It is estimated that by 2050 over 3.5 billion people would benefit from Assistive Technology, yet 90% will not have access.

AT2030 is changing that. 

GDI Hub

It is estimated that by 2050 over 3.5 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. Led by Global Disability Innovation Hub and funded by UK International Development, we've reached 64 million people in 61 countries, driving a lifetime of potential. In 2023 UK International Development announced a further £31 million investment to the AT2030 programme.

Search the AT2030 programme

AT2030 Impact - find out more

AT2030 explores and test innovative ways to address systematic challenges to get more AT to the people that need it. From creating deep community leadership to generating new evidence & insights, we answer critical research questions and develop foundational methodologies, addressing intersectional challenges and research and evidence gaps.

From incubating future tech inspired solutions to venture acceleration, we bring effective solutions to market by testing new mechanisms and ambitious scaling pathways. We embed disability innovation into national policy landscapes, stimulating demand, activating country pilots, strengthen systems and creating enabling markets environment in Low-and Middle- Income Countries.

We've reached 10 million people directly and over 64 million in total, working with over 150 partners in over 50 countries. 

Programme Clusters

The current programme (AT2030 version 3) is divided into five Programme Clusters and 13 sub-programmes to test ‘what works’ for AT. For more about AT2030 version 1 and 2 and our delivery between 2018 and 2024 - visit the about section.

AT2030 Inclusive Infrastructure - six cities

We've researched inclusive city design in 6 global cities to understand the current challenges, the opportunities, what's working well and what isn’t. To get AT to people who need it, the built environment must be inclusive, easy to use and navigate. Hear from the cities involved, and the next steps.

Find out more.

Latest

  • 2026 Advance awardees

    Royal Academy of Engineering
    April 30, 2026
    Global
    Case Studies and Reports

    Advance 2026 will work towards the theme of 'Accessibility, Assistive and Inclusive Technologies’ during the 2025 to 2026 period. Advance 2026 is a collaboration between the Royal Academy of Engineering and Global Disability Innovation Hub, part of the AT2030 programme, which is funded by UK International Development.

  • AT2030: Para Sport Against Stigma Learning from Systems, Storytelling and Assistive Technology

    Global Disability Innovation Hub
    April 30, 2026
    Malawi, United Kingdom
    Case Studies and Reports

    The AT2030 Para Sport Against Stigma Programme is a multi-phase research and practice initiative funded by UK International Development and led by Loughborough University in partnership with organisations across Southern Africa. It explored how Para Sport, media, storytelling, and assistive technology could work together to challenge disability stigma and evolved through cycles of reflection and learning shifting from an early focus on broadcast access and Paralympic visibility toward a deeper understanding of how stigma is structurally reproduced through systems, and what it actually takes to enable participation.

  • AT2030 Frontiers symposium awardees

    Royal Academy of Engineering
    March 26, 2026
    Nepal
    Case Studies and Reports

    Awarded in December 2025 to participants of the AT2030 Frontiers symposium "Inclusive innovation in action: community-led Assistive Technology solutions in local context", held in Kathmandu, Nepal from 8 to 10 October 2025.

  • Strengthening OPD Capacity for Inclusive Development in Kisumu County, Kenya

    Kilimanjaro Blind Trust
    March 25, 2026
    Kenya
    Case Studies and Reports

    Organisations working to bridge this gap face persistent challenges: gaps in digital literacy, limited access to assistive technologies, fragile organisational systems, and low visibility in decision-making spaces. Insights from a workshop convening 15 local leaders revealed a critical shift needed: moving from participation to influence. These findings directly inform the OPD Capacity Strengthening Framework, led by Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa (KBTA) and the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub). By strengthening governance, advocacy, digital capacity, and partnerships, the framework equips organisations to drive sustained, strategic influence in inclusive development.

  • James Chiutsi

    Global Disability Innovation Hub
    April 30, 2026
    Malawi
    Case Studies and Reports

    James Chiutsi is a leading voice in disability sport in Southern Africa and has been central to the AT2030 Para Sport Against Stigma project since its launch in 2021. As President of the Malawi Paralympic Committee and Chair of AUSC Region 5’s Sport for People with Disability Committee, he has shaped strategy, governance, and regional collaboration. James brings a long-view perspective on systems change across the continent.

