Publications

Type

Article
Report
Disability Inclusion and Innovation for Clean Energy Access: Embracing Co-Design and Collaboration

What happens when key stakeholders for inclusive clean energy access delivery, who have never met, are brought into the same room? That is exactly what we set out to explore in Nairobi through a workshop hosted by the Transforming Energy Access Disability Support Service (DSS).

In April 2026, the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform convened 40 members in Nairobi, Kenya, including people with disabilities, representatives from organisations of persons with disabilities n(OPDs), Transforming Energy Access partners, and disability innovators for a hands-on workshop titled ‘Co-Designing Disability-Inclusive Energy Access’. Designed and delivered by the Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub, London, with Senses Hub, Nairobi, as the local engagement partner, a series of interactive sessions explored key needs, barriers, and opportunities to maximise the impact of the clean energy transition for people with disabilities. 

Disability Inclusion and Innovation for Clean Energy Access: Embracing Co-Design and Collaboration

Type

Toolkit
Gender Equality, Disability & Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Toolkit

The TEA platform is working to integrate a gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) lens into key decision-making and project activities, tracking results, and supporting a just and inclusive clean energy transition that leaves no one behind.

The GEDSI Toolkit and other training resources presented on this page are aimed at promoting and enabling socio-economic development, growth and poverty reduction, and supporting equal access to the benefits of modern, affordable and reliable energy. It was developed primarily with TEA platform partners in mind, though contains tools and guidance that can be valuable to others in the wider sector.

Transforming Energy Access; 2025

Gender Equality, Disability & Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Toolkit

Type

Conference Paper

Research Group

Disability Interactions
Understanding the Video Content Creation Journey of Creators with Sensory Impairment in Kenya

Lan Xiao, Maryam Bandukda, Franklin Mingzhe Li, Mark Colley, Catherine HollowayAuthors Info & Claims

Video creation has become a global medium for self-expression and communication. However, due to its inherently multimodal nature, the video production process can pose significant barriers for creators with sensory impairments . Worldwide, an estimated 596 million individuals are blind or partially sighted (BPS), and ≈ 70 million are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) .

Download Visit publisher

Abstract

Understanding the Video Content Creation Journey of Creators with Sensory Impairment in Kenya

Video content creation offers vital opportunities for expression and participation, yet remains largely inaccessible to creators with sensory impairments, especially in low-resource settings. We conducted interviews with 20 video creators with visual and hearing impairments in Kenya to examine their tools, challenges, and collaborative practices. Our findings show that accessibility barriers and infrastructural limitations shape video creation as a staged, collaborative process involving trusted human partners and emerging AI tools. Across workflows, creators actively negotiated agency and trust, maintaining creative control while bridging sensory gaps. We discuss the need for flexible, interdependent collaboration models, inclusive human-AI workflows, and diverse storytelling practices. This work broadens accessibility research in HCI by examining how technology and social factors intersect in low-resource contexts, suggesting ways to better support disabled creators globally.

Understanding the Video Content Creation Journey of Creators with Sensory Impairment in Kenya

Person in a colorful garment stands near water with a rural house in the background; cover of the "Advancing Disability Inclusive Climate Action" guide featuring logos of CBM Global, IAG, and GDI Hub.

Type

Report
Advancing disability inclusive climate action: A resource guide for global practitioners

CBM Global, IAG, and GDI Hub

This Resource Guide was developed jointly by the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) and the Inclusion Advisory Group (IAG), which is an initiative of CBM Global Disability Inclusion. We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the 15 sector experts who participated in interviews during the initial consultation phase in 2023, offering valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities for inclusion across urban climate action, nature-based solutions, and energy transition

Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. Its impacts are widespread, but they are not experienced equally. Persons with disabilities – who represent over one billion people globally are disproportionately affected by climate-related risks, yet remain underrepresented in climate policy, planning, and action. This Resource Guide is a practical response to that gap. And it brings something new to the field of climate action: a clear, practical focus on how disability inclusion can be embedded across specific climate action sectors. From energy and urban development to nature-based solutions and disaster risk reduction, it showcases real-world examples that demonstrate what is possible when inclusion is intentional. These examples are still too rare and too often undocumented. 

