.-based organization working with people who have severe physical disabilities. TFL works with people who have severe physical disabilities and helps them live as well, and as independently, as possible.

With this backing, Praxis asked a crucial question: how can we address indoor heat risks for people with SCI while avoiding high-energy or emissions-heavy solutions? The team wanted to find an answer that addressed the issue of temperature regulation, but that had a low impact on the planet.

To source the most effective, scalable solution, Praxis held a global pitch competition to identify innovative, low-impact cooling technologies. Applicants proposed a range of options, from water and carbon dioxide to thermoelectric cooling using nanoparticles. “The one that we finally selected uses thermoelectric materials without any moving parts,” explains Tathagata Ray, Innovation Manager at Praxis. This winning technology is now in development and being tested through a pilot project.

The goals extend beyond innovation for innovation’s sake. Praxis wants to demonstrate to policymakers and funders that safer, climate-friendly alternatives do exist – if we are willing to invest in them. “One of the project’s goals is to demonstrate to policymakers and other decision makers that viable alternatives that don’t harm the environment exist,” says Ray. But gaining traction wasn’t easy. Initial attempts to fund their project proved unsuccessful as would-be granters were unwilling to take a chance on a novel technology.

“With the help of Gore Mutual’s funding, Praxis was able to fund its pilot to demonstrate a proof of concept,” says Ray. “Without the grant, it wouldn’t have happened,” he notes, adding that unforeseen delays and logistical roadblocks only intensified the need for financial support.

The project’s breakthrough moment came with its first pilot installation, the first of its kind in the world.

Praxis’s partnership with Technology for Living proved essential. With deep expertise in peer support and disability services, TFL helped identify the right candidate for the pilot, someone living with SCI in a building where the technology could be installed and tested in real conditions. The collaboration didn’t just enable testing; it added meaningful input from people with lived experience.

Praxis’s innovation ecosystem excels at bringing life-saving technologies to market, but not without help. “The grant sealed the deal,” says Forshner. Without it, he’s convinced that the project would still be at a standstill.

“If we want to strengthen Canada’s climate resilience,” Forshner explains, “policymakers and funders need to step up their efforts. I see how much need there is for these projects to move forward and move forward faster.”