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Type
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Tigmanshu Bhatnagar, George Torrens, Ben Oldfrey, Priya Morjaria
Felipe Ramos Barajas, Katherine Perry and Catherine Holloway
![End Superscript](https://www.resna.org/sites/default/files/conference/2021/Assets/Images/AltCarrier.gif)
Access to information on digital platforms not only facilitates education, employment, entertainment, social interaction but also facilitates critical governmental services, ecommerce, healthcare services and entrepreneurship [1]. Article 9 of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) enforces its signatories to commit to provide full accessibility to every citizen of the nation [2]. This has helped to spearhead accessibility directives such as the European Accessibility Act [3] that aims to improve the functioning of markets for accessible products and services. Such directives contribute to ensure that mainstream digital technologies (smartphones, computers etc.) are accessible for everyone and without being socially remarkable, they are able to assist in daily living. Additionally, there is evidence that improving access in mainstream technologies improves product experience and usability for everyone [4]. However, mainstream access has not been fully realized, leading to inferior opportunities for people with disabilities, a disparity which is more prominent in lower and middle-income countries [5].
RESNA Annual Conference; 2021
![Young man with prosthetic arm developed at low cost](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/kaolaa.webp?v=1706085991)
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Catherine Holloway, Dafne Zuleima Morgado Ramirez, Tigmanshu Bhatnagar, Ben Oldfrey, Priya Morjaria, Soikat Ghosh Moulic, Ikenna D. Ebuenyi, Giulia Barbareschi, Fiona Meeks, Jessica Massie, Felipe Ramos-Barajas, Joanne McVeigh, Kyle Keane, George Torrens, P. V.M. Rao, Malcolm MacLachlan, Victoria Austin, Rainer Kattel, Cheryl D Metcalf & Srinivasan Sujatha
It is essential to understand the strategies and processes which are deployed currently across the Assistive Technology (AT) space toward measuring innovation. The main aim of this paper is to identify functional innovation strategies and processes which are being or can be deployed in the AT space to increase access to AT globally.
Assistive Technology The Official Journal of RESNA
![A boy using crutches is about to kick a ball into the net](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/118886/Untitled-design-27.webp?v=1706086041)
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Themes
Giulia Barbareschi & Tom Shakespeare
Assistive products (APs) are broadly defined as “any product (including devices, equipment, instruments, and software), either specially designed and produced or generally available, whose primary purpose is to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence and thereby promote their wellbeing” (Khasnabis et al., 2015). Although the concept of wellbeing is extremely slippery and researchers have yet to agree on a single definition for it, as individuals we instinctively develop mental models about what does, and does not, promote our happiness and wellbeing. Considerations about values, wellbeing and happiness are extremely personal and are shaped by a variety of factors ranging from our age and socio-cultural background to our life experiences (Schwartz & Bardi, 2001).
RESNA
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/123252/publications-page-4.webp?v=1706085985)
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B Oldfrey, A Tchorzewska, R Jackson, M Croysdale, R Loureiro, C Holloway, M Miodownik
Elastomeric liners are commonly worn between socket and limb by prosthetic wearers. This is due to their superior skin adhesion, load distribution and their ability to form a seal. Laboratory tests suggest that elastomeric liners allow reduced shear stress on the skin and give a higher cushioning effect on bony prominences, since they are soft in compression, and similar to biological tissues [1]. However, they also increase perspiration reducing hygiene and increasing skin irritations. Prosthetic users in general face a myriad of dermatological problems associated with lower limb prosthesis such as ulcers, cysts, and contact dermatitis, which are exacerbated by the closed environment of a fitted socket where perspiration is trapped and bacteria can proliferate [2].
Medical Engineering & Physics; 2021
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126661/publications-page-10.webp?v=1706086077)
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Margaret Savage, Sarah Albala, Frederic Seghers, Rainer Katte, Cynthia Liao, Mathilde Chaudron, Novia Afdhila
Development outcomes are inextricably linked to the health of the marketplace that delivers products and services to people in low- and middle- income countries (LMIC). Shortcomings in the market for assistive technology (AT) contribute to low access in LMIC. Market shaping is aimed at improving a market’s specific outcomes, such as access to high quality, affordable AT, by targeting the root causes of these shortcomings. The paper summarizes the findings of a market and sector analysis that was conducted under the UK aid funded AT2030 programme and aims to discuss how market shaping can help more people gain access to the AT that they need and what are the best mechanisms to unlock markets and commercial opportunity in LMICs.
Assistive Technology The Official Journal of RESNA; 2021
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126666/publications-page-11.webp?v=1706086046)
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This year (2022) has seen the publication of the World’s first Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT) [1]. This completes almost a decade of work to ensure assistive technology (AT) access is a core development issue. The lack of access to assistive products (APs), such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, and eyeglasses, as well as less well-referenced products such as incontinence pads, mobile phone applications, or walking sticks, affects as many as 2.5 billion people globally. Furthermore, the provision of APs would reap a 1:9 return on investment [2]. This could result in a family in need netting (or living without) over GBP 100,000 in their lifetime [2] or more, if we count dynamic overspills in the economy such as employment of assistive technology services and manufacturing of devices [3].
