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Blog Posts




  • Image of young boy wearing Wazi glasses from AT impact fund programme Cover Image

    AT Impact Fund: How we do impactful research

    Dr Rhys Williams
    May 14, 2021

    The Assistive Tech Impact Fund is the world’s first investment vehicle dedicated to scaling assistive technology innovation and provision in emerging markets. Find out more about the theory of change.

  • Salvaging Waste to Protect Lives in Nigeria During COVID-19

    Chime Asonye
    Feb. 26, 2021
    Nigeria

    While considering ways to respond to a global pandemic, collecting trash might not seem like the most obvious path. Victor Boyle-Komolafe, co-founder of Garbage In, Value Out (GIVO) saw the opportunity to turn items that have been thrown away into vital personal protective equipment (PPE). The efforts are not only countering the health challenges of COVID-19 but also investing in local talent and the circular economy. Nigeria began its response to COVID-19 early, becoming the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to confirm a case of the disease. Despite this dubious honour, in comparison with other countries on the continent, it has witnessed fewer cases. This began to change at the end of last year when the nation saw a new variant of the novel coronavirus and experienced a second wave of infections which led to further travel restrictions and a negative impact on the economy.

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  • What is COVIDaction Local Production Local Solutions?

    Chime Asonye
    Feb. 5, 2021

    COVIDaction Local Production & Local Solutions (LPLS) was designed to address these type of big questions by crowdsourcing and mapping innovative responses dealing with the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) and other unavailable goods. Since April 2020, the initiative has launched a series of open calls to surface how organisations and grassroots innovators across Africa and South Asia have pivoted in local production and novel approaches to meet community needs. The programme provides identified social entrepreneurs financial and technical assistance to scale their impact.

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  • Rising from an earthquake to fight the pandemic in Nepal

    Ramon Michael, Chime Asonye
    Jan. 15, 2021
    Nepal

    In 2015, Nepal, a landlocked country in South Asia bordering China and India, was rocked by an earthquake that destroyed property, historical monuments, claimed thousands of lives, and left scores more injured. Landslides and avalanches ensued, causing severe damage to the capital and nearby towns. The emergency was also the trigger that shifted Zener Technologies’ work, a domestic 3D design and additive manufacturing company co-founded by Ram Chandra Thapa, to solve citizens’ essential needs with technology. Ram Chandra Thapa was a fresh university graduate the year of this ecological disaster. Working as a design and production engineer for Field Ready, an organisation focused on the rapi

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  • Image of man sitting with walking stick outside his house Cover Image

    An Eye for Inclusion: GDI Hub partners with NIUA for global photography competition ‘an Eye for Inclusion”

    Global Disability Innovation Hub
    Jan. 11, 2021

    GDI Hub is delighted to be supporting the National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA) our AT2030 programme partners based in India, in a global photography competition that calls for photographers and photography enthusiasts to capture what disability inclusion looks like for them. 'An Eye for Inclusion’ aims to capture and enrich image-making culture around disability inclusion, promoting inclusion by showcasing real life solutions, stories and best practices from everyday life that improve the lives of disabled people around the world.

  • Image of mobile phone - stylised Cover Image

    Mobile-powered employment opportunities for all; up to £20k available for Bangladesh solutions

    Global Disability Innovation Hub
    Jan. 5, 2021

    The UK aid funded i2i programme has launched a mobile innovation challenge for employment for all, using mobile technology to bridge to employment opportunities by the development of skills, increasing awareness of job opportunities and helping disabled people to get and retain employment opportunities. Up to £20,000 is available to support winning applicants in the development of employment solutions focused around mobile in Bangladesh.

  • Image of someone using a computer Cover Image

    Building the Assistive Tech ecosystem, one coffee at a time

    Dr Rhys Williams
    Jan. 5, 2021

    Insights inth the Assistive Tech Impact Fund - unlocking potenital, sharing knowledge and supporing newcomers.

  • Man using an assistive tech device in the centre of playground with young people playing football behind him Cover Image

    International Day of Persons with Disabilities in informal settlements in Sierra Leone and Indonesia

    Dr Ignacia Ossul Vermehren, UCL, Nina Asterina, Kota Kita, Hawanatu Bangura, SLURC
    Dec. 3, 2020
    Sierra Leone, Indonesia

    The 3rd of December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. We reflect on this year’s theme “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World” through DPU’s research “AT2030: Community led solutions” in informal settlements Sierra Leone and Indonesia.

  • PN coverpage and image of Zainab Cover Image

    Digital assistive technology for inclusion: Zainab's story

    Barbara Goedde
    Nov. 23, 2020
    Iraq

    Zainab Jalal Ahmed is 37 years old and works as a translator (Arabic-English) for the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Iraq. The documents she translates include Memorandums of Understanding and other legal document, as well as - to facilitate the sponsorship of Iraqi students to study in overseas universities in Britain, the United States or Australia - applications, transcripts of their marks and abstracts of their works. As many are documents are legal in nature, the translations need to be very precise. Zainab also interprets for delegations and other visitors.

