# May 2026 newsletter Canonical URL: https://gabrieldalton.com/writing/newsletter/may-2026 Date sent: 2026-06-07T22:58:54.566Z Author: Gabriel Dalton Original Substack URL: https://gabrieldalton.substack.com/p/gabriel-daltons-may-newsletter-4 [All newsletter issues](https://gabrieldalton.com/writing/newsletter) 07 Jun 2026 4-Min Read Modernized the West End Seniors' Network Computer Lab for Accessibility, Spent a Week Learning Aviation Behind the Scenes at YVR, Attended Web Summit 2026, and Launched rivers.plasticbank.com ## **Hello Fellow Humans,** This month took me from the floor of Web Summit to the hangars of YVR, and into a seniors’ computer lab that needed a serious upgrade. Here’s what I’ve been working on, what I learned, and where I’m headed next. ## What I’ve Been Up To 📈 - Attended **Web Summit 2026**(one of the largest tech conferences) in Vancouver, where I met an incredible range of people, including a chance to reconnect with Mayor Ken Sim and BC Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey. ![Web Summit collage shows Gabriel with Brenda Bailey, Danny Rensch, Ken Sim and fellow TKS attendees.](https://gabrieldalton.com/img/newsletter/may-2026/931f49e69ef57c31.webp) **Pictured: Gabriel with BC Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey (left); top, Gabriel with Danny Rensch, co-founder of Chess.com; bottom, fellow alumni and staff at The Knowledge Society (TKS); right, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim with Gabriel Dalton.** - Took part in a careers program funded by the Vancouver School Board (VSB) and hosted in part by Elevate Aviation, spending a full week at YVR International Airport learning about the aviation industry. ![Aviation program collage shows an Air Canada hangar, students arriving, Gabriel beside an engine and a flight simulator.](https://gabrieldalton.com/img/newsletter/may-2026/30d1631658f28fd1.webp) *Leftmost, Air Canada hangar and aircraft at YVR; top middle, Gabriel and fellow aviation students arriving at the Air Canada facility; bottom middle, Gabriel with a turbofan engine at Harbour Air (worth $750,000); rightmost, a flight simulator at the Air Canada training centre.* - My podcast episode with the [Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association](https://www.dtvan.ca/podcasts/gabriel-dalton-one-teens-sustainable-mission/#:~:text=Season%203%3A%20Episode%204,of%20Oasis%20of%20Change%20Inc.) was published this month (Season 3, Episode 4). It was a pleasure speaking with Sofia Laratta and Jane Talbot. [Watch on YouTube.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi7fAct5TRI) - Enjoyed an in-person meet-up with the [Plastic Bank](https://plasticbank.com/) team following the launch of a major platform refactor. ## Achievements & Highlights 🚀 - Built a micro-site on top of plasticbank.com, called **[rivers.plasticbank.com](https://rivers.plasticbank.com/)**, which I'm currently working on. It maps the top rivers driving ocean plastic pollution — you can explore the top 10 or all 1,000 high-impact outfalls, along with river profiles, methodology, sources, an FAQ, and a glossary. ![Plastic Bank’s “Rivers Driving Ocean Plastic Pollution” page displays an interactive world map with river markers.](https://gabrieldalton.com/img/newsletter/may-2026/6d642f61cf24bc2c.webp) - I helped modernize the **West End Seniors’ Network (WESN)** computer lab so that seniors have access to current software and technology. Some of the lab’s machines were running hardware and software from nearly a decade ago: small screens, generic keyboards, and aging towers. For seniors with low vision or wrist pain, the lab simply wasn’t built for their needs. Here’s what’s new: - New desktop towers, which are modern and fast - Large, high-resolution monitors that are easier to read and gentler on the eyes - Large-print, high-contrast keyboards for low-vision users - Ergonomic vertical mice for seniors with wrist or hand pain - Memory-foam mouse pads with wrist rests - New headphones for private listening ![West End Seniors’ Network lab collage shows accessible workstations, large-print keyboards, a resident using a computer and the project team.](https://gabrieldalton.com/img/newsletter/may-2026/d451b5ce2b3d55b3.webp) **Pictured: left, one of the newly installed accessible workstations at Barclay Manor; top middle, Parker S. (Project Manager), Claudine Matlo (Executive Director, West End Seniors’ Network), and Gabriel Dalton (President, Oasis of Change); bottom middle, a close-up of the accessible setup with a large-print keyboard; right, a senior resident using the new workstation.** - I also wrapped up my time as a National Coach (Fellow) with the **Screen Break program at The Dais, Toronto Metropolitan University** — a meaningful chapter that closed with a letter of recognition from the Honourable Katherine Hay, former CEO of Kids Help Phone and current Senator in the Senate of Canada. ![Gabriel holds a framed letter from Senator Katherine Hay recognizing his work with The Dais’ Screen Break program.](https://gabrieldalton.com/img/newsletter/may-2026/22585808d202f8de.webp) **Pictured: Gabriel Dalton holding a letter of commendation from the Honourable Senator Katherine Hay of the Senate of Canada, recognizing his creativity, insight, and commitment to fostering healthier digital habits among young Canadians through his work as a National Coach with The Dais.** ### **Top Lesson From This Month 💡** - **Find out whether your school offers career programs.** I discovered that my school, within the Vancouver School Board (VSB), ran a one-week career program at YVR International Airport. We toured the Air Canada hangar and Harbour Air, visited a range of facilities, and heard presentations from leaders including YVR’s Director of Environment and Director of Software Development. It was genuinely fascinating. I learned a great deal and got to go behind the scenes of an international airport. ## **Top Quote From This Month**💬 > “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” > > — **Often attributed to Albert Schweitzer** **Curious about my past adventures?** Catch up on all my previous updates in the **[newsletter archive](https://gabrieldalton.substack.com/t/monthly-updates)**. You never know what gem you might find! ## **Shoutouts 👏** - **[Sim Desai](https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sim-desai-a357aa11)** and the team at **Hiive** for inviting three of my friends and me to the Web Summit afterparty hosted at Hiive HQ. - Huge thank-you to Claudine, Shannan, Parker, and the whole team at WESN for the partnership, and to the Government of Canada for funding the work. ## **What’s Next? 🚀** - I’ll be attending the **[TKS 2026 Showcase in Vancouver](https://luma.com/8die87we)** at UBC Robson Square to see what this year’s cohort of TKS students are building. - We have some exciting developments underway at **[accessibilitychecker.org](http://accessibilitychecker.org)** related to the anticipated **WCAG 3.0** — the next update to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which shape how laws and regulations make the web more inclusive for people with disabilities. We’ll be exploring it closely and may contribute to the work. More to come in the next few newsletters. Know someone who’d enjoy following a young entrepreneur’s journey? Please forward this email and invite them to subscribe. Every new reader helps. Onwards and upwards, **Gabriel Dalton** P.S. Want more behind-the-scenes? For more in-depth discussions, check out my **[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrieldalton/)**or **[Medium](https://gabrieldalton.medium.com/)**profiles. [Read this issue on Substack](https://gabrieldalton.substack.com/p/gabriel-daltons-may-newsletter-4) [Subscribe on Substack](https://gabrieldalton.substack.com/subscribe)