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

Over the past two decades, smartphones have evolved from simple communication devices to powerful, multifunctional tools that can significantly enhance the lives of disabled individuals. As assistive technology (AT), smartphones offer a wide range of functionalities, including accessibility features, applications, and Internet connectivity, that allow disabled individuals to overcome various accessibility barriers. Unlike traditional physical assistive devices, such as braille readers and hearing aids, which are often expensive and difficult to obtain in low-resource settings, affordable smartphones are widely available in lower and middle income countries (LMICs), such as Transsion, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Realme [51, 65], which run on Google’s Android operating system, allowing a certain level of consistency across different smartphone manufacturers and models.

The Global Systems for Mobile Technology Association (GSMA) estimates that approximately 85% of the African population owns a mobile phone. Although the ownership of feature phones (button phones without Internet-enabled applications) continues to increase rapidly, there is also a more modest but steady uptake in smartphone ownership. A recent GSMA report estimates smartphone ownership between 42% and 56% of adults across various Sub-Saharan African regions, with rates expected to reach 80% to 92% by 2030 [23]. However, this number is significantly reduced for disabled individuals; in Kenya, smartphone ownership by disabled individuals is only 12% compared to 41% non-disabled population (a 72% gap in smartphone ownership)[22]. The gap, termed the ’digital divide’ is largely due to persistent challenges, including awareness, affordability, accessibility, and digital literacy [18, 39, 47, 64].

Recent advances in smartphone technology have elevated their potential as digital assistive technologies (AT) for blind or partially sighted (BPS) and deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) individuals. However, there is a gap in fully understanding the use of smartphones as AT and their impact on the quality of life (QoL) of BPS and DHH individuals. To address this gap, we conducted a mixed-methods longitudinal study over six months with 193 participants in Kenya. The study involved a baseline survey, smartphone digital skills training, and a follow-up survey and interviews to examine the impact of smartphones as AT. The findings emphasise the significant impact of smartphones on their quality of life, including impact on their identity and well-being, social inclusion and leisure, access to information and education, and material well-being. Building on the findings, we contribute an AT Impact Framework, which highlights the behaviours enabled by smartphones and their impact on the individual and their wider ecosystem. We discuss the applications of the AT Impact Framework to assess the impact on QoL outcomes of AT interventions and offer recommendations for policymakers, researchers, and designers.