Societies; 2021
![Female in a wheelchair carrying a water bottle in an informal settlement. Kid walking in the back.](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/577/AT2030-profile.webp?v=1706086078)
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Themes
Jamie Danemayer, Sophie Mitra, Cathy Holloway, Shereen Hussein
A person’s access to assistive products such as hearing aids, wheelchairs, and glasses, is an essential part of their ability to age in a healthy way. But, according to the World Health Organization, a staggering 90% of people who need assistive products worldwide, do not have access to them. In many instances access is limited or simply non-existent. This is often due to assistive products being too expensive, demand outweighing supply, not always being suitable to use in different environments, or even the lack of availability of trained providers. In such circumstances, people are more likely to age ‘unhealthily’ if they do not have access to assistive products that are designed to support their day to day functioning and independence.
International Journal of Population Data Science; 2023
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/131687/Write-a-letter-to-their-MP-297-x-210-mm-A4-Document-4.webp?v=1706086031)
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Vicki Austin, Dilisha Patel, Jamie Danemayer, Kate Mattick, Anna Landre, Marketa Smitova, Maryam Bandukda, Aoife Healy, Nachiappan Chockalingam, Diane Bell, Cathy Holloway
This report was prepared by Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub for the Disability Unit in the Cabinet Office His Majesty’s Government (HMG). The report presents findings from a Country Capacity Assessment (CCA) of AT access in England. Findings illustrate a complex state of AT in England. While delivery systems tend to provide quality products that have a strong, positive impact on people’s lives, processes are often slow and stressful for users and providers alike. Startlingly, there is also an AT access gap of 31% of disabled people not having the assistive products they need to flourish, thrive, or even participate in daily life.
The Cabinet Office; 2023
![Image of an empty street in Korea, with vibrant shop signs](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/135653/Louise-_-standard-square-17.webp?v=1706086072)
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Jamie Danemayer & Myung-Joon Lim
Korea is a rapidly ageing country, with its population over 65 years old increasing from 5% in 1990 to 17% in 2021. Comparatively, the global population over 65 has increased from 6% in 1990 to 9% in 2019 ]. As populations age and functional difficulties become more prevalent, the importance of assistive technology (AT) provision becomes more pronounced. Disparities in access to AT within a population can indicate inequities in healthy aging trajectories that will widen as the overall population ages, if clusters of limited access are not identified and addressed.
Taylor & Francis Online; 2023
![newspaper cuttings from covid 19](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126669/publications-page-12.webp?v=1706086076)
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Emma M Smith, Maria Luisa Toro Hernandez, Ikenna D Ebuenyi, Elena V Syurina, Giulia Barbareschi, Krista L Best, Jamie Danemayer, Ben Oldfrey, Nuha Ibrahim, Catherine Holloway, Malcolm MacLachlan
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted all segments of society, but it has posed particular challenges for the inclusion of persons with disabilities, those with chronic illness and older people regarding their participation in daily life. These groups often benefit from assistive technology (AT) and so it is important to understand how use of AT may be affected by or may help to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. Objective: The objectives of this study were to explore the how AT use and provision have been affected during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how AT policies and systems may be made more resilient based on lessons learned during this global crisis.
International Journal of Health Policy and Management; 2020
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120465/PhD-7.webp?v=1706086040)
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Nusrat Jahan and Catherine Holloway
This working paper was developed to support the development of challenge statements for a GDI Hub innovation challenge fund call related to improving access to and retention of employment for persons with disabilities in Kenya and Bangladesh and is written by GDI Hub's Nusrat Jahan and Professor Catherine Holloway.
The issue of disability and employment has taken centre stage on the global arena in part because it is recognised across several areas of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in which confrontation of extreme poverty in its many manifestations is the number one goal [2]. The World Health Organization (2011) reports about 15 percent of the world’s population has a disability [1]. In developing countries, 80 to 90 percent of people with disabilities of working age are unemployed.
![Photograph of an informal settlement](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/123245/Kate-instagram-ideas-9.webp?v=1706086199)
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Giulia Barbareschi, Ben Oldfrey, Long Xin, Grace N. Magomere, Wyclife A. Wetende, Carol Wanjira, Joyce Olenja, Victoria Austin, and Catherine Holloway
The World Health Organisation estimate that there are approximately a billion people with disabilities who require access to appropriate assistive technology and this number is set to double by 2050 [82]. Assistive technologies (ATs) play a crucial role in the lives of people with disabilities and are necessary to be able to access essential services and participate in family and community life according to one’s aspirations [40, 62, 68, 81]. Although this is not often specifcally mentioned, the large majority of people with disabilities will routinely use more than one assistive device in their everyday lives [25, 26]. For example a person with a visual impairment is likely to use a white cane to navigate from their house to the office where they work and have a screen-reader, or an equivalent accessibility software, on their computer to be able to do their work once in the office [17].
ASSETS '20: Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility; 2020
![A venn diagram of People Place and Practice, overlapping circles showing the relationship](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/121715/MicrosoftTeams-image-2_2023-01-12-141713_xvva.webp?v=1706086404)
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Public spaces, including recreational and social spaces, are often not prioritised. Inclusive public spaces are fundamental to participation and inclusive in society. Including persons with disabilities in the design and planning of the built environment supports equal rights and helps identify people’s aspirations for inclusive environments. Four city case studies will be discussed in this paper: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Varanasi, India; Surakarta, Indonesia; and Nairobi, Kenya.