  • Talking Tipps Foundation

    Dr Ellie Cole
    April 30, 2026
    Ghana
    Case Studies and Reports

    Talking Tipps started as an autism advocacy organisation because my son was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. We faced a lot of challenges and barriers trying to access education, trying to access the health system, and then generally trying to just let my child be a normal child. I didn't want other families to go through the same barriers that I faced. I decided to start an organisation to do advocacy because many people did not understand what disability is in general and what autism was.

  • George Kangaya

    Global Disability Innovation Hub
    April 30, 2026
    Global
    Case Studies and Reports

    George Kangaya research examined Malawi’s assistive technology ecosystem — mapping providers, barriers, repair pathways, financing, and user experiences. His findings intersect strongly with Paralympic and community sport systems and his work highlights the structural shifts needed to improve access and long-term use of AT in Malaw

  • Sheila Mogalo

    Global Disability Innovation Hub
    April 30, 2026
    Global
    Case Studies and Reports

    Para Sport Against Stigma (PSAS) is a research and innovation project exploring how Para and disability sport can be used to understand and shift disability stigma. Part of the FCDO-funded AT2030 programme, the project began by examining how Paralympic broadcasting could influence public perceptions across Sub-Saharan Africa in collaboration with the International Paralympic Committee.

  • From Testing to Community Ownership: Kenya's Smart Mobility Project Enters Its Next Phase

    Annamae Muldowney, Harrison Kamau
    April 16, 2026
    Kenya

    In the informal settlements of Nairobi, wheelchair users are testing technology that could fundamentally change their lives. Kenya is home to approximately 400,000 people living with mobility impairments, many of whom face daily battles with deteriorating roads, limited accessible public transport, and infrastructure that wasn’t designed with them in mind. But a pilot project called Smart Mobility is exploring whether a simple innovation a detachable electric “third wheel” for wheelchairs could help break down these barriers.

  • Innovation for Inclusion: marking the 2026 Winter Paralympics with a Disability Sport reception in Rome

    Global Disability Innovation Hub
    March 24, 2026
    Italy

    Last week the Global Disability Innovation Hub were delighted to join David Burton OBE, British Chargé d’Affaires Ad Interim to Italy, at the British Ambassador’s Residence, Villa Wolkonsky in Rome for a reception on inclusive participation and the power of disability sports legacy.   With opening addresses by the Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, UK Minister for Social Security and Disability and Hon. Alessandra Locatelli, Italian Minister for Disabilities the reception and panel reflected on participation and its role in stigma reduction. Highlighting the barriers, particularly those additional challenges faced by low- middle- income countries (LMICs), the panel considered the role of governance, policy, infrastructure and the media.

  • Kenya innovators join for the latest Centre for Digital Language Inclusion workshops

    Global Disability Innovation Hub
    Nov. 17, 2025
    Kenya

    The Centre for Digital and Language Inclusion (CDLI) has finalised the second phase of its groundbreaking initiative to develop inclusive Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems for individuals with non-standard or impaired speech in African languages. This effort aims to close the digital divide for people with speech impairments and marks a major milestone following a successful pilot in Ghana.

  • GDI Hub at COP 30

    Harrison Kamau
    Nov. 17, 2025
    Brasil
    Case Studies and Reports

    At COP 30, the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub), hosted at UCL, is aiming to change the global conversation on climate resilience to ensure the voices of disabled people are heard.

  • Bringing assistive technology to market in Kenya

    Harrison Kamau
    April 28, 2026
    Kenya
    Case Studies and Reports

    On 14 April 2026, GDIHub convened an AT Commercialisation Workshop at Senses Hub in Kenya. The goal was blunt: to map the four systems that determine whether an assistive technology product ever reaches people living with speech impairments and the broader disability community or stalls somewhere between customs and a tender committee.

  • The ‘third wheel’: bringing sustainable e-mobility to wheelchair users in Nairobi

    Annamae Muldowney
    April 14, 2026
    Kenya
    Case Studies and Reports

    In Kenya, 42% of people with disabilities face mobility challenges, yet the country's urban environments remain largely inaccessible. That’s around 400,000 citizens with mobility impairments tackling uneven roads, inadequate public transport, and inaccessible infrastructure, becoming further isolated. Addressing these gaps is crucial to creating an inclusive, accessible future in Nairobi. This is the mission we’re working to on our pilot project: Smart Mobility.

  • Beyond access, beyond impact – what about ‘lifechanging’ AT?

