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Global Disability Innovation Hub accelerates ideas into impact for a more just world - for disabled people, and all people.

About GDI Hub
A women in Kenya being tested for DOT glasses. She is wearing a bright yellow top with a colourful headband
Events

Celebrating 10 years of Disability Innovation - official London Design Festival event

Join the GDI Hub at Sadler Wells East to celebrate 10 years of disability innovation. This exhibition is part of the London Design Festival, and is taking place in our 10th anniversary year.

Join us [14.09.26]

What we do

GDI Hub is a world-leading academic research and practice centre based at University College London (UCL). We are the WHO Global Collaborating Centre on Assistive Technology. Our structure enables rapid translation of evidence into delivery.

Include

Deep community leadership and engagement with OPD’s, AT users and networks.

Inquire

New evidence and insights through academic research, data and foundational methodologies.

Incubate

Develop and test new solutions through GDI Accelerate, our innovation arm.

Invest

Bringing effective solutions to market through public/private finance.

Integrate

Strengthen systems to make inclusion a reality, from national policy landscapes to country pilots.

Impart

Educating and learning to disseminate and knowledge and impact for a fairer world.

Where we work

Our impact is global. We work in Africa, Asia, South and North America, and Europe.

40+ Countries

77 million People impacted

200+ Partners

Our portfolio

From research centres and development projects to advocacy, professional networks, consultancy and teaching - our work spans several programmatic websites.

AT2030 programme: to test ‘what works’ to improve access to life-changing Assistive Technology (AT) for all

Centre for Digital Language Inclusion: Using AI to bridge the barrier between impaired speech and Automatic Speech Recognition

Graduation photo of MSc cohort in gowns, throwing hats into the air

Disability, Design & Innovation MSc: our UCL based MSc to tackle global challenges from a new perspective

Disabled Leaders Network: championing exceptional disabled talent through community, capacity building and connection

Global OPD Map: largest-ever collection of advocacy groups led by disabled voices in the transnational disability community

A smiling man wearing a red shirt and cap sits outdoors in a custom-built wheelchair with extra large wheels, designed for mobility on rough terrain. Greenery forms the background.

WHO Collaborating Centre for Assistive Technology

View all projects

Highlights

Some examples of our work.

A person pushes another person in a wheelchair across a road, with buildings and trees in the background.

Inclusive Cities, Global Action Report

10 people around a table as part of a codesign workshop

Disability Innovation Strategy

A paralympian lifting weights

Para Sport Against Stigma

Tigi seating on coach

Inclusive Research Video Guidance for Early Career Researchers and Innovators

Blog

Disability Inclusion and Innovation for Clean Energy Access: Embracing Co-Design and Collaboration

  • 02 July 2026

Beyond Ramps: Three Policy Frameworks for Disability-Inclusive Cities, Energy, and Climate Action

  • 06 March 2026

Beyond Stigma: What happens when sport, assistive technology and storytelling meet?

  • 26 January 2026
All Blog

News

A man in Kenya testing and fitting new glasses in Kenyan community. He is wearing a bright top
Highlight

10 year impact report: A decade of impact and a vision for the future

  • 04 September 2026

UN General Assembly adopts landmark resolution on access to assistive technology

  • 03 September 2026

COSP-19: a year of anniversaries and action, to consider what next

  • 29 June 2026
All News

Events

A women in Kenya being tested for DOT glasses. She is wearing a bright yellow top with a colourful headband

Celebrating 10 years of disability Innovation, the Global Disability Innovation Hub: our work, our stories, our community

  • 14 September 2026

Webinar: Introducing the Global OPD Map

  • 09 July 2026

Energy Access & Disability Tech for Equitable Futures

  • 26 November 2025
All Events

Publications

Some of our latest papers, reports and publications.

Disability Inclusion and Innovation for Clean Energy Access: Embracing Co-Design and Collaboration

Gender Equality, Disability & Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Toolkit

  • Transforming Energy Access; 2025

Understanding the Video Content Creation Journey of Creators with Sensory Impairment in Kenya
Person in a colorful garment stands near water with a rural house in the background; cover of the "Advancing Disability Inclusive Climate Action" guide featuring logos of CBM Global, IAG, and GDI Hub.

Advancing disability inclusive climate action: A resource guide for global practitioners

Toward a Multi-layer Framework to Assess the Quality of Life Impact of Smartphones as Assistive Technology for People with Sensory Disabilities in Kenya

A Cookbook for Community-driven Data Collection of Impaired Speech in LowResource Languages
Lincoln, a young black man, wearing a leather jacket and sat astride a motorcycle at an event. Poster stands are behind him - one partially reads "Innovation. Life changing assistive technology for all"

Developing National Priority Assistive Products Lists: experiences and lessons from six Sub-Saharan African countries

  • Taylor & Francis; 2025
A lady holding a smartphone displaying the "Live Transcribe" app interface. She is wearing a black and white polka dot top and is standing on a balcony with lush green trees and a clear sky in the background.

Exploring the Usability of Gaze-based Mobile Communication in Ghana

Youth Attitudes Towards Disability Sport & Assistive Technology

  • Shujaaz Inc; 2025

Inclusive Cities

  • Global Disability Innovation Hub; 2024

Integrating Disability in Energy Transition GESI Strategies

  • Transforming Energy Access

Opportunities for Disability-inclusive Energy Access

  • Transforming Energy Access
View all publications