The Journal of Public Space
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126869/publications-page-23.webp?v=1706086035)
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Sahan Bulathwela, María Pérez-Ortiz, Catherine Holloway, John Shawe-Taylor
This paper starts by synthesising how AI might change how we learn and teach, focusing specifically on the case of personalised learning companions, and then move to discuss some socio-technical features that will be crucial for avoiding the perils of these AI systems worldwide (and perhaps ensuring their success). This paper also discusses the potential of using AI together with free, participatory and democratic resources, such as Wikipedia, Open Educational Resources and open-source tools. We also emphasise the need for collectively designing human-centered, transparent, interactive and collaborative AI-based algorithms that empower and give complete agency to stakeholders, as well as support new emerging pedagogies.
Workshop on Machine Learning for the Developing World (ML4D) at the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems 2021; 2021
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/121721/Untitled-design-1.webp?v=1706085990)
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Ben Oldfrey, Giulia Barbareschi, Priya Morjaria, Tamara Giltsoff, Jessica Massie, Mark Miodownik and Catherine Holloway
From multiple studies conducted through the FCDO AT2030 Programme, as well as key literature, we examine whether Assistive Technology (AT) provision models could look towards more sustainable approaches, and by doing this benefit not only the environment, but also address the problems that the current provision systems have.
Sustainability
![A young child holds a ball and looks up to an older child who is using a wheelchair. They are smiling at each other playfully](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126687/publications-page-16.webp?v=1706086046)
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Ikenna D Ebueny, Emma M Smith, Catherine Holloway, Rune Jensen, Lucía D'Arino, Malcolm MacLachlan
Social empathy is ‘the ability to more deeply understand people by perceiving or experiencing their life situations and as a result gain insight into structural inequalities and disparities’. Social empathy comprises three elements: individual empathy, contextual understanding and social responsibility. COVID-19 has created a population-wide experience of exclusion that is only usually experienced by subgroups of the general population. Notably, persons with disability, in their everyday lives, commonly experience many of the phenomena that have only recently been experienced by members of the general population. COVID-19 has conferred new experiential knowledge
on all of us. We have a rare opportunity to understand and better the lives of persons with disabilities for whom some aspects of the COVID- 19 experience are enduring. This allows us greater understanding of the importance of implementing in full a social and human rights model of disability, as outlined in the UNCRPD.
BMJ Global Health; 2020
![A man is photographed trying out a new Digital Innovation, he is wearing a VR headset](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/123241/publications-page-3.webp?v=1706086046)
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It is clear from the events of the last 18 months that while technology has a huge potential for transforming the way we live and work, the entire ecosystem—from manufacturing to the supply chain—is vulnerable to the vagaries of that ecosystem, as well as having the potential to exacerbate new and existing inequalities [1]. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the lives of people with disabilities, who make up around 15% of the world’s population and already face barriers to accessing education, employment, healthcare and other services [2]. Some of these barriers are a result of unequal access and opportunities. However, there is a growing movement to better understand how assistive technology systems and services can be designed to enable more robust and equitable access for all. As part of this growing movement, the Paralympic Games in Tokyo this autumn saw the launch of a new global campaign to transform the lives of the world’s 1.2 bn persons with disabilities: the ‘WeThe15’ campaign reached more than 4.5 billion people through its marketing and stands ready to be the biggest of its kind in history. Next year, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), AT scale and GDI Hub will publish the first World Report on Access to Assistive Technology, which will include research from the £20 million, UK Aid funded, GDI Hub-led, programme, AT2030. Ahead of that, in this Special Issue, we focus on how some events and situations—as diverse as the coronavirus pandemic and the Paralympics—can act as ‘critical junctures’ that can enable a rethink of the status quo to facilitate and promote change.
Sustainability; 2021
![3D printing](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/765/3D-printing.webp?v=1706086039)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Sarah Kelly
A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University.
Loughborough University
![A woman wearing a mask, testing her hearing using an app and headphones](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126683/publications-page-15.webp?v=1706086046)
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Emma M. Smith, Malcolm MacLachlan, Ikenna D. Ebuenyi, Catherine Holloway & Victoria Austin
While the inadequacies of our existing assistive technology systems, policies, and services have been highlighted by the acute and rapidly changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, these failures are also present and important during non-crisis times. Each of these actions, taken together, will not only address needs for more robust and resilient systems for future crises, but also the day-to-day needs of all assistive technology users. We have a responsibility as a global community, and within our respective countries, to address these inadequacies now to ensure an inclusive future.
Disability & Society; 2020
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126861/publications-page-21.webp?v=1706086033)
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Dafne Zuleima Morgado-Ramirez, Giulia Barbareschi, Maggie Kate Donovan-Hall, Mohammad Sobuh, Nida' Elayyan, Brenda T Nakandi, Robert Tamale Ssekitoleko, joyce Olenja, Grace Nyachomba Magomere, Sibylle Daymond, Jake Honeywill, Ian Harris, Nancy Mbugua, Laurence Kenney, Catherine Holloway
80% of people with disabilities worldwide live in low resourced settings, rural areas, informal settlements and in multidimensional poverty. ICT4D leverages technological innovations to deliver programs for international development. But very few do so with a focus on and involving people with disabilities in low resource settings. Also, most studies largely focus on publishing the results of the research with a focus on the positive stories and not the learnings and recommendations regarding research processes.
ASSETS '20: Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility; 2020
![A dusty market street in an African country](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120689/shashi-yadav-Mn9mcQK81zI-unsplash.webp?v=1706086040)
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Giulia Barbareschi, Dafne Zuleima Morgado-Ramirez, Catherine Holloway, Swami Manohar Swaminathan, Aditya Vashistha, and Edward Cutrell.