    Gifty Ayoka, Dr Ellie Cole, Professor Sylvia Esther Gyan, Dr Ernestina Tetteh
    March 26, 2026
    Ghana
    Case Studies and Reports

    What happens when someone receives assistive technology (AT)? The impact of AT is often only thought of as changes in functioning. This impact, while clearly important, may not capture the whole story. Another question which is asked less often: does the AT help the person to do what matters most to them? Does it enable them to achieve their goals and aspirations? We are therefore asking a simple question: how does AT become lifechanging?

  • Bridging global and local innovation: Rethinking assistive technology in Nepal

    Royal Academy of Engineering, Professor Nerrolyn Ramstrand, Professor Pramod Shrestha
    March 20, 2026
    Nepal
    Case Studies and Reports

    In October 2025, the Academy hosted the AT2030 Frontiers Symposium event on community-led assistive technology. The event co-chairs, reflect on the experience and key learnings.

  • AT Innovation and Impact Podcast

    Maryam Bandukda, Harrison Kamau
    Dec. 3, 2024
    Kenya
    Case Studies and Reports

    This podcast is brought to you by the Global Disability Innovation Hub’s flagship AT2030 programme, funded by UKAid. In this series, we're embarking on a journey through the heart of Africa to explore a world where creativity and technology meet to challenge and change our understanding of disability. We will spotlight the incredible work of Innovate Now, Africa’s first assistive technology accelerator, and the pioneering spirits behind its success. We’ll uncover how the AT innovation ecosystem in Africa is not just evolving but also revolutionising the way assistive technologies are perceived, developed, and adopted. Innovate Now was co-founded 2019 by the Global Disability Innovation Hub and Bernard Chiira.

  • Innovation Podcast

    Global Disability Innovation Hub, University College London, Giulia Barbareschi, Government of Kenya, ALL Institute (Maynooth University), UK Aid, UCL, Rhys Williams, Dr Rhys Williams, Institute of Making
    Feb. 15, 2021
    Global
    News

    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.

  • Bridging the Mobile Disability Gap: advancing access and use of mobile as assistive technology

    GSMA
    Dec. 4, 2025
    10am GMT

    Explore the power of mobile driven inclusion, as we welcome researchers, innovators and the mobile industry to reflect on the future of mobile, the Mobile Disability Gap, and how a Mobile as Assistive Technologies can change lives. Accessible digital products and services are progressing at pace, yet this means little if people with disabilities are unable to access mobile phones, the data to power services, or the skills to maximise use. Getting internet-enabled, accessible first devices into people’s hands and supporting their application matters. In this session leading researchers from GMSA and the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) will share new evidence and insights.

  • Second World Summit for Social Development: Inclusive Employment: Advancing Access to Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities

    UK International Development
    Nov. 5, 2025
    15:00-16:15
    Qatar

    This solution-focused side event at the Second World Summit for Social Development will explore how to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in decent work. It will present global evidence on inequalities in employment in low- and- middle- income- countries (LMICs) and learnings from programmes that seek to strengthen the livelihoods of persons with disabilities. It will highlight the experiences of people with disabilities from the Global South.

  • Empower Conference: Automatic Speech Recognition & Voice Cloning

    Global Disability Innovation Hub, Richard Cave
    Oct. 3, 2025
    India

    Change or loss of natural voice is likely for many people living with progressive neurological conditions such as MND/ALS, Parkinson’s Disease, MSA, PSP and many others. Also, for people living with the effects of head and neck cancer, trauma. And for many others, they may have never had natural voice to communicate with, for example some people with cerebral palsy. Is this situation, text to speech (or picture to speech) apps are sometimes used, using a synthesised voice that frequently sounds very different to how a person sounded or should be represented.

  • Disability Inclusive Futures [webinar]: Exploring OPD ecosystems and capacity in Kenya and Pakistan

    Global Disability Innovation Hub
    Sept. 30, 2025
    12pm
    Kenya, Pakistan

    As part of the Global Disability Innovation Hub’s UK International Development funded AT2030 programme, a regional initiative has been rolled out to deepen understanding of OPD needs and priorities in Kenya and Pakistan. In Kenya, this work was delivered in partnership with the  Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa (KBTA), and in Pakistan, by the Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP). The project included a needs assessment to understand the real-world challenges OPDs face, and capacity building to meet these identified needs.