By highlighting them, this guide aims to inspire and equip climate practitioners to act, then document and share those actions to drive learning across sectors. The guide is grounded in dialogue, with organisations of persons with disabilities, climate actors, and development partners, and reflects a growing recognition that inclusive climate action is not only a matter of rights, but of resilience and resourcefulness. This is reflected in the growing momentum for official recognition of a disability constituency with the UNFCCC; a vital step to ensure that persons with disabilities can shape the policies which impact their lives. As organisations committed to disability inclusion and innovation, we see this guide as both a comprehensive resource and a starting point to build more evidence. There is an urgent need for deeper collaboration between disability and climate actors to generate and share knowledge, build mutual understanding, and strengthen inclusive practice. Through partnerships, dialogue, and joint learning, we can ensure that persons with disabilities are not only supported to be resilient to the impacts of climate change, but are active participants in shaping a more just and sustainable future.

Download

Cite

Advancing disability inclusive climate action: A resource guide for global practitioners

Patrick, M., Wardrop, P., Palmer, T., Wali, T. (2025) Advancing disability inclusive climate action: A resource guide for global practitioners working on urban climate action, nature-based solutions, and energy transition. Prepared by the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) and CBM Global Inclusion Advisory Group (IAG).

Advancing disability inclusive climate action: A resource guide for global practitioners

Type

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

Victoria Austin, Catherine Holloway, Giulia Barbasechi, Lan Xiao, Maryam Bandukda, Mwangi J Matheri, Wallace Karuguti 

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].

Download

Abstract

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

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.

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

Type

Journal Paper
A Cookbook for Community-driven Data Collection of Impaired Speech in LowResource Languages

Sumaya Ahmed Salihs , Isaac Wiafe ,Jamal-Deen Abdulai1 ,Elikem Doe Atsakpo ,Gifty Ayoka3, Richard Cave, Akon Obu Ekpezu, Catherine Holloway, Katrin Tomanek, Fiifi Baffoe Payin,Winful1

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology has transformed human-human and human-computer communications. It facilitates understanding through real-time speech captioning [1], [2] and supports hands-free computing (e.g. email dictations, emails, online information retrieval, and automatic language translation). ASR is used to control smart home activities, such as changing television channels, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and adjusting lighting. Although it continues to be useful, most of these technologies do not cater to speech diversity and are often optimized for ‘standard’ or typical speech. Therefore, they fail to benefit individuals with impaired speech such as dysarthria, stammering, or cleft palate who often experience reduced ASR accuracy. Prior studies have demonstrated the potential benefits of speech recognition technologies in English for distinct impaired speech[2], [3], [4]. 

While this benefits English speakers, it is imperative to extend similar technologies to low-resource languages (LRLs). LRL communities have limited access to assistive technologies and speech and language therapy (SLT) services [5], [6], [7]. Hence, the availability of ASR technologies in LRLs will facilitate effective communication for those with speech impairments, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where there are insufficient speech therapy resources [7]. This study is part of a larger initiative that seeks to collect, validate, and create a large corpus of impaired speech in LRLs. It reports the findings of a pilot study in the Akan language from Ghana, by discussing the methods, challenges, and lessons learned from the data collection, validation, and testing of the dataset to adapt ASR models.