Approximately 15% of the world's population has a disability and 80% live in low resource-settings, often in situations of severe social isolation. Technology is often inaccessible or inappropriately designed, hence unable to fully respond to the needs of people with disabilities living in low resource settings. Also lack of awareness of technology contributes to limited access. This workshop will be a call to arms for researchers in HCI to engage with people with disabilities in low resourced settings to understand their needs and design technology that is both accessible and culturally appropriate.
Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
![Image of artwork by Jason Wiltshire-Mills, featured on the front cover of DIX](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/103169/Accelerate-templates-21.webp?v=1706086032)
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Research Group
; 2021
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120452/PhD-3.webp?v=1706086039%2C0.76%2C0.466)
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Anna Vlachaki
The literature shows that research into the aesthetic aspects of prostheses is limited. Although there are suggestions that prostheses with high levels of emotionally-driven design may improve users’ well-being, they are based only on theoretical findings. Therefore, in this thesis the effects of emotionally-driven prostheses on users’ lives and society’s attitudes were explored, with respect to culture and more specifically, the theories of individualism/ collectivism. In order to investigate the effects of culture, the research was conducted in two countries with different cultures; the UK (individualistic) and Greece (collectivistic). The thesis began with a literature review across three core areas: user, product and environment, and revealed the importance of investigating an additional area; that of prosthetists. The research employed a qualitative approach and consisted of four studies.
Loughborough University
![An older man fits his own hearing aid](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126866/publications-page-22.webp?v=1706086080)
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Jamie Danemayer, Dorothy Boggs, Vinicius Delgado Ramos, Emma M. Smith, Ariana Kular, William Bhot, Felipe Ramos Barajas, Sarah Polack, Catherine Holloway
Assistive technology (AT) includes assistive products (APs) and related services that can improve health and well-being, enable increased independence and foster participation for people with functional difficulties, including older adults and people with impairments or chronic health conditions.1 This paper uses the umbrella term ‘functional difficulty’ (FD) to refer to all of these groups. This systematic review was undertaken to identify studies presenting population-based estimates of need and coverage for five APs (hearing aids, limb prostheses, wheelchairs, glasses and personal digital assistants) grouped by four functional domains (hearing, mobility, vision and cognition).
BMJ Global Health; 2021
![Kenyan man holding a prosthesis](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/6171/Amparo-prosthestics.webp?v=1706086038%2C0.6933%2C0.5349)
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Giulia Barbareschi, Wesley Teerlink, Josepg Gakunga Njuguna, Purity Musungu, Mary Dama Kirino, and Catherine Holloway
According to estimates from the World Health Organization, in 2010, there were more than 30 million people in need of prosthetic and orthotic devices across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.1 This number is likely to have grown significantly in the past decade, in line with trends recorded for the general need of assistive technology.2 For many people who undergo a lower limb amputation, access to an appropriate prosthesis is essential to restore functional mobility and ensure good quality of life.3 Ultimately, an appropriate lower-limb prosthesis (LLP) can enable people with amputation to fulfill their desired role in their family, work, and community life.4
Prosthetic and Orthotics International; 2022
![A man trials a lower limb prosthetic in parallel bars](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126875/publications-page-25.webp?v=1706086081)
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Themes
Kate Mattick, Ben Oldfrey, Maggie Donovan-Hall, Grace Magomere, Joseph Gakunga, Catherine Holloway
An estimated 1.5 million people undergo limb amputation each year [1]. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are projected to have a rapid increase in people living with an amputation in the coming years due to prevalence of non-communicable dis-ease, trauma and conflict [1–3]. This paper explores the personal and system factors that motivate and enhance outcomes for patients accessing a prosthetic service and using a lower-limb prosthesis within a low resource setting.
Disability and Rehabilitation; 2022
![Kenyan man holding a prosthesis](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/6171/Amparo-prosthestics.webp?v=1706086038%2C0.6933%2C0.5349)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Rhys James Williams
Thesis: Firstly, the research provides a methodological contribution showing how to conduct mixed-methods research to obtain rich insights into complex prosthesis phenomena. Secondly, the research highlights the need to appreciate psychological and contextual factors when researching prosthesis wearer thermal comfort. The research contributions are also converted into an implication for prosthesis design. The concept of 'regaining control' to psychologically mitigate thermal discomfort could be incorporated into technologies by using 'on-demand' thermal discomfort relief, rather than 'always-on' solutions, as have been created in the past.
UCL, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/118320/ICT-Landscape-review-The-use-of-ICT-in-improving-the-educational-participation-outcomes.webp?v=1706086034)
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Maria Kett, Victoria Austin, Giulia Barbareschi, Nusrat Jahan, Paul Lynch, Catherine Holloway, Joel Burman, Felipe Ramos-Barajas, Lea Simpson
Information and communication technology (ICT) tools can have a catalytic effect in advancing both educational access and learning outcomes for children with disabilities. Despite tremendous potential, a gap exists between technology advancements and their large-scale application in educating children with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries. This landscape review of ICTs for disability-inclusive education by the Inclusive Education Initiative seeks to understand the current status and trends in the practice of educational technology (EdTech) and the use of ICT in improving the educational participation and outcomes of children with disabilities. The review explores what factors enable or restrict this improvement within the wider EdTech ecosystem.
