Bridging the Mobile Disability Gap: advancing access and use of mobile as assistive technology
Register now to 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 deep insights - from the Mobile Disability Gap, to evidence in the use of Mobile as an Assistive Technology. From the micro to the macro we'll look into the data and evidence, showcasing new research on the application of this technology, and mechanisms to amplify impact globally.
Following research insights, we'll hear from mobile operators Vodacom Group and Dialog, alongside users of these technologies.
- GSMA: unifies the mobile ecosystem to deliver innovation foundational to societal change with a vision to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive.
- Global Disability Innovation Hub: accelerates ideas into impact for a more just world - for disabled people, and all people. It is a world leading delivery and practice centre, an Academic Research Centre at UCL and the first WHO Global Collaborating Centre on Assistive Technology (AT).
This digital session will share insights from GSMA recently released Mobile Disability Gap 2025 report (funded by UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Sweden’s International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and the emerging evidence from GDI Hub research on 'Mobile as AT' as part of the GDI Hub's AT2030 programme (funded by UK International Development and ATscale).
Register now to join this session.
Speakers
- Professor Catherine Holloway - Global Disability Innovation Hub
- Boralba Kapllani - GSMA
- Dr Maryam Bandukda - Global Disability Innovation Hub
- Dr Karen Smit - Vodacom Group
- Tharusha Wanigasekera - Dialog
- George Ochola - passionate journalist and disability rights advocate, Kenya
Mobile Disability Gap Report 2025
Mobile devices and services have the potential to provide life-changing benefits to persons with disabilities, but GSMA research shows that persons with disabilities remain the most digitally excluded. The Mobile Disability Gap Report 2025 shares the latest data on access to and use of mobile for persons with disabilities, outlining key barriers, and offering recommendations for stakeholders to close the mobile disability gap - with emphasis on the digital exclusion of women with disabilities and rural populations with disabilities. Findings from this report are based on the 2024 GSMA Consumer Survey across 14 low-and middle-income countries.
