Blog Posts

































  • Back of woman in Sierra Leone Cover Image

    Gender and disability in informal settlements during COVID-19: What we have learnt so far

    Dr Ignacia Ossul Vermehren
    June 30, 2020
    Sierra Leone, Indonesia, Chile

    On Tuesday 11th February, we held an event on The Politics of Making Disability Visible in Community-led Urban Research as part of the Dialogues in Development series at The Bartlett Developing and Planning Unit (UCL). The aim of the event was to share reflections and learnings from the action-research project "Community-led solution: Assistive Technologies in Informal Settlements– an ongoing research project in four low-income urban communities: two in Freetown, Sierra Leone and two in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. Dr Ignacia Ossul Vermehren discussed gender and disability in informal settlements during COVID-19. and sheds a light on what we've learnt so far.

  • Bernard holding a microphone and using an AT device during an event. Cover Image

    Celebrating Inspirational Entrepreneurs Building Tech that Matters for Africa

    Bernard Chiira, AMREF Health Africa
    May 13, 2020
    Global

    Bernard presents an overview of the innovations and teams that were part of the first cohort of Innovate Now, Africa's first Assistive Tech Accelerator.

  • Aerial view of informal settlement Cover Image

    Opportunities and challenges for disability inclusion during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Dr Giulia Barbareschi, Mikaela Patrick, Global Disability Innovation Hub
    April 15, 2020

    To ensure society continues to become more accessible beyond COVID-19 we need to integrate the voices of disabled people in the design and development of policy, technology and infrastructure. Dr Giulia Barbareschi and Mikaela Patrick discuss the opportunities and challenges.

  • Frontier Technologies Hub, Global Disability Innovation Hub, UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering & DFID Global Search for existing and proven low-cost ventilator technologies Cover Image

    COVID-19 response: using Assistive Technology learnings to seek emerging market ventilation solutions

    Global Disability Innovation Hub
    March 19, 2020

    Louise writes on how mimicking the learnings of the AT2030 programme and working across multi-disciplinary networks, we can bridge sectors and rapidly share expertise to catapult innovations through the product development cycle in the context of COVID-19.

  • Opportunities and challenges for disability inclusion during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Mikaela Patrick, Dr Giulia Barbareschi
    March 15, 2020

    Measures implemented by governments worldwide in response to the escalation of the COVID-19 global pandemic have had a significant impact on everyone. Lockdown and physical distancing policies have led many people to spend the majority of their time at home, only leaving the house for basic essentials and relying on digital infrastructure and delivery services for work, learning, socialising and receiving supplies more than ever before. However, many people with disabilities might be affected by some of these changes in unique and unexpected ways, both positively and negatively.

  • Mark, Ignacia and Nina. Cover Image

    The Politics of Making Disability Visible in Community-led Urban Research

    Development Planning Unit (DPU), Dr Ignacia Ossul Vermehren
    March 3, 2020

    Ignacia, research fellow working with the Build Capacity and Participation subprogramme presents a summary of the event organised with AT2030 partners.

  • Group of participants standing and smiling. Cover Image

    Understanding the Assistive Technology Landscape in 7 African Countries

    Clinton Health Access Initiative, Novia Afdhila
    Dec. 9, 2019

    On November 5th, 2019, representatives from seven countries convened in Johannesburg, South Africa to discuss the rollout and initial findings from the Assistive Technology Country Capacity Assessments (CCA). This included the focal persons from Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Uganda who are carrying out the CCA in partnership with government ministries.

  • Asmana stting in a wheelchair, smiling . He is in front of a taxi. Cover Image

    Celebrating International Disability Day in Sierra Leone

    Vicki Austin, Global Disability Innovation Hub
    Dec. 4, 2019

    Vicki shares her reflections of her experience in Freetown to celebrate International Disability Day (as it is called in Sierra Leone) with the communities for the first time.

  • Arnold using a prosthetic device Cover Image

    How a school football game changed Arnold's life

    Ines Amri, Amparo Prosthetics
    Dec. 2, 2019

    Ines writes about Arnold and his experience with Amparo's Confidence socket.

  • David sitting in a wheelchair speaking to another man in a wheelchair Cover Image

    Assistive Technology Changed My Life

    Motivation, David Constantine
    Oct. 18, 2019

    David, Founder and Director of Motivation discusses the impact of assistive technology in his life and his work in the AT sector.

  • Cathy, Ben, Giulia and Dafne smiling next to an ISPO poster Cover Image

    ISPO Congress Summary

    Dr Giulia Barbareschi, Global Disability Innovation Hub
    Oct. 16, 2019

    Giulia presents an overview of the research presented at the ISPO conference in Japan that included the Learnings from the AT2030 Programme for Service Delivery in LMIC.

  • Large group of people smiling and raising their hands at an event for people with disabilities organised by the Mayor of Banjarmasin Cover Image

    Life Changing Assistive Technology for All in Freetown and Banjarmasin

    Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre, Hawanatu Bangura
    Oct. 6, 2019

    Hawanatu gives an overview of a two-week workshop held in Banjarmasin in May 2019 with a team from UCL (UK), Kota Kita and Kaki Kota (Indonesia), and SLURC (Sierra Leone) as part of the project. The workshop started with site visits to the two communities (Pelambuan and Kelayan) in Banjarmasin where the AT2030 would be implemented. Participants then introduced useful presentations on the wider AT2030 project, disability, AT and informality between the two countries (Indonesia and Sierra Leone).

  • Hand pedalled tricycle. Cover Image

    Reflections on the challenges that people with disabilities face in Kibera, Nairobi

    Dr Ben Oldfrey, Global Disability Innovation Hub
    Aug. 7, 2019

    Ben presents the work by GDI Hub and the University of Nairobi taht conducted a study, interviewing wheelchair users living in Kibera – an informal settlement found in Nairobi, Kenya. The study was part of a wider project with the aim of learning how people with disabilities use technology in their everyday lives and understanding the barriers people with disabilities (PWDs) face in various environments.

  • A team of technicians helping to fit a prosthetic device on a kenyan woman's leg Cover Image

    One small step for an amputee and a giant leap for Amparo and GDI Hub

    Dr Giulia Barbareschi, Global Disability Innovation Hub
    July 30, 2019

    Giulia shares her insights on her experience working on lower limbs prosthetics with Amparo and the Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya (ADPK).

  • GDI Hub Logo Cover Image

    Do we have the right Global Strategy to build access to Assistive Technology?

    Vicki Austin, Global Disability Innovation Hub
    March 27, 2019

    Vicki discusses the importance of global partnerships to address the gap to access assistive technology.

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