GDI Hub partnered with the World Bank to design and conduct the research, and author the ICT Landscape review: The use of ICT in improving the educational participation and outcomes of children with disabilities. This report is a global knowledge product from the Inclusive Education Initiative (IEI)—a multi-donor trust fund on disability-inclusive education managed by the World Bank, with support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
World Bank; 2021
![Mobile phone kiosk features mobile devices, plugs and other accesories.](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/12795/IMG_0062.webp?v=1706086033)
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Themes
Nusrat Jahan, Giulia Barbareschi, Clara Aranda Jan, Charles Musungu Mutuku, Naemur Rahman, Victoria Austin, Catherine Holloway
Worldwide it is estimated that there are over a billion people who live with some form of disability [1]. Approximately 80% of people with disabilities live in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs). The combination of an inaccessible environment compounded by socio-economic factors such as poverty and stigma, makes it more likely for people with disabilities to be marginalised and excluded from society [1]. Assistive Technologies (ATs) are known to bridge the accessibility gaps and allow for greater social inclusion. However, there is a lack of adequate access to ATs in LMICs, combined with often poorly designed services, which only magnifies these challenges, thus limiting the opportunities for persons with disabilities to live an independent life [2]. Despite the importance of AT, access to AT globally is inadequate with only 10 percent of those in need having access to the ATs that they need [2].
2020 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120468/innovate-now-toolkit.webp?v=1706086042)
Type
As an entrepreneur, learning how to solve problems by creating and experimenting with different strategies is a core pillar of the entrepreneurial mindset you need to succeed. However, there’s rarely a single correct way to solve problems as an entrepreneur, so you need to learn how to create and compare different solutions.
The open entrepreneurship toolkit is a set of learning materials that can help you and your team do just that. Covering the domains of user, product, market and business development, the set of cards have been designed to be used by two or more group members to actively experiment with different solutions.
Innovate Now
![Photograph of the Global Report On Assistive Technology paperback publication](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/123231/publications-page-2.webp?v=1706086048)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Johan Borg, Wei Zhang, Emma M. Smith, Cathy Holloway
GReAT, but do we care?
If accessible, assistive technology would be life changing for a billion people across the world today – and two billion people in 2050 (WHO, 2018). It would make the difference between independence and dependence, inclusion and exclusion, life and death. It holds the potential to improve and transform health, education, livelihood and social participation; fundamental human rights everyone is entitled to. And if we are lucky to grow old, the chances are that we all would use assistive technology by then. But do we care?
Assistive Technology, The Official Journal of RESNA; 2021
![Screenshot of a page of the thesis describing function & Type of Maxillofacial Prostheses](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120436/Screenshot-facial-prosthetics.webp?v=1706086036)
Type
Themes
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Sophia Esther Liiba Tetteh
A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University
Loughborough University
![A graphic displaying a balance point between supply and demand. The demand is higher than the supply](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/122410/publications-page-1.webp?v=1706086200)
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Research Group
Jamie Danemayer, Dorothy Boggs, Emma M. Smith, Vinicius Delgado Ramos, Linamara Rizzo Battistella, Cathy Holloway, and Sarah Polack
An assistive product (AP) is defined as a product used exter-nally to the human body, whose primary purpose is to main-tain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence and thereby promote his or her well-being (WHO, 2016). Global population aging forecasts a rise in the need for solu-tions that support participation and independence, including APs. In this paper, we review current population-level AP supply and demand estimation methods for five priority APs and provide recommendations for improving national and global AP market evaluation.
Assistive Technology The Official Journal of RESNA; 2021
![Photograph of a humanitarian context, large white tents temporarily placed on red mud](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/122405/publications-page.webp?v=1706085988)
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Research Group
Golnaz Whittaker, Gavin Adam Wood, Giulia Oggero, Maria Kett, Kirstin Lange
This paper discusses the evidence available in the literature for the scale and quality of AT provision interventions in crises, and what is known about the challenges and facilitators of provision. We conducted a search of the academic literature and retained literature that reported on any form of AT provision following crisis, where international humanitarian response was in place, published in English between January 2010 and June 2020.
Assistive Technology The Official Journal of RESNA; 2021
![Photo looking down at feet and a cane standing on a texture pavement](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120686/pexels-eren-li-7188737.webp?v=1706086039)
Type
Themes
Maryam Bandukda, Catherine Holloway, Aneesha Singh, Giulia Barbareschi, Nadia Berthouze
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 BPS people and 8 Mobility and Orientation Trainers (MOT). The interviews were thematically analysed and organised into four overarching themes discussing factors influencing the self-efficacy belief of BPS people: Tools and Strategies for O&M training, Technology Use in O&M Training, Changing Personal and Social Circumstances, and Social Influences. We further highlight opportunities for combinations of multimodal technologies to increase access to and effectiveness of O&M training.
ASSETS '21: Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility
![A group of people are photographed in sports wear in an athletic stadium](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/121709/Project_assets.webp?v=1706085986)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Jessica Noske-Turner, Emma Pullen, Mufunanji Magalasi, Damian Haslett, Jo Tacchi
Communication & Sport
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/135659/publications-page-26.webp?v=1706085983)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Ben Oldfrey, Cathy Holloway, Julian Walker, Steven McCormack, Bernadette Deere, Laurence Kenney, Robert Ssekitoleko, Helen Ackers & Mark Miodownik
This paper focuses on the local repair of assistive products in low resource environments. We review the existing literature on the repair of assistive products in low resource settings, and briefly discuss the “Right to Repair” movement.