Download Visit publisher

Abstract

A Cookbook for Community-driven Data Collection of Impaired Speech in LowResource Languages

This study presents an approach for collecting speech samples to build Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) models for impaired speech, particularly, low-resource languages. It aims to democratize ASR technology and data collection by developing a "cookbook" of best practices and training for community-driven data collection and ASR model building. As a proof-of-concept, this study curated the first open-source dataset of impaired speech in Akan: a widely spoken indigenous language in Ghana. The study involved participants from diverse backgrounds with speech impairments. The resulting dataset, along with the cookbook and open-source tools, are publicly available to enable researchers and practitioners to create inclusive ASR technologies tailored to the unique needs of speech impaired individuals. In addition, this study presents the initial results of finetuning open-source ASR models to better recognize impaired speech in Akan. Index Terms: automatic speech recognition, impaired speech, low resource language, community engagement, democratizing AI

A Cookbook for Community-driven Data Collection of Impaired Speech in LowResource Languages

Lincoln, a young black man, wearing a leather jacket and sat astride a motorcycle at an event. Poster stands are behind him - one partially reads "Innovation. Life changing assistive technology for all"

Type

Journal Paper
Developing National Priority Assistive Products Lists: experiences and lessons from six Sub-Saharan African countries

Fredric Seghers, Sarah Anderson, Lilian Saunders, Charles Reza, Franck Chikhata, Eshetu Bekele, Satish Mishra

Assistive technology (AT) plays a vital role in promoting independence, inclusion, and improved quality of life for people globally [1–3]. Yet, over 1 billion people worldwide lack access to AT, particularly in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) where access is as low as 3% [4]. In 2016, to address this large and global need, the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the Priority Assistive Products List (APL), a model list of fifty essential assistive products [5]. Modelled after the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, the WHO Priority APL aimed to strengthen health systems and advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through improved AT provision, while also mobilising resources and stimulating market competition [5,6]. The WHO APL provides a guiding framework for countries to develop National APLs, tailored to local contexts and priorities [7,8]. These National APLs can inform local policies, resource allocation, and service delivery strategies, ultimately improving access to AT not only for people with disabilities but all who benefit from AT. Research has demonstrated that increased availability of assistive products can contribute to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including poverty reduction, improved health outcomes, and enhanced educational and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities [7]. This underscores the importance of National APLs as tools for promoting UHC and social inclusion [6]. Despite the availability of the WHO Priority APL since 2016, country-level adoption of National APLs has been limited. By 2020, no African countries had developed National APLs. Between 2021 and 2024, work was done with several governments to develop and launch the first-ever National APLs, yet many African countries have yet to initiate this process [9]. Given this, the need for knowledge sharing across the international setting regarding the process, barriers, facilitators, and learnings from implementing National APLs is key [10].
 

Taylor & Francis; 2025

Download Visit publisher

Abstract

Developing National Priority Assistive Products Lists: experiences and lessons from six Sub-Saharan African countries

Purpose: This study examines the experiences and lessons learned from six Sub-Saharan African countries in developing National Priority Assistive Products Lists (APLs) between 2020 and 2024, aiming to provide insights for improving assistive technology (AT) access in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Materials and methods: The study employed qualitative descriptive methodology with a multi-faceted approach, including a comprehensive desktop review of documentation and publications, followed by semi-structured interviews and information review with key stakeholders (n = 9) from all six countries. Data analysis involved synthesising information to identify common themes, challenges, and best practices in APL development. Results: Key findings include the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement, challenges in data availability, varied prioritisation frameworks, and the need for local context adaptation. Countries faced common barriers, such as limited funding and regulatory challenges, however also identified facilitators like government leadership and integration with existing health systems. Conclusions: The study highlights the complex nature of developing National APLs and emphasises the importance of inclusive stakeholder engagement, data-driven prioritisation, and integration within broader health system strengthening efforts. These insights can guide other countries in developing and implementing effective APLs, ultimately improving AT access and advancing disability rights.