  • The banner reads: Disabled people for future Cover Image

    Powering Inclusion: Artificial Intelligence and Assistive Technology

    Felipe Ramos Barajas
    Nov. 14, 2020
    Global

    The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by 2050 two billion people will need AT, yet 90% will not have access. This is why the AT2030 programme is engaged in testing research, innovation, policy, and building community solutions to see what works in addressing that enormous challenge.

  • Two persons holding hands Cover Image

    Exploring the experience of persons with disabilities of using mobile technology in their daily lives in Kenya and Bangladesh

    Nusrat Jahan
    Nov. 6, 2020
    Kenya, Bangladesh

    Although, mobile phones are universally used for communication, for persons with disabilities they become essential assistive technologies that bridge barriers to opportunities which are not accessible otherwise.

  • Co-design workshop Cover Image

    Inclusive Design Research in a Pandemic: Working Remotely in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Mikaela Patrick
    Oct. 30, 2020

    The Inclusive Infrastructure sub-programme obegan in March 2020, right out the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over three years this part of the AT2030 programme will be conducting case studies in six cities on the current state of accessibility and inclusion of the built environment in each of those places. Our aim is to build a picture of what inclusive design ‘looks like’ in each city. Find out more about our first case study in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

  • Screenshot of the webinar recording speakers Cover Image

    Inclusive Design: What if we built a world that was accessible to all?

    Louise Gebbett
    Oct. 22, 2020

    With World Habitat Day on the 5 October and World Cities Day on 31st this Disability Innovation Live session explores the expanding field of Inclusive Design and its potential to create a fairer world. Here you can catch-up with the webinar recording and transcript

  • Black boy using a hearing aid. Cover Image

    Assistive Technology: What is in a name?

    GATE
    Oct. 19, 2020
    Global

    The World Health Organization (WHO) defines assistive technology as ‘the application of organized knowledge and skills related to assistive products, including systems and services.’ Assistive products are ‘any external product (including devices, equipment, instruments or software)…the primary purpose of which is to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence, and thereby promote their well-being’.1 Put simply, assistive products are the products and assistive technology is the whole ecosystem that is needed for their safe and effective provision and use.

  • Susiana, her mother and daughter in a low-income neighbourhood in Indonesia. Cover Image

    Disability, inclusion and cities: can COVID-19 trigger change?

    Dr Ignacia Ossul Vermehren, Julian Walker, UCL, Development Planning Unit (DPU), Hawanatu Bangura, SLURC, Yirah O’Conteh, FEDURP, Nina Asterina, Kota Kita, Kesuma Anugerah Yanti, Kaki Kota
    Oct. 1, 2020

    COVID-19 has exacerbated the disadvantages experienced by people with disabilities in low-income communities of the global South. Here, the authors explain how urban community organisations are offering effective short-term support and inspiring inclusive longer-term strategies.

  • Technicians during a prostheses fitting. Cover Image

    What is Assistive Tech, who is it for, and what does it enable?

    Rhys Williams
    Sept. 28, 2020

    What does Assistive Technology mean and which products are the key priority products.

  • The potential for Assistive Tech in Africa

    Rhys Williams, Bethany Kanten
    Sept. 24, 2020

    A blog piece by Rhys Williams and Bethany Kanten that discusses the Assistive Tech Impact Fund.

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  • Building the foundations for a thriving Assistive Tech innovation ecosystem

    Bernard Chiira, Rhys Williams, Rosie Afia, Tamara Giltsoff
    Sept. 8, 2020

    Together the ambition is to lift the lid on this exciting emerging tech sector, support its growth and demonstrate global leadership on assistive technology. In this article you will learn more about assistive technology (AT) and these four initiatives supporting the ecosystem. Around the world we have seen entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems established to create and support the finTech, agriculture Tech (agriTech), cleanTech, education Tech (edTech), and healthTech sectors- with many more emerging tech sectors each year. In LMICs, these technology sectors have been able to grow due to a large yet underserved market opportunity, and thriving and supportive ecosystems made up of early stage investors and angel networks, tech hubs and media platforms, academic institutions and policies to support innovation, as well as a steady increase in deployed capital.

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  • Assistive Technology at a glance

    Rhys Williams
    Sept. 4, 2020

    When we use the term Assistive Technology (AT), we usually think about products like wheelchairs and walking sticks, hearing aids and eye-glasses, prosthetics and digital or mobile devices. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests a broad definition of assistive technology which emphasises services (diagnostics, fitting, ‘on-demand’ assistance), systems (infrastructure, processes), and products (eyeglasses, hearing aids, mobility aids).

    Publisher Link
  • Innovate Now innovators and staff Cover Image

    Marking 4 years of the Global Disability Innovation Hub

    Bernard Chiira
    Sept. 3, 2020

    Bernard Chiira reflects on the 4 years of GDI Hub and the role in promoting the AT innovation ecosystem as part of AT2030.

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