Disability and Rehabilitation; 2023
![""](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126698/publications-page-20.webp?v=1706086074)
Type
Themes
Jamie Danemayer, Andrew Young, Siobhan Green, Lydia Ezenwa, Michael Klein
This study synthesizes learnings from three distinct datasets: innovator applications to the COVIDaction data challenges, surveys from organizers from similarly-aimed data challenges, and a focus group discussion with professionals who work with COVID-19 data. Thematic and topic analyses were used to analyze these datasets with the aim to identify gaps and barriers to effective data use in responding to the pandemic.
Data & Policy; 2023
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120448/PhD-2.webp?v=1706086037)
Type
Themes
Maryam Bandukda, Aneesha Singh, Catherine Holloway, Nadia Berthouze, Emeline Brulé, Ana Tajadura-Jiménez, Oussama Metatla, Ana Javornik, and Anja Thieme
The emerging possibilities of multisensory interactions provide an exciting space for disability and open up opportunities to explore new experiences for perceiving one's own body, it's interactions with the environment and also to explore the environment itself. In addition, dynamic aspects of living with disability, life transitions, including ageing, psychological distress, long-term conditions such as chronic pain and new conditions such as long-COVID further affect people's abilities. Interactions with this diversity of embodiments can be enriched, empowered and augmented through using multisensory and cross-sensory modalities to create more inclusive technologies and experiences. To explore this, in this workshop we will explore three related sub-domains: immersive multi-sensory experiences, embodied experiences, and disability interactions and design.
CHI EA '21: Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
![](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/127985/publications-page.webp?v=1706086073)
Type
Themes
Jamie Danemayer, Cathy Holloway, Youngjun Cho, Nadia Berthouze, Aneesha Singh, William Bhot, Ollie Dixon, Marko Grobelnik, John Shawe-Taylor
Paper highlights: Assistive technology (AT) information networks are insular among stakeholder groups, causing unequal access to information. Participants often cited fragmented international marketplaces as a barrier and valued info-sharing across industries. Current searches produce biased results in marketplaces influenced by commercial interests and high-income contexts. Smart features could facilitate searching, update centralised data sources, and disseminate information more inclusively.
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies; 2023
![A screenshot of examples of common interfaces of wheelchair use, a joy stick, head control and sip/puff switch](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120431/common-interfaces.webp?v=1706086035)
Type
Themes
Dr Chinemelu Ejiamatu Muoma Ezeh
Doctoral Thesis. Independent mobility is fundamental to the quality of life of people with impairment. Most people with severe mobility impairments, whether congenital, e.g., from cerebral palsy, or acquired, e.g., from spinal cord injury, are prescribed a wheelchair. A small yet significant number of people are unable to use a typical powered wheelchair controlled with a joystick. Instead, some of these people require alternative interfaces such as a head- array or Sip/Puff switch to drive their powered wheelchairs. However, these alternative interfaces do not work for everyone and often cause frustration, fatigue and collisions. This thesis develops a novel technique to help improve the usability of some of these alternative interfaces, in particular, the head-array and Sip/Puff switch.
UCL (University College London)
![Kenyan man holding a prosthesis](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/6171/Amparo-prosthestics.webp?v=1706086038%2C0.6933%2C0.5349)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Troy Bodkin
Doctoral Thesis. This work is one of four multidisciplinary research studies conducted by members of this research cluster, focusing on the area of Computer Aided Design (CAD) for improving the interface with Additive Manufacture (AM) to solve some of the challenges presented with improving prosthetic socket design, with an aim to improve and streamline the process to enable the involvement of clinicians and patients in the design process.
Loughborough University
![Steps leading up around a corner with handrail and colourful wall mural](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120694/pexels-brett-jordan-2764400.webp?v=1706086036)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Catherine Holloway, William Bhot, Keir X. X. Yong, Ian McCarthy, Tatsuto Suzuki, Amelia Carton, Biao Yang, Robin Serougne, Derrick Boampong, Nick Tyler, Sebastian J. Crutch, Nadia Berthouze and Youngjun Cho
Posterior Cortical Atrophy is a rare but significant form of dementia which affects people's visual ability before their memory. This is often misdiagnosed as an eyesight rather than brain sight problem. This paper aims to address the frequent, initial misdiagnosis of this disease as a vision problem through the use of an intelligent, cost-effective, wearable system, alongside diagnosis of the more typical Alzheimer's Disease.
Frontiers in Computer Science
![Three young operators working for Humanity and Inclusion in Uganda assessing an elderly woman who uses a crutch](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/522/HI_picture.webp?v=1706086048)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Chapal Khasnabis, Catherine Holloway, Malcolm MacLachlan
We are now in an era of assistive care and assistive living—whereby many people, of all ages, in good health, and those who are more frail, or with cognitive or functional impairments, are using a broad range of technologies to assist and enhance their daily living. Assistive living1 is becoming an important part of population health and rehabilitation, which can help to maximise an individual's abilities, regardless of age or functional capacity. This encouraging shift in ethos has been strengthened by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which a plethora of digital and remote technologies have been used.
