Partnership launched with ATScale
Globally, over a billion people need assistive technology (AT) like wheelchairs or hearing aids, but a staggering 90% can't access it. This lack of access can cause isolation, poorer health, and keep people from education and work.
While AT's benefits are clear; empowering people to fully participate in society, long-standing challenges, including inconsistent political support and a lack of investment, stand in the way.
Recognising the urgent need for a united effort, ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, was launched in July 2018. This partnership, involving many different organisations, aims to tackle the global lack of focus, coordination, and investment in AT, as well as the difficulties in the market.
How the Partnership Started
ATscale's journey began in early 2018. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Special Envoy for Health teamed up with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). They looked at how successful strategies from global health, which had made things like vaccines more accessible and cheaper, could be used for the AT sector, which was very disorganised.
This initial analysis, which also involved the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), the Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), showed that while market-focused approaches had potential, a wider, more coordinated effort was essential. Everyone agreed that a strong partnership with many different stakeholders was key to overcoming the existing barriers.
ATscale's Unified Approach
ATscale's main aim was to enable people to reach their full potential by ensuring everyone could access affordable, life-changing AT. Its strategy focused on six key areas: gathering data and evidence, sparking innovation, making AT more affordable and available, strengthening policies and systems, building capacity, and encouraging investment and political support.
The partnership took a "twin-track" approach. This meant working to create an enabling environment for AT at global, regional, and national levels. At the same time, it identified specific interventions for important products like wheelchairs, hearing aids, prosthetics, eyeglasses, and digital devices. This work led to detailed "product narratives," which were comprehensive plans for increasing access to affordable and suitable AT. For example, the plan for wheelchairs was released in August 2019, followed by hearing aids in October 2019, and prosthetics in December 2019.
A Coordinated Global Response
The launch of ATscale represents a crucial moment, marking a new, coordinated global response to a complex problem. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders and using expertise from different sectors, ATscale aimed to boost existing efforts and unite global players around a shared strategy. The partnership understood that real impact required both global coordination and solutions tailored to individual countries.
ATscale's establishment highlighted the power of working together. It showed that by thinking big and collaborating, the global community could significantly improve access to life-changing assistive technology for millions worldwide.
