Community-led Solutions: Assistive Tech in informal settlements

Context

By 2050, over 2 billion people will need assistive technology (AT), yet 90% are expected to lack access. Assistive technologies, such as wheelchairs, spectacles, prosthetics, and communication aids, can drastically improve independence and quality of life.

Access is especially limited in informal settlements (urban areas often referred to as slums) where infrastructure, services, and health support are sparse. This project, under the AT2030 programme led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, investigates how community-driven innovation can improve AT access and inclusion for disabled people in these contexts.

The project focused on two informal settlements in Freetown, Sierra Leone and Banjarmasin, Indonesia, led by UCL’s Development Planning Unit (DPU) in partnership with Leonard Cheshire, SLURC, FEDURP, Kota Kita, and Kaki Kota.

Our Approach

This research project followed a participatory, community-led, and embedded methodology, delivered in two phases:

Phase 1 (2019–2020): Mapping Aspirations and Local Innovations

• Engaged 120 residents (50% disabled people) through creative workshops, photography, and focus groups.
• Conducted WHO Rapid Assistive Technology Assessments (rATA) with 4,000 respondents.
• Studied informal AT markets to understand local systems for AT production and access.
• Identified shared and transformative aspirations for AT co-production in each community.

COVID-19 Response (2020)

• Delivered food, hygiene products, and accessible information to disabled and older residents.
• Investigated the pandemic's disproportionate impact on these groups, including reduced income, education barriers, and heightened social exclusion.

Phase 2 (2020–2021): Co-Producing AT Interventions

• Adapted research for COVID-19 through digital coordination and distanced fieldwork.
• Focused on four key areas:
  • Freetown: Inclusive Mobility and Accessible Healthcare
  • Banjarmasin: Community Participation and Inclusive Public Space
• Conducted ICT feasibility surveys, expert consultations, and co-design workshops.
• Developed and piloted AT interventions aligned with community-defined aspirations.

The Impact of This Work

• Local Innovation: Identified grassroots AT solutions, especially in Indonesia, where disabled entrepreneurs create affordable, tailored AT using local materials.
• New Understandings of AT: Participants often defined AT more broadly, including people and objects not typically categorised under formal definitions.
• AT Access Insights: We found that spectacles were the most common AT, with crutches and wheelchairs following. Additionally, in Banjarmasin, 66% of AT was accessed through informal markets.
• Empowered Voices: Participatory methods fostered collective identity and political engagement among disabled people:
  “I was ashamed to come in public but now I’m not. Because of this group, I feel more confident.” – Male participant, Freetown

Next Steps

This project has concluded its primary research phases but continues to influence wider efforts under the AT2030 programme. Key areas of focus moving forward include:

• Scaling community-led AT innovations through broader partnerships and investment.
• Embedding learnings into global AT delivery models being tested under AT2030.
• Amplifying disabled voices in urban planning, health, and policy discussions in the Global South.
• Supporting local capacity in informal settlements to sustain inclusive practices, technologies, and advocacy beyond the project timeline.