Cite

Developing National Priority Assistive Products Lists: experiences and lessons from six Sub-Saharan African countries

Anderson, S., Seghers, F., Saunders, L., Reza, C., Chikhata, F., Bekele, E., & Mishra, S. (2025). Developing National Priority Assistive Products Lists: experiences and lessons from six Sub-Saharan African countries. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2025.2561246

Developing National Priority Assistive Products Lists: experiences and lessons from six Sub-Saharan African countries

A lady holding a smartphone displaying the "Live Transcribe" app interface. She is wearing a black and white polka dot top and is standing on a balcony with lush green trees and a clear sky in the background.

Type

Journal Paper
Exploring the Usability of Gaze-based Mobile Communication in Ghana

The first Global Report on Assistive Technology (AT) [47] found that 2.5 billion people need AT today, a figure likely to rise to 3.5 billion by 2050, yet in some countries, access is as low as 3% for those who need it. Therefore, many people are still without access to the AT they need to carry out activities of daily life, and this is especially true for the 28-49% of people globally with communication disabilities [30]. In the last decade, digital devices, and especially smartphones with accessible applications, have become increasingly important as AT for the billion of disabled people worldwide, as they offer a variety of tools that enable people to address access barriers experienced in daily life [7, 8, 51, 52, 60, 61]. In contrast to often more costly and less available dedicated assistive devices such as Braille readers or digital communication boards, low-cost Android smartphones are available in most of the Global South through a variety of different providers [49, 70]. However, to date studies looking at the use and impact of smartphone applications to support the needs of people with communication difficulties in the Global South are still relatively scarce [6, 18, 42].

Impaired speech makes communication challenging and is compounded by stigma, which can isolate or marginalise people [19, 71]. Often, people who have impaired speech will be understood by and communicate with and through trusted individuals, limiting their speech to others due to the risk of ‘failing’ to communicate within a social exchange, leading to a feeling of inferiority and reduced participation in the moment and cumulatively over time [16]. These issues can also be more pronounced in Ghana and other countries in the Global South where disability stigma and other systemic failures contribute to lack of access to support and subsequent further marginalization [27, 73, 74].

Download Visit publisher

Abstract

Exploring the Usability of Gaze-based Mobile Communication in Ghana

In Ghana, people with communication challenges could benefit from gaze-based Augmented and Assistive Communication devices (AACs), widely used in countries with greater resources. However, there is limited evidence about the potential of such devices by people with communication disabilities in the Global South. Our study sought to evaluate the usability, identifying barriers and facilitators of adoption of a freely available Android-based eye-gaze AAC application called Look to Speak. The study included training of 10 local speech and language therapists and 15 people with communication difficulties. Our findings highlight how, despite some initial successes and the positive opinions of clients, caregivers and speech and language therapists the Look to Speak application largely failed to deliver substantial communication benefits to individual users. This was due to a combination of factors including the high cognitive load, design flaws of the application - such as the lack of optimization of the selection process depending on the chosen interaction mode, and lack of wheelchairs with adequate postural support, which are necessary for users to be able to successfully utilise the application. We contribute insights surrounding the mismatch between expectations and reality of gaze-base AACs, and considerations about the broader ecosystem required to support adoption and impact of such technologies in Ghana.

Exploring the Usability of Gaze-based Mobile Communication in Ghana

Type

Report
Youth Attitudes Towards Disability Sport & Assistive Technology

The 2024 Paralympic Games present a unique cultural moment to amplify the voices and stories of persons living with disabilities. To leverage this global event, the Global Disability Innovation Hub partnered with Shujaaz, an Emmy award winning partner based in Kenya to create a comprehensive initiative that explores and highlights the cultural impact of disability beyond the realm of sports. As part of this work Shujaaz collected data from Kenyans aged 18-24 across the country to understand:

  • To what extent young Kenyans are aware of, positive about, participating in disabled sports
  • To what extent young Kenyans are aware of, positive about, making use of assistive technology.

Shujaaz Inc; 2025

Download

Abstract

Youth Attitudes Towards Disability Sport & Assistive Technology

Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) is an Academic Research and Practice Centre accelerating disability innovation for a more just world.

