It is estimated that by 2050 two billion people would benefit from Assistive Technology, yet 90% will not have access.
AT2030 is changing that.
GReAT, WHO
It is estimated that by 2050 two billion people would benefit from Assistive Technology, yet 90% will not have access.
AT2030 is changing that.
AT2030 tests ‘what works’ to improve access to life-changing Assistive Technology (AT) for all; investing £20m over 5 years to support solutions to scale. Led by Global Disability Innovation Hub and funded by UK aid, AT2030 will reach 9 million directly and 20 million more indirectly, driving a lifetime of potential. AT2030 is operational in 35 countries globally.
On 16th May, the WHO and UNICEF will publish the Global Report on Assistive Technology with AT2030 and ATscale as co-sponsors. The AT2030 programme has supported the creation of the world's first global report, thanks to UK Aid.
GReAT, WHO
The programme is divided into four Programme Clusters and 12 sub-programmes to test ‘what works’ for AT
The GDI Hub is playing a key role in the ten-year #WeThe15 campaign, which champions inclusion for the 15% of the global population living with disabilities.
Find out more about #WeThe15.
The AT 2030 Para Sport Against Stigma project aimed to examine how disability stigma can be overcome through Para sport so to increase assistive technology (AT) adoption in Africa. The project centred on a four-pillar approach: education, athlete development, Paralympic broadcast and cross-cutting research activity. This research report documents the research insights.
The open entrepreneurship toolkit is a set of learning materials that can help entrepreneurs to solve problems by creating and experimenting with different strategies to build the entrepreneurial mindset you need to succeed.
AT2030 is gathering information about stakeholders working in areas relevant to innovation, disability, and assistive technology in Kenya. The mapping is being led by GDI Hub with the University of Nairobi, and Maynooth University and on behalf of the Government of Kenya. This resource will contribute to improving assistive technology policies and systems in Kenya.
Inclusive public spaces are fundamental to participation and inclusive in society. Including persons with disabilities in the design and planning of the built environment supports equal rights and helps identify people’s aspirations for inclusive environments. Four city case studies will be discussed in this paper: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Varanasi, India; Surakarta, Indonesia; and Nairobi, Kenya.
With the launch of the Global Report on Assistive Technology, AT2030 publishes the Midterm Impact Summary brochure to highlight the impact of the work across our programmes.
16th May 2022 marks the launch of the first ever Global Report for Assistive Technology
Under the AT2030 programme and with the support of ATscale and the Country Investment Fund (CIF), the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) was the lead technical partner to the Liberia Ministry of Health in the development and validation of two major national documents for access to assistive technologies: National Roadmap to Increase Access to Assistive Technologies (2021-2023) and Liberia National Priority Assistive Products List (APL), First Edition. The development of these documents will pave the way in ensuring Assistive Technology can be accessed by disabled and older people living in Liberia.
The President also launched the new Digital Registration System developed by the National Council for Persons With Disabilities this year, aimed at addressing data gaps and curbing cases of fraud. The system will also offer a new generation disability identification card with security features to prevent potential fraud and ensure the right people get registered.
A podcast featuring interviews and stories from the brains behind the disruptive and cutting-edge innovations that are aiming to impact the lives of millions of people living in different areas of the world.
AT organisations need to embrace a ‘selling’ mindset in every part of the company to become sustainable. This may involve upskilling current employees, or even involve hiring new talent from commercial backgrounds. However it is achieved, financially sustainable AT companies offset unexpected and hard to mitigate risks caused by grant and philanthropic capital instability.
It’s time for AT companies to take marketing seriously. Even if companies are not in a position to hire marketing professionals, the founding team can upskill in this area to get their company and AT out into the world. it’s time to take marketing seriously. As we see individual companies grow through sales, we’ll also begin to see more and more ecosystem stakeholders wake up to the opportunities that this impactful sector has to offer.
Any company that hopes to be successful in the long-term needs to find a customer base that can reliably pay for products and services. Companies that create Assistive Technology are no different, with many companies opting for a business-to-business (B2B) model. For AT companies that are providing goods and services in LMICs, these models can be challenging, because customers could be governments, hospitals and clinicians, non-government organisations, charities, and faith-based organisations.
For people with disabilities to have access to high-quality assistive technology, we need a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem that can bring innovative Assistive Technology (AT) to market. For every business to become financially sustainable, a scalable customer base is essential. Many AT companies have focussed on B2B, or B2G customers, however slow and involved sales processes and constrained government budgets with competing interests are pushing many companies to explore direct to consumer (DTC) business models.
Andrew Mtegha is a disability rights advocate and presenter of several programmes about disability inclusion on the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), such as Disability is Not Inability. The aim of these programmes is to give a platform to people with disabilities to voice out their views about their own issues in Malawi. Although Andrew has never done any sports reporting he was invited to be part of the MBC commentary team for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, provided in Chichewa.
An impact story introducing Eka Prastama Widiyanta - one of the seven members of the newly established National Commission for Disabilities (KND) in Indonesia, for the 2021-2026 period. December 2021 has marked a new milestone for persons with disabilities in Indonesia. President Joko Widodo appointed seven members of the newly established National Commission for Disabilities (KND) for the 2021-2026 period. Eka Prastama Widiyanta, former programme officer for CHAI under the AT2030 programme in Indonesia, was appointed as one of the country’s seven KND Commissioners.
10-year-old Brenda who lives with her mother in Ofua, Rhino Camp, Arua district in Uganda was born with hydrocephalus, a condition in which build-up fluid is stored in the cavities deep within Brenda’s brain. The extra fluid has put pressure on Brenda’s brain which the mother felt would cause damage to her daughter’s brain, as she narrates,” My daughter’s head has enlarged since she was born, she experiences headache, has cognitive difficulties, impaired vision and she has loss coordination and incontinence”.
Hakim is a 30-year-old male refugee from South Sudan staying in one of the 6 villages that make up Omugo Refugee settlement, the 7th zone in Rhino Camp. AT2030 partner Humanity & Inclusion (HI) has been working with persons with disabilities (PwD) like Hakim since 2018.
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