The Lancet; 2020
![KEnya paper](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/168788/kenya_paper.webp?v=1706086071)
Type
Themes
Emma M. Smith, Catherine Holloway
The objective of this research was to describe the assistive technology ecosystem in Kenya through descriptive information about key stakeholder organizations, and a network analysis demonstrating the nature and strength of relationships between organizations. An assistive technology ecosystem is an interconnected community of actors, including government, civil society, and the private sector who work together or in parallel to deliver assistive products and services to the people who need them. Using the network analysis, we aimed to demonstrate the degree to which key stakeholder organizations within the ecosystem did (or did not) interact, which will provide policy makers with data from which to further develop collaborations within the ecosystem
Taylor & Francis Online; 2024
![""](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126691/publications-page-19.webp?v=1706086032)
Type
Themes
Giulia Barbareschi, Catherine Holloway, Katherine Arnold, Grace Magomere, Wycliffe Ambeyi Wetende, Gabriel Ngare, Joyce Olenja
We present the findings of a case study of mobile technology use by People with Visual Impairment (VIPs) in Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi. We used contextual interviews, ethnographic observations and a co-design workshop to explore how VIPs use mobile phones in their daily lives, and how this use influences the social infrastructure of VIPs. Our findings suggest that mobile technology supports and shapes the creation of social infrastructure. However, this is only made possible through the existing support networks of the VIPs, which are mediated through four types of interaction: direct, supported, dependent and restricted.
CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference; 2020
![Colour photograph of Daniel wearing a white checked shirt and sitting at a desk facing the camera](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/77286/Daniel.webp?v=1706086033)
Type
Themes
This article was featured in Nature and discusses tools that help visually impaired scientists read data and Journals. Innovation Manager, Daniel Hajas, was interviewed as part of this piece and highlights the need for an ecosystem approach, and access to data / visualisations for blind members of the research and science community.
Nature; 2023
![12-step London 2012 Disability Inclusion Model: Graphic text includes the following 12 steps positioned in a square shape around the GDI Hub logo. 1. community leaders articulation of needs and priorities, 2. P/political leadership, 3. Clear mission and joint objective setting, 4. Time limited action, 5. Governance by disabled people and community leaders, 6. Diverse partnerships where everyone can drive change, 7. Expert technical assistance and mainstreamed training, 8. Resources, resourcefulness and tools, 9. Inclusive innovation encouraged, 10. Good enough data, scrutiny and progress management, 11. Culture of excellence (beyond contractual compliance) & consequences of failure (to try), 12. Reflection and recognition of success](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/58259/12-step-model.webp?v=1706085989)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Disability inclusion necessitates proactive efforts to ensure everybody has an independent and equitable opportunity to meaningfully participate in the activities of their choosing [1,2,3]. Furthermore, disability justice is not a minority concern. There are more than a billion disabled people worldwide, and impairment is something which affects most people’s family right now and will impact all of us over our lifetime. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) enshrines human rights of all disabled people [4], and in 2015 the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) recognised disability inclusion for the first time with the call to ‘leave no-one behind’. Increasingly, governments, non-governmental agencies and businesses alike are seeking to develop and implement policy and practice which enables greater social inclusion for disabled people (In this paper, Disabled People is used in line with the Social Model of Disability in the UK, though please note the UN uses ‘Persons with Disabilities’ as is common in North America) [5]. Eighty percent of the disabled people in the world live in low resource settings in the Global South [3] with a projected growth of this number due to an increase in population age, there is the ever-pressing need to critically evaluate how best to approach disability inclusion to build a societies where we all can flourish. Despite this, we lack case studies of how disability inclusion can be done well—in the literature and in practice. For this reason, we set out to undertake this research using one the most recognised cases of ‘disability inclusion done well’.
Sustainability
![""](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126872/publications-page-24.webp?v=1706086035)
Type
Themes
Tabish Ahmed, Sahan Bulathwela
The informational needs of people are highly contextual and can depend on many different factors such as their current knowledge state, interests and goals [1, 2, 3]. However, an effective information retrieval companion should minimise the human effort required in i) expressing a human information need and ii) navigating a lengthy result set. Using topical representations of the user history (e.g. [4]) can immensely help formulating zero shot queries and refining short user queries that enable proactive information retrieval (IR). While the world has digital textual information in abundance, it can often be noisy (e.g. extracted through Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), PDF text extraction etc.), leading to state-of-the-art neural models being highly sensitive to the noise producing sub-optimal results [5]. This demands denoising steps to refine both query and document representation. In this paper, we argue that Wikipedia, an openly available encyclopedia, can be a humanly intuitive knowledge base [6] that has the potential to provide the world view many noisy information Retrieval systems need.
Published at the First Workshop on Proactive and Agent-Supported Information Retrieval at CIKM 2022; 2022
![A sheet of material with a regular matrix of flat and raised nodules](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/57300/image2.webp?v=1706086039)
Type
Themes
Tigmanshu Bhatnagar, Nicolai Marquardt, Mark Miodownik, Catherine Holloway
Shape changing materials create a unique opportunity to design reconfigurable tactile display actuators. In this paper, we present a method that transforms a single thin monolithic sheet of Nitinol into a passive reconfigurable tactile pixel array at Braille resolution. We have designed a 27x27 tactile pixel array in which each pixel can be selectively actuated with an external source of heat. The pixels rise 0.4mm vertically with a peak blocked force of 0.28kg and have an average blocked force of 0.23kg at room temperature. After cooling, the pixels can be mechanically reconfigured back to their flat state for repeatable actuation. We demonstrate this actuator’s interactive capabilities through a novel erasable tactile drawing interface.
