Publications
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Project Euphonia: advancing inclusive speech recognition through expanded data collection and evaluation
Centre for Digital Language InclusionMay 12, 2026GlobalAcademic Research PublicationsSpeech recognition models, predominantly trained on standard speech, often exhibit lower accuracy for individuals with accents, dialects, or speech impairments. This disparity is particularly pronounced for economically or socially marginalized communities, including those with disabilities or diverse linguistic backgrounds. Project Euphonia, a Google initiative originally launched in English dedicated to improving Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) of disordered speech, is expanding its data collection and evaluation efforts to include international languages like Spanish, Japanese, French and Hindi, in a continued effort to enhance inclusivity. This paper presents an overview of the extension of processes and methods used for English data collection to more languages and locales, progress on the collected data, and details about our model evaluation process, focusing on meaning preservation based on Generative AI.
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A review of assistive product prices in 12 countries
Johan Borg, Irene Calvo, Vinicius Delgado RamosApril 29, 2026GlobalAcademic Research PublicationsThe World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimate that over 2.5 billion people need assistive technology, yet access remains limited. In response to this pressing need, WHO has maintained, since 2016, a Priority Assistive Products List (APL) with 50 priority assistive products. In 2024, an update was launched to revise and expand the list based on new evidence and stakeholder input. This paper presents the price review component of the update. The review consisted of collecting global price data and classifying assistive products into price ranges to support the decision-making process for the updated APL.
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Beyond the Manual: Mapping Peer-Generated Content about Wheelchair Care and Adaptation on YouTube
Wen Mo, Catherine Holloway, Lan Xiao, Aneesha SinghApril 13, 2026GlobalAcademic Research PublicationsWheelchair users often face significant barriers to maintaining and adapting their chairs, from resource constraints to limited access to professional services. In response, many turn to social media platforms such as YouTube to share and learn practical knowledge. However, little is known about how wheelchair users document and exchange repair, maintenance, and customization practices online. To address this gap, we analyzed 290 YouTube videos alongside 800 sampled comments using thematic coding and statistical analysis.
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Building Common Ground from the Ground Up: Repair Infrastructure for Human–Agent Collaboration in African Languages
Gifty Ayoka, Vicki Austin, Catherine Holloway, Dr Giulia Barbareschi, Katrin Angerbauer, Richard CaveApril 13, 2026Academic Research PublicationsTheories of distributed teamwork portraying LLMs as remote collaborators are frequently constructed around an unexamined assumption: that collaborators share a natural language. For speakers of the vast majority of the world’s approximately 7,000 languages, this assumption does not hold—the LLM agents are not merely remote but functionally non-communicative as they do not share the languages of the users they supposedly collaborate with. Drawing on three years of work through the Centre for Digital Language Inclusion (CDLI), which has scaled community-driven speech recognition from one to thirteen African languages, we argue that linguistic asymmetry is the defining yet overlooked barrier to human–agent collaboration for the majority world.
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AT2030: Para Sport Against Stigma Learning from Systems, Storytelling and Assistive Technology
Global Disability Innovation HubMarch 31, 2026Malawi, United KingdomCase Studies and ReportsThe 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.
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Mobile as Assistive Technology India Case Study Report
Global Disability Innovation HubMarch 31, 2026IndiaAcademic Research PublicationsThis summary presents findings from a 12-month research study conducted by the Centre for Accessibility in the Global South (CAGS) at IIIT Bangalore, in partnership with the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) at University College London. The study examined the potential of Android smartphones to function as assistive technology (AT) for people with visual and hearing impairments in India.
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Mobile as Assistive Technology Brazil Case Study Report
Global Disability Innovation HubMarch 31, 2026BrazilAcademic Research PublicationsThis study investigated the feasibility and impact of providing smartphones and digital skills training to people with visual and hearing impairments in Brazil, a country where over 84% of the population uses the internet, but a significant digital divide persists for those with disabilities.
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Global Insights Summary report
Global Disability Innovation HubMarch 31, 2026GlobalAcademic Research PublicationsSmartphones now contain screen readers, magnification tools, live captions, real-time transcription, and navigation features that can perform many of the functions of traditional assistive products. Across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), people with disabilities are using these built-in features as their primary assistive technology, often because specialist AT is unavailable, unaffordable, or absent.
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Mobile as Assistive Technology Kenya Case Study Report
Global Disability Innovation HubMarch 31, 2026KenyaCase Studies and ReportsMobile phones are increasingly important to our lives. They can connect people to learning and employment opportunities and support social and cultural interactions. Mobile phones have also been identified as assistive technology in prior AT2030 research. However, mobile phones and the Internet are often excluded from Government or Insurance-based assistive technology provision schemes in low- and middle-income countries. There is insufficient evidence to explain how mobile phones function as assistive technologies and what support is needed for people to learn the full suite of accessibility features on mobile devices.
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Pathways to Funding For Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in Low- and-Middle-Income Countries
Global Disability Innovation Hub, Rebecca Joskow, Anna Landre, Pollyanna WardropMarch 31, 2026GlobalAcademic Research PublicationsOrganisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) play vital roles as policy and governance experts, strategic partners, advocates, and community implementers of work to progress equity and inclusion of people with disabilities, including accelerating access to assistive technology. Despite their integral role in disability rights advocacy, many OPDs operate with minimal and insecure funding, undermining their ability to sustain operations, be involved in, and have influence over the shaping of strategies, policies, and interventions.
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2026 Advance awardees
Royal Academy of EngineeringMarch 31, 2026GlobalCase Studies and ReportsAdvance 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.
