diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # Revision history for describe
 
+##0.4.0.3 -- 2020-02-07
+
+* Added `describeVia` as an alternative to now-nonfunctional DerivingVia
+
 ##0.4.0.2 -- 2020-02-07
 
 * Added representational type roles for BE and LE
diff --git a/describe.cabal b/describe.cabal
--- a/describe.cabal
+++ b/describe.cabal
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 cabal-version:       2.4
 name:                describe
-version:             0.4.0.2
+version:             0.4.0.3
 synopsis:            Combinators for describing binary data structures
 description:         Combinators for describing binary data structures, which eliminate the boilerplate of having to write isomorphic Get and Put instances. Please see the Github page for examples.
 homepage:            https://github.com/riugabachi/describe
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
                       ViewPatterns,
                       DefaultSignatures,
                       DataKinds,
+                      TemplateHaskell,
                       UndecidableInstances,
                       PolyKinds,
                       KindSignatures
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@
                  text                 >= 1.2.3 && < 1.3,
                  transformers         >= 0.5.6 && < 0.6,
                  lens                 >= 4.18.1 && < 4.19,
+                 template-haskell,
                  mtl                  >= 2.2.2 && < 2.3,
                  profunctors          >= 5.5.1 && < 5.6,
                  mmorph               >= 1.1.3 && < 1.2,
diff --git a/src/Data/Serialize/Describe/Class.hs b/src/Data/Serialize/Describe/Class.hs
--- a/src/Data/Serialize/Describe/Class.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Serialize/Describe/Class.hs
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 module Data.Serialize.Describe.Class(
   Describe(..),
+  describeVia,
   field, isoField
 ) where
 
 import GHC.Generics
 import GHC.Exts
 import GHC.TypeNats
+import Language.Haskell.TH
 import Data.Profunctor
 import Control.Monad
 import qualified Data.Vector.Fixed as V
@@ -37,6 +39,23 @@
                       , forall x. Monad x => Monad (m x)
                       ) => DescriptorM m a a 
   describe = morphTransformer (lift . runIdentityT) $ dimap from to gdescribe
+
+-- | An alternative to DerivingVia, as the type variable @a@ of @Describe@ is bound to the type family @Context@ making its role @nominal@, and subsequently, uncoercible as per the semantics of DerivingVia. A restriction exists, however: both of the types specified must be @Coercible@.
+describeVia 
+  :: Name 
+  -- ^ The type to inherit @describe@ from
+  -> Name
+  --  ^ The type to create a @Describe@ instance for
+  -> Q [Dec]
+describeVia src dst =
+  [d| 
+    instance Describe $destination where
+      type Context m $destination = Context m $source
+      describe = lmap coerce coerce describe
+  |]
+  where
+    source = conT src
+    destination = conT dst
 
 -- | A descriptor from structure to field.
 field 
diff --git a/src/Data/Serialize/Describe/Internal/Descriptor.hs b/src/Data/Serialize/Describe/Internal/Descriptor.hs
--- a/src/Data/Serialize/Describe/Internal/Descriptor.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Serialize/Describe/Internal/Descriptor.hs
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
 newtype DescriptorM m s a 
   = Descriptor { unwrapDescriptor :: (StateT Int (m Get) a, s -> StateT Int (m PutM) a) }
 
+type role DescriptorM nominal representational nominal
+
 type Descriptor s a = DescriptorM IdentityT s a
 
 instance (MonadTrans m, forall x. Monad x => Monad (m x)) => Functor (DescriptorM m s) where