Themes: Assistive & Accessible Technology, Culture and Participation
Bridging resource - how new management of the AskSource platform will enable this important online disability resource centre to evolve
With over 20 years of service to the disability space, the online resource centre AskSource - originally founded by Humanity & Inclusion alongside a consortium of partners - will move ownership to the Global Disability Innovation Hub to fuel the next chapter of growth.
AskSource is an International Online Resource Centre designed to strengthen the management, use and impact of information on disability and inclusion in development and humanitarian contexts. Primarily used by practitioners and academics, its mission is to use available expertise to support the dissemination, repackaging and sharing of information on disability and inclusion in challenging contexts to support practitioners and promote research, innovation, learning and training. AskSource was designed to meet the information needs of individuals and organisations working in health, disability and development worldwide, includeding health care workers, disabled people's organisations, CRBR workers, OTs, disability practitioners, and grassroots and local NGOs.
The UCL based Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) is an academic research centre based at the new UCL East campus on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It sits within Computer Science, at UCLIC - a world leading Centre of Excellence in Human-Computer Interaction, studying interactions between people and technology, drawing on the best scientific traditions in Computer Science and Human Sciences, and working collaboratively with the research community and industry. GDI Hub is part of the UCL Department of Engineering – and is the world’s first and only WHO Global Collaborating Centre on Assistive Technology (AT).
Founded in 2017 in the legacy of the 2012 Paralympic Games, GDI Hub translates robust research into innovative practice to deliver impact in communities through an extensive portfolio of research, teaching, global programmes and technical assistance including building innovation ecosystems and advocating for change at the highest level. Its teams are expert in Assistive Technology & EdTech (with a strong digital focus), Inclusive Design; Innovation; Inclusive climate and crisis resilience and community partnerships.
GDI Hub are proud to take AskSource forward - and thank the original founding partner for the opportunity to build upon this important and extensive resource.
We’re excited about the next steps for AskSource - as we look to build reach and impact in order to get more knowledge to more people. We know that access to data is critical, especially within the space of disability. We look forward to the next phase of AskSource and bringing more tools and resources to more decision makers and researchers around the world.
GDI Hub’s Head of Innovation, Ben Hardman
We are very proud to hand over Ask Source to such a robust partner in the space of disability inclusion innovation and research, and we look forward to remaining strong supporters of this essential online resource for practitioners, decision makers and researchers in the future.
Humanity & Inclusion UK CEO George Graham
