A Calgary teenager who started a youth-led project to improve accessibility with a second-hand 3D printer bought for $50 has been named one of Canada's top young changemakers of 2026.
Caden Chau, a 17-year-old high school student, founded MakeAble to create custom, affordable assistive devices for people with physical disabilities and neurodivergent conditions. Over the past three years, the organisation has grown from his home in Calgary to reach people in Toronto and Vancouver. In recognition of his work, Children First Canada named Chau the winner of the Health for All Award for Health Equity at the third annual Future is NOW! Awards, held at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.
The award recognises Canadians under 18 who develop practical solutions to major health and social problems.
Scaling up custom assistive devices
MakeAble began when Chau bought a used 3D printer for $50 and started experimenting with digital design files. Working directly with occupational therapists and local community partners, Chau and his volunteer team have designed, printed, and distributed more than 600 custom assistive devices. These include hundreds of special sensory toys created with Alberta Children's Hospital.
The toys help neurodivergent children feel more comfortable during medical treatments and therapy sessions.
To make sure its designs reach people beyond western Canada, MakeAble offers a free online library of more than 30 original assistive device designs that anyone can access and use. According to award details published by Children First Canada, these downloadable designs have been accessed and used by more than 400,000 people worldwide.
The project's growth has also attracted financial support from national disability organisations. This includes a $9,000 growth grant from the Neil Squire Society.
Expanding equity in peer support and music
Alongside his work with assistive technology, Chau has started several community programmes in Alberta to help people overcome social and academic barriers. After noticing that some classmates struggled to find study help they could access, Chau started Peer Tutoring Services at his high school.
He recruited and trained more than 30 volunteer tutors, who provided hundreds of hours of free academic support. Surveys of participants found that 85 per cent faced fewer barriers to getting academic help, while 95 per cent reported lower levels of school-related anxiety.
Chau also serves as an executive officer with the Art2Heart Society, a non-profit organisation that provides thousands of music lessons across more than 10 countries.
As part of his volunteer work, Chau has personally taught more than 300 one-to-one piano lessons designed for students with learning disabilities.
National recognition and launchpad funding
At the Future is NOW! Awards ceremony in Toronto, Sara Austin, founder and CEO of Children First Canada, spoke about the importance of supporting young people who develop practical solutions to real-world problems. “These young people aren't waiting for the future to arrive; they are already building it,” Austin said in a press statement released by Children First Canada.
“At a time when children are facing enormous challenges, these 10 young changemakers are responding with courage, creativity and commitment.
Today, we're not simply giving them an award; we're giving them a national launchpad and investing in everything they can become.” As part of the recognition, each recipient received $1,000 in seed funding for their project. They also received a year of formal mentorship, leadership coaching, and networking opportunities organised through Children First Canada. Before accepting his award on stage, Chau joined 40 other young advocates from across Canada at the Future is NOW! Youth Summit. The event was an immersive leadership conference designed to connect teenage entrepreneurs with mentors from business, government, and civil society. Chau continues to manage MakeAble while completing high school. He is focused on adding new open-source designs to the project's online library and building partnerships with more hospitals across Canada.