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Principles for inclusive event design
Royal Academy of EngineeringMarch 30, 2026AT2030 ResourcesInclusive events create opportunities for wider participation, stronger collaboration and richer discussions. This guide outlines practical steps to plan events that are inclusive by design and promote comfort, autonomy and inclusion. It is based on the experience and feedback gathered throughout the design and delivery of the AT2030 Frontiers symposium, which was part of a collaboration between the Royal Academy of Engineering and UCL Global Disability Inclusion (GDI) Hub’s AT2030 programme. AT2030 is funded by UK International Development.
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Summary of the Device Evidence Compendium on Orthotics for WHO APL2 - Prosthetic Devices
Dr Ben OldfreyMarch 30, 2026GlobalAT2030 ResourcesSummary of the Device Evidence Compendium on Orthotics for WHO APL2 - Prosthetic Devices This document forms part of the AT2030 programme’s contribution to the WHO Assistive Product List (APL) 2 development process, delivered by the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) in collaboration with the Global Disability Innovation Hub. The document is not intended as a clinical guideline or technology recommendation. Instead, it functions as an evidence scaffold: consolidating what is currently known about need, benefits, risks, and use patterns, while clearly identifying evidence gaps relevant to global health, particularly in low‑ and middle‑income settings.
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Strengthening OPD Capacity for Inclusive Development in Mombasa County, Kenya
Kilimanjaro Blind TrustMarch 30, 2026KenyaCase Studies and ReportsDuring consultations in Mombasa, Jemima Kutata, an OPD leader, captures a recurring reality: while disability rights are increasingly recognised in law, translating these provisions into meaningful change at the community level remains a challenge. This reflects a broader gap between Kenya’s progressive legal frameworks, particularly the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025, and their implementation in practice. In Mombasa, a coastal urban hub shaped by tourism, trade, and a large informal economy, persons with disabilities face distinct barriers in accessing services, employment, and assistive technologies. While Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) play a critical role in addressing these gaps, many continue to face structural and capacity-related constraints that limit their influence.
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Strengthening Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) through Assistive Technology
Kilimanjaro Blind TrustMarch 30, 2026AT2030 ResourcesOrganizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) are central to advancing inclusive governance and development in Kenya. Evidence across counties consistently shows that OPDs are already playing critical roles, linking communities to services, supporting participation in governance processes, and strengthening accountability at local and national levels. This strategy builds on what is already working and focuses on scaling, structuring, and sustaining the role of OPDs within Kenya’s development systems. There is a significant opportunity to further strengthen and formalize these contributions within formal systems.
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Mobile as Assistive Technology Kenya Report Summary
Global Disability Innovation HubMarch 30, 2026KenyaCase Studies and ReportsThis document presents the summary of findings from research investigating the impact of Mobile as Assistive Technology conducted in Kenya between 2024 and 2025. The project explored whether smartphones can serve as assistive technology for people who are Blind or Partially Sighted (BPS) and people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH). The research was funded by the UK Department for International Development, Google, and ATScale – Global Partnership for Assistive Technology. The research was led by Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) and University College London in collaboration with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa, Senses Hub, and Safaricom.
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Summary of the Device Evidence Compendium on Orthotics for WHO APL2 - Orthotic Devices
Dr Ben OldfreyMarch 30, 2026GlobalAT2030 ResourcesSummary of the Device Evidence Compendium on Orthotics for WHO APL2 - Orthotic Devices This document forms part of the AT2030 programme’s contribution to the WHO Assistive Product List (APL) 2 development process, delivered by the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) in collaboration with the Global Disability Innovation Hub. The document provides structured evidence summaries across a wide range of externally worn orthotic devices, following a consistent framework aligned with WHO APL2 requirements.
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Mobile as Assistive Technology Brazil Report Summary
Global Disability Innovation HubMarch 27, 2026BrazilAcademic Research PublicationsThis document presents the summary of findings from research investigating the impact of Mobile as Assistive Technology conducted in Brazil between 2024 and 2025. The project explored whether smartphones can serve as assistive technology for people who are Blind or Partially Sighted (BPS) and people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH). The research was funded by the UK Department for International Development, Google, and ATScale – Global Partnership for Assistive Technology.
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OPD Capacity Strengthening Framework (Kenya)
Kilimanjaro Blind TrustMarch 27, 2026KenyaCase Studies and ReportsThis framework provides a structured and evidence-informed approach to strengthening the institutional, technical, and operational capacity of OPDs in Kenya. It prioritizes the integration of Adaptive Assistive Technology (AT) as an enabler of inclusion and organizational effectiveness, while also advancing inclusive leadership and governance, strategic partnerships, sustainable resource mobilization, and accountable, results-oriented project implementation.
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Channelling, Coordinating, Collaborating: A Three-Layer Framework for Disability-Centered Human-Agent Collaboration
Catherine Holloway, Lan XiaoMarch 27, 2026Academic Research PublicationsAI accessibility tools have mostly been designed for individual use, helping one person overcome a specific functional barrier. But for many people with disabilities, complex tasks are accomplished through collaboration with others who bring complementary abilities, not solitary effort. We propose a three-layer framework, Channelling, Coordinating, and Co-Creating, that rethinks AI's role in ability-diverse collaboration: establishing shared informational ground across abilities, mediating workflows between collaborators with different abilities, and contributing as a bounded partner toward shared goals. Grounded in the Ability-Diverse Collaboration framework, grounding theory, and Carlile's 3T framework, it extends the ``agents as remote collaborators'' vision by centring the collaborative, interdependent ways people with disabilities already work.
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