IEEE World Haptics Conference; 2021
![A man holding a bicycle seat with a 3d printed splint on his wrist](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120697/tom-claes-13g9FZqVvNY-unsplash.webp?v=1706086037)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Charlotte Pyatt
A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Loughborough University.
Loughborough University
![Graphic images of wheelchair configurations](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/126674/publications-page-13.webp?v=1706086035)
Type
Themes
Barbareschi, G; Daymond, S; Honeywill, J; Singh, A; Noble, D; Mbugua, N; Harris, I; Austin, V; Holloway, C
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Assistive Technology (AT) as “an umbrella term covering the systems and services related to the delivery of assistive products and services” [6]. This definition highlights how AT encompasses not only the physical and digital products used by millions of persons with disabilities (PWDs) worldwide, but also the systems and services that accompany the provision of these devices [78].
ASSETS '20: The 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility.; 2020
![Kenyan man in a wheelchair - his face is obscured for privacy](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/120479/Screenshot-2023-01-03-at-11.18.45.webp?v=1706086039)
Type
Themes
Giulia Barbareschi, Norah Shitawa Kopi, Ben Oldfrey, Catherine Holloway
In this paper, we examine how young Kenyans without disabilities view people with disabilities and AT users. Findings show that while the portrayal of disability is often shaped by negative emotion, participants felt that many of the barriers affecting people with disabilities were created by society. Perceptions of AT differed –devices were not only seen as a mark of disability but also as a sign of access to resources. Therefore, what we see is an emergent picture where social barriers can be reinforced by poverty, and where poverty reinforces social barriers faced by people with disabilities. We conclude that access to appropriate technology alongside societal interventions tackling incorrect beliefs about disability can help to overcome the stigma faced by people with disabilities.
ASSETS '21: Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility
![Image of a young man in a red t-shirt sitting in his wheelchair inside a community space](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/97233/Twitter-posts-JUNE-10.webp?v=1706086036)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Giulia Barbareschi
Doctoral Thesis. This thesis makes two contributions to facilitate wheelchair users’ engagement in the participatory design process for ATs, while being mindful of the burden of participation. The first contribution is a framework that provides a modular structure guiding the participatory design process from initial problem identification and analysis to facilitating collaborations between wheelchair users and designers. The framework identifies four factors determining the need and adoption process for ATs: (i) People focuses on the target population, (ii) Person includes personal characteristics, (iii) Activity refers to the challenges associated with the task, and (iv) Context encompasses the effect of the environment in which the activity takes place. The second contribution constitutes a rich picture of personal and external elements influencing real world wheelchair transfers that emerged from four studies carried out to investigate the effect of the framework factors on the design process for ATs.
UCL (University College London)
![Vicki interviewing a female wheelchair user in Sierra Leone. .](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/11155/Vicki-5.webp?v=1706085984)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Victoria Austin, Catherine Holloway, Ignacia Ossul Vermehren, Abs Dumbuya, Giulia Barbareschi and Julian Walker
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that there are currently one billion people in the world who need access to assistive technology (AT). Yet over 90% currently do not have access to assistive products (AP)—such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, walking sticks and eyeglasses—they need, nor and the systems and services necessary to support their appropriate provision [1]. This shocking deficit is set to double by 2050, with about two billion of us likely to require AT but no anticipated reduction in lack of access. The World Health Organisation defines AT as the “the umbrella term covering the systems and services related to the delivery of assistive products and services”, which are products that “maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence, thereby promoting their well-being” [2], and the importance of AT provision is strongly highlighted in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) [3]. AT has also been shown to be essential to achieving many of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) [4]. Without access to AT, many persons with disabilities are unable to go to school, be active in their communities, earn an income, or play a full role in their families [5]. As a recent study found, “AT can make the impossible possible for people living with a wide range of impairments, but a lack of access to basic AT …excludes individuals and reduces their ability to live full, enjoyable, and independent lives” [6].
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; 2021
![A lady in a wheelchair in a building in Africa](https://cdn.disabilityinnovation.com/uploads/images/_publicationImage/25392/IMG_0465.webp?v=1706086084)
Type
Themes
Research Group
Giulia Barbareschi, Mark T. Carew, Elizabeth Aderonke Johnson, Norah Kopi, Catherine Holloway
Stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs towards disability represent one of the most pervasive and complex barriers that limits access to health care, education, employment, civic rights and opportunities for socialization for people with disabilities [1,2,3]. The damaging impact of disability stigma is widely acknowledged and, according to article 8 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities, developing strategies, campaigns, policies and other initiatives to combat disability stigma and ensure that all people with disabilities are treated with dignity and respect is also a duty of the 182 countries who ratified the treaty [4]. Although the majority of literature focused on understanding disability stigma has been carried out in high-income settings [5,6,7], in the last decade, an increasing number of scholars have conducted studies looking at the negative stereotypes, prejudices and inaccurate beliefs that shape disability stigma in the Global South [3,8,9,10]. Most of these studies have described how these stigmatizing beliefs are often driven by a combination of personal and societal factors, ranging from misconceptions concerning the causes of different impairments (e.g., disability to be seen as a form of curse or punishment); assumptions about the lack of capabilities of people with disabilities; or discriminatory practices that actively endorse separation between people with and without disabilities [3,9,11,12]. Yet, there is a dearth of comparative studies that examine the perspectives of both people with and without disabilities of disability stigma and discrimination, including how the use of assistive technology may shape stigmatizing interactions.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; 2021