AT2030 is a UK Aid-funded programme led by the GDI Hub to test ‘what works’ to improve access to life-changing Assistive Technology (AT) for all.

Shujaaz Inc is a network of social ventures working to break down the barriers preventing young people from taking control of the future.

WaCurious* is a Shujaaz Inc brand that mobilises young people with deep local knowledge, trains them on basic research skills and equips them with the necessary tools to collect data and insights to inform positive community change.

Study context:

To build on its efforts in accelerating disability innovation, GDI Hub seeks to understand the attitudes of 18–24-year-old Kenyans on disability, disability sports and assistive technology. AT2030 funded this study.

Study Objective:

  • To understand to what extent young Kenyans are aware of, positive about, participating in disabled sports.
  • To understand to what extent young Kenyans are aware of, positive about and making use of assistive technology.

Methodology & Sampling

WaCurious members conducted face-to-face interviews with 18–24-year-olds (referred to in this presentation as “Contributors”) in their neighbourhoods. WaCurious members were trained on the objectives of the study, research ethics and how to collect data digitally. All data collection was monitored closely by WaCurious research experts. Contributors are from 27 counties across Kenya.

Overview of Study Findings

  • 70% of contributors are interested in sports. Of those interested in sports, 77% are fans, 43% play, while 7% either coach or are organising sports.
  • TV is the leading channel of following sports at 70%, social media is second at 53%. DSTV (a pay-television serving Sub-Saharan Africa) is the most watched TV station (31%) while Radio Jambo is the most listened to radio station (45%) for sports news.
  • Of all social media platforms where contributors follow sports, Facebook is the favourite at 45%).
  • 47% of contributors followed Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 23% followed the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
  • 11% of contributors self-identify as disabled. 16% report having a disabled family member, 41% have a disabled friend and 33% have a disabled person attending their school.
  • 45% of contributors have seen a disabled person participating in sport in their community.
  • Athletics (37%), football (31%) and volleyball (12%) are the sports disabled people are seen participating in. These are the same sports (in the same order) contributors say they would like to follow in Paralympics.
  • 96% of contributors respond positively to the idea of having a disabled teammate, opponent or coach
  • 42% of contributors report that they are using one form of assistive technology.
  • 72% can describe assistive technology correctly as per the WHO definition.
  • 26% think they need assistive technology now, while 40% think they will need it in the future.
  • Most contributors (86%) are willing to participate in sports with someone using glasses as assistive technology. Willingness to participate with someone using a wheelchair is at 62% and is the least scoring of all the assistive technologies listed.
  • The chances of people using assistive technology achieving things in life are rated at: 64% for completing secondary school; 64% for having own family; 63% for getting a college degree and 44% for participating in sports.
  • Discrimination, stigma and lack of facilities account for 74% of all reported challenges.
  • 92% of all contributors feel it is important for disabled athletes to be supported to participate in professional-level sports. The identified support includes financial support (29%), assistive technology (27%) psychological support (12%) and creation of opportunities (12%) among others.

Youth Attitudes Towards Disability Sport & Assistive Technology

Type

Report
Inclusive Cities

The Global Disability Innovation Hub

The Inclusive Infrastructure sub-programme, led by GDI Hub, recognises that the built environment, the world where we live, dictates our ability to use the AT we need. Access to the built environment is a fundamental human right, protected by the UN CRPD. However, the world we have designed and built presents a multitude of barriers and challenges for many, including persons with disabilities.

Global Disability Innovation Hub; 2024

Download Visit publisher

Abstract

Inclusive Cities

The aim of this report is to equip cities with practical but evidence-based actions to accelerate accessibility and inclusion in their physical infrastructure, buildings, services and operations.

Cities worldwide are experiencing continued growth and increasing resource challenges. This is particularly challenging in low- and middle-income settings, where huge infrastructural development is often necessary. With resource constraints and growing global challenges (rising inequality, climate changes, pandemics), it is even more critical that accessibility and inclusive design are seamlessly integrated into the planning and design of cities and all their functions, to ensure the effective and resilient use of resources to create liveable and enjoyable cities and provide persons with disabilities are not left behind.

National governments generally set disability policy, while cities need locally adaptable and practical frameworks for inclusive action. This suggests a need for a global agenda of inclusive practices for cities to catalyse shared learning and collective efforts, not reinvent the wheel, and help cities create an inclusive city.

Outputs

All reports can be downloaded as a PDF. In addition to the Global Action Report and Global Comparison reports, each city case study report is also available to download here.

City Case Study Reports:

  1. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  2. Varanasi, India
  3. Surakarta, Indonesia
  4. Nairobi, Kenya
  5. Freetown, Sierra Leone
  6. Medellin, Colombia

Inclusive Cities

Type

Report
Integrating Disability in Energy Transition GESI Strategies

Mikaela Patrick,Pollyanna Wardrop,Bala Nagendran Marimuthu

Disability is diverse, encompassing physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities. Likewise, the experiences of people with disabilities—and the barriers they encounter when trying to access or benefit from material, financial, or social opportunities—vary greatly. Just as diverse are the ways in which these barriers can be removed. Hence, an explicit focus on disability is key to delivering an inclusive energy transition that leaves no one behind.

This Briefing Note sets the context, rationale, and recommendations for strategically integrating disability inclusion and accessibility in energy transition, Gender Equality, and Social Inclusion (GESI) programming and delivery. Particularly, this frames a Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) approach for the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform and partners and presents eleven recommendations for action.

Transforming Energy Access

Integrating Disability in Energy Transition GESI Strategies

Type

Report
Opportunities for Disability-inclusive Energy Access

Mikaela Patrick,Pollyanna Wardrop,Bala Nagendran Marimuthu

Globally, 1 in 6 people experience disability (16%), 80% of whom live in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Disability occurs when people with impairments lose the opportunity for equal participation in society because of social and environmental barriers. In the context of climate change, disability can be a cause and consequence of energy poverty, as households of people with disabilities in LMICs are commonly larger, poorer, and in rural areas, where they may require more heating or cooling.

This White Paper titled ‘Opportunities for Disability-inclusive Energy Access’ underscores the need for inclusive energy transition measures to prevent socio-economic exclusion and discrimination, particularly among people with disabilities. This also outlines opportunities for powering assistive technology with clean energy and creating accessible clean energy solutions across eight sectors, including 1) home appliances and information and communication technologies (ICTs); 2) built environment and cities; 3) transportation; 4) healthcare; 5) education; 6) green jobs; 7) humanitarian sector and reconstruction; and 8) energy infrastructure.

This will serve as a reference for energy access innovators, practitioners, and policymakers to identify potential entry points for their contribution to disability-inclusive energy transition.

Transforming Energy Access

Opportunities for Disability-inclusive Energy Access

screenshot of article's first page

Type

Journal Paper
Demographic, socioeconomic, and social barriers to use of mobility assistive products: a multistate analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Assistive technology, such as canes, walkers, and wheelchairs, is essential for independence and social participation for people with disabilities. However, access remains limited, even in high-income countries. For example, over 30% of people with disabilities in England have unmet needs for assistive devices.

Factors like age, gender, location, and socioeconomic status influence access to assistive technology. While much research focuses on devices like glasses and hearing aids, mobility aids (e.g., wheelchairs) often receive less attention despite growing demand. Understanding these access disparities is crucial for identifying the groups most in need of support and guiding better policies.

Long-term data on assistive technology use is limited, but by combining data on disability and device use, we can identify gaps in access—especially for individuals who may not identify as disabled but still face significant functional limitations. Examining the links between demographic, social, and economic factors with unmet needs can help improve access and ensure more inclusive support for those most need it.

The Lancet; 2024

Download Visit publisher

Abstract

Demographic, socioeconomic, and social barriers to use of mobility assistive products: a multistate analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Background

Cross-sectional evidence suggests that access to essential mobility assistive products (MAPs) might be dependent on non-clinical factors. However, MAP use is better understood as a dynamic process wherein individuals pass through different states of MAP need and use. We aimed to test associations of demographic, socioeconomic, and social factors with transitions between MAP need and use states.

Methods

For this multistate modelling study, data were drawn from 13 years (May, 2006, to July, 2019) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a prospective cohort study. We included respondents aged 50–89 years who participated in at least two waves of data collection. We used multistate models to examine associations of demographic, socioeconomic, and social factors, including age, sex, education, employment, wealth, marital status, and help with activities of daily living (ADL), with transitions between three main states: no need for MAPs, unmet need for MAPs, and use of MAPs.

Findings

We used data collected from 12 080 respondents (6586 women and 5494 men). During follow-up, 5102 (42·2%) of participants had unmet MAP need and 3330 (27·6%) used MAPs. Women were more likely than men to transition from no need to unmet need (hazard ratio [HR] 1·49, 95% CI 1·38–1·60) and less likely to transition from unmet need to use (0·79, 0·72–0·86). We found an increase in risk of transitioning from no need to unmet need for each 1-year increase in age (1·06, 1·06–1·07), for those with low education level (1·34, 1·23–1·45), those with help with ADL (1·32, 1·16–1·49), and who were not employed (1·22, 1·07–1·40) or disabled (3·83, 2·98–4·93). Similarly, we found an increase in risk of transitioning unmet need to use for each 1-year increase in age (1·06, 1·05–1·06), for those with low education level (1·20, 1·10–1·31), and those with help with ADL (1·25, 1·13–1·38). Increasing wealth was associated with a reduced risk of transitioning from no need to unmet need (0·78, 0·74–0·81) and from unmet need to use (0·94, 0·89–0·99). Single people were more likely to transition from unmet need to use than partnered people (HR 1·21, 95% CI 1·10–1·33).

Interpretation

Women might be disproportionately likely to have unmet MAP needs, whereas other demographic, socioeconomic, and social factors are associated with high MAP need overall. Our findings directly support efforts towards expanding access to assistive products and identifying groups that could particularly benefit. As the first study of its kind to our knowledge, replication with other longitudinal datasets is needed.

Funding

UK Aid.

Demographic, socioeconomic, and social barriers to use of mobility assistive products: a multistate analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Cover of playbook

Type

Report
A Mentoring Playbook for Disability Innovation

Daniel Hajas, Thomas Hørdam, Tigmanshu Bhatnagar, Shantosh Cumarasurier, Clare Casson

Today, as we mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we want to focus on innovation’s vital role in creating a more inclusive world for people with disabilities.

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we are delighted to share a new playbook designed to support organisations in launching and managing mentoring programmes for early-career researchers and start-ups in the disability innovation sector. This playbook, informed by insights from the TIDAL Accelerator, Attvaran Accelerator, and We Love Mentors, provides a practical framework for overcoming the unique challenges of assistive technology (AT) ventures. The TIDAL Accelerator supports early-career researchers in disability innovation, while the Attvaran Accelerator aids start-ups and entrepreneurs through mentorship and business training.

TIDAL N+; 2024

Download

Abstract

A Mentoring Playbook for Disability Innovation

This playbook provides a comprehensive guide for organisations seeking to launch and manage mentoring programmes aimed at early career researchers (ECRs) and start-ups in the disability innovation sector. Rooted in the experiences of the TIDAL ECR Accelerator, insights from the Attvaran Accelerator, run by GDI Hub as part of the AT2030 programme, and We Love Mentors, this playbook outlines a practical and adaptable framework for fostering mentoring in a complex, yet essential, area of innovation.

