Businesses, health and development organizations and the public call for better access to assistive technology for millions around the world and increased investment
June 4th will see the launch of the first ever World Day for Assistive Technology – which aims to raise awareness of the importance of assistive technology and kickstart action to address decades of under-investment.
Organizations and businesses from multiple sectors, including health, development and technology and members of the Valuable 500, as well as users of assistive technology, are coming together for the first time to call for urgent global action, including increased awareness, more investment and the development of specific policies.
The day comes two years on from the first global report on assistive technology, published by WHO and UNICEF, which revealed shocking gaps in access to assistive products, including wheelchairs, eyeglasses, hearing aids, prosthetics and digital devices. Crucially those backing the day want to urgently improve access in low-income countries, where only 10% of people have access to assistive technology compared to 90% in high-income countries.
The new global day of action is being backed by leading health, development, and disability organizations, including WHO, UNICEF and ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology and global companies such as Google, Accenture and Medtronic Labs. It is also being supported by high profile individuals such as: British TV presenter, former Paralympian and wheelchair user, Ade Adepitan; Malian singing duo Amadou and Mariam, who both have visual impairments; and Kenyan-born British paralympic wheelchair racer Anne Wafula Strike.
Access to assistive technology for those who need it, can transform individuals’ lives, enabling children to go to school and people to go to work. Those supporting the day believe it is unacceptable that millions of adults in low- and middle-income countries can’t make a living because they can’t access or afford an assistive product like a wheelchair or a hearing aid. They further know that businesses across the world have a key role to play in promoting access to assistive technology and ensuring workplaces are inclusive and meeting the needs of people who rely on assistive products.
As part of the global day of action, policymakers at local and global level are being urged to prioritize investment in assistive technology and address the huge funding gap that still exists – despite research finding that the return on investment in assistive technology is $9 for every $1 invested.
As well as increased investment, policymakers are being urged to address the market failure that has led to assistive products such as wheelchairs and eyeglasses being too expensive for many people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to afford, despite the relatively simple technologies that these products feature. A new report which will be published on 4th June by ATscale and the Clinton Health Access Initiative aims to both highlight these market failures and provide insights to help policymakers and manufacturers on national and global stages to address them and enhance the affordability of assistive products in LMICs.
Pascal Bijleveld, CEO of ATscale, commented: “There is a serious lack of investment in assistive technology – despite the life transforming potential assistive products have. It’s been two years since the release of the Global Report on Assistive Technology, which set out the extent of the global unmet need and 10 recommendations for improvements. However, we have not yet seen enough action to address this startling inequity of access.
There has been a collective failure to connect a billion people into our societies and economies. The human cost and wasted opportunity is enormous but we can fix it. We need countries to invest in assistive technology and for businesses to realize the untapped potential in the market, to take ownership and address the market failure that mean relatively simple technologies – such as glasses and wheelchairs – are completely unaffordable for the majority of people living in low- and middle-income countries. That is why, along with partners, we have launched this new global awareness day and I’m excited to see so many organizations, businesses, campaigners and assistive technology users taking part.
The day will be marked by organizations and businesses from multiple sectors in different ways, with advocacy events, talks and forums planned in countries including Peru, Bangladesh, Lesotho, Kenya and Tanzania.
The day will also celebrate recent successful assistive technology initiatives, such as:
- Hear, Listen and Speak in Bhutan: the first ever country-wide program promoting digitalized, universal ear care for all school children in the country, organized by Medtronic Labs, in partnership with the Bhutan government. Find out more here.
- Google’s Chromebook initiative in Kenya: through a partnership with inABLE, last year Google provided 480 Chromebooks for teachers and students in Kenya who are blind or have low vision, in addition to conducting training sessions. Find out more here. A team of Googlers recently visited the schools at the one year mark to check in and conduct training sessions. They even put together a great video to document the impact of the inABLE partnership! more details– including the launch of new Chromebook and Google Workspace accessibility features (article).
Ade Adepitan, British TV presenter and wheelchair user, commented: “I can’t imagine trying to live my life without my wheelchair. There would have been no wheelchair basketball, no travelling, no taking my son to nursery. Going to work and socializing with friends would have been impossible.This is why it’s shocking that today only a small minority of people in low- and middle-income countries who need wheelchairs and other forms of assistive technology, can actually access them.
Many of us in high-income countries take it for granted that we can access these things when we need them, but for millions of people around the world this is not the case. In Nigeria, where I was born, less than 10% of people who need a wheelchair can access one, and many children miss out on an education as a result.This has to change. It’s why I’m supporting the first ever World Day for Assistive Technology and I encourage others to as well. Wheelchairs, as well as other assistive products are life-transforming for those who need them.”
World Day for Assistive Technology has been launched as part of the global Unlock the Everyday campaign, which is also releasing a new short film to raise awareness. The film, shot in Kenya, demonstrates how assistive products can transform people’s lives. Among the individuals featured are a DJ, who is blind and whose screen-reader enables him to DJ and an amateur boxer, whose prosthetic leg enables him to pursue his passion. Unlock The Everyday was launched in Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in January 2024, by the First Lady of Pakistan.