As her deafness and blindness worsen, Karolina Pakenaite is endeavouring to see the summit of Mount Everest with what remains of her vision \u2014 and help from a sensory vest designed by two Mississauga innovators.<\/p>\n
Pakenaite, who is from the United Kingdom, was diagnosed at 19 with Usher syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects both hearing and vision.<\/p>\n
Pakenaite\u2019s original bucket-list goal was to hike to Everest base camp, and she accomplished that three years ago. But while she was there, she met a group trying to become the first deaf climbers to summit the world\u2019s highest mountain above sea level, and she realized no deafblind person had ever made it to the top.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis question, \u2018What if?\u2019 started to linger in my mind, and it never left me,\u201d said Pakenaite, now 29. \u201cI\u2019m still trying to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
As she dreamed about reaching the peak, Pakenaite thought back to Leon Lu, a University of Toronto Mississauga human-computer interaction researcher she met five years ago at an accessibility conference in Greece. Lu\u2019s work on a device allowing blind musicians to communicate with their teachers through vibrations had caught her attention, and they reconnected when she was planning her Everest ascent.<\/p>\n
Because her vision and hearing are limited, Pakenaite relies on her sense of touch as she hikes, craving the feeling of her fingers on rough terrain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m always touching things,\u201d she said in an interview, as her hands toyed with a piece of paper. \u201cI think it keeps me grounded in the mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n
Typically, a climbing guide might communicate with Pakenaite by tapping her arm, but her normal strategies could be impossible while she is heavily bundled up on Everest in extremely windy conditions, Lu explained.<\/p>\n
So they devised a sensory vest, a piece of wearable technology that will allow Pakenaite to receive messages from her guides through vibrations similar to those from a cellphone or video game controller. Using a custom remote, Pakenaite\u2019s guides can give her directions and warn her if she is approaching a hazard.<\/p>\n
The vest\u2019s motors include signals to move up, down, left and right, and Pakenaite and her guides can come up with patterns to communicate more complex messages.<\/p>\n
Lu enlisted the help of several other researchers around the world, as well as Hayley Stolee-Smith, a fashion designer from Hamilton who has worked on designing exoskeleton suits and costumes for performances.<\/p>\n
When she learned about Pakenaite\u2019s journey, Stolee-Smith was hooked on the idea of the haptic vest, too. She designed the vest\u2019s buttons to ensure the vibrations could be felt strongly under layers of hiking gear.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a rare opportunity to provide a benefit immediately\u201d to someone who needs it, Stolee-Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s really special. I really hope we built something for her that is reliable and assists her in all the incredible things that she wants to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The process has been one of trial and error, and Stolee-Smith fondly recalled the energy in the room when she and Lu got a \u201cjanky\u201d prototype to vibrate the way they intended for the first time.<\/p>\n
Researching accessible technology feels like \u201ca very meaningful use of your time and resources,\u201d Lu said in his lab at the U of T Mississauga campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou realize you can do very little, and you can impact a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the course of the project, Lu and Pakenaite have become friends. She is a surprisingly reserved person for someone so ambitious, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has this really strong drive to make it happen,\u201d Lu said. \u201cI think without trying, she\u2019s really inspirational.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pakenaite has been training aggressively for the summit with a regimen that includes ultramarathons, rock climbing and sleeping in an altitude chamber to help her body acclimatize to low-oxygen conditions.<\/p>\n
She has postponed her climb from this year to the spring of 2027 due to the high costs associated with summiting Everest as a deafblind person.<\/p>\n
Pakenaite wants to do a \u201cflash-style\u201d expedition \u2014 which is completed in just three weeks but is significantly more expensive than longer climbs because they demand greater support from Sherpa guides, more complex gear and are more logistically complicated. Plus, Pakenaite needs individualized support from guides who understand her condition, so she is attempting to fundraise about $281,000.<\/p>\n
Despite the high price tag, she maintains a fast expedition is her best bet at reaching the summit.<\/p>\n
Her tunnel vision makes it especially difficult to navigate steep, rugged terrain, and she wants to avoid having to make many exhausting trips up and down the face of Everest.<\/p>\n
Plus, Pakenaite\u2019s deafness makes it hard for her to participate in conversations with other climbers, and feeling shut out could sap her mental fortitude during an expedition that already demands extraordinary grit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get really isolated in groups,\u201d she said. \u201cSo the less time, the better for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pakenaite said she has struggled with impostor syndrome since her diagnosis. Because she is able to read lips and make eye contact in spite of her tunnel vision, people might not believe she is actually deafblind, she said.<\/p>\n
She initially struggled to accept support and accommodations at university, but then went on to attend nine years of lectures with support from her guide dog, Bosley. The golden retriever-Labrador was at her side when she graduated, and she completed her PhD at the University of Bath, studying tactile pictures.<\/p>\n
Pakenaite hopes that her story will challenge people\u2019s ideas about deafblindness and make others diagnosed with Usher syndrome feel less alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople had valid concerns, valid questions,\u201d she said. \u201cBut after seeing my journey, they can see how much it means to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2026.<\/p>\n
Elissa Mendes, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n