A Mentoring Playbook for Disability Innovation

Type

Conference Paper

Research Group

Local Productions
Unlocking Sustainable and Resilient Assistive Technology Innovation and Delivery Ecosystems: Personalised Co- creation of Locally Produced Prosthetics

Ben M. Oldfrey, Ram C. Thapa, Ashish Thapa, Bikash Paudel, Amit Bajracharya, Ganga Gurung, Rosemary Gowran, Pratisthit Lal Shrestha, Tigmanshu Bhatnagar, Mark Miodownik, Catherine Holloway

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that access to assistive products like prosthetics, wheelchairs, and hearing aids varies significantly by income level. In high-income countries, 64% of people needing these products have access, while only 33% in medium-income countries and 11% in low-income countries do.

Assistive technology (AT) encompasses assistive products (APs) and services necessary for effective use. Globalisation has facilitated the mass production of assistive products but often leads to monopolies that create barriers to local innovation and repair strategies, especially in low-income countries. The AT2030 Programme, led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub in Nepal, aims to enhance localised innovation within the global assistive product system.

In Nepal, official estimates suggest that only 2.2% of the population has a disability, but this figure is likely underestimated. Various organisations are working to provide AT and rehabilitation services, addressing local needs, such as difficult terrain and logistics.

This paper reflects on our journey within the AT2030 project, highlighting the development of a global-local community, interdisciplinary innovation teams in Kathmandu, and preliminary results from two bespoke product development cases, emphasising collaboration between global and local expertise for effective AT solutions.

Download

Unlocking Sustainable and Resilient Assistive Technology Innovation and Delivery Ecosystems: Personalised Co- creation of Locally Produced Prosthetics

Type

Report
Repair of Assistive Products in the UK: Wheelchairs. Outcomes of a 1-day workshop exploring this topic from user, community and provision system perspectives

Ben M. Oldfrey, Vikranth H. Nagaraja, Eleanor Crommentuijn-Marsha, Laurence P.J. Kenney

Our recent one-day workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to examine the challenges and opportunities in wheelchair repair services. By engaging multiple perspectives, we gained valuable insights into how improved repair processes can enhance service delivery, empower users, and support sustainability efforts.

Key discussions focused on the urgent need to address data gaps in repair practices, promote user involvement, and shift towards systems that prioritise repair and maintenance. Innovative ideas, such as creating digital profiles for wheelchairs and using AI to predict breakdowns, were explored as ways to streamline repair services and improve user autonomy.

Going forward, collaboration between manufacturers, healthcare providers, and users will be essential to building a more sustainable, user-centred approach to wheelchair repairs.

Read the full report to learn more about the ideas and strategies shared during the wheelchair workshop

Download

Repair of Assistive Products in the UK: Wheelchairs. Outcomes of a 1-day workshop exploring this topic from user, community and provision system perspectives

Type

Report
Repair of Assistive Products in the UK: Prosthetics & Orthotics. Outcomes of a 1-day workshop exploring this topic from user, community and provision system perspectives

Ben M. Oldfrey a, Vikranth H. Nagaraja b, Arhym Hoonchamlong a, Laurence P.J. Kenney

Our recent one-day workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to explore the critical role of repair in the assistive technology sector. Through a range of perspectives, we uncovered valuable insights into how repair can drive sustainability, improve service delivery, and empower users.

Key discussions centered on the urgent need for a systemic shift toward more repairable and modular designs alongside regulatory changes and innovative frameworks that support efficient repair services. We also highlighted the importance of better data on repair practices and the need for transparency and user engagement.

As we look ahead, the conversation must include all stakeholders, particularly the users themselves. This collaborative approach will be vital to building a more sustainable and repairable future for assistive technology.

Read the full report to learn more about the ideas and strategies shared during the P&O workshop

Download

Repair of Assistive Products in the UK: Prosthetics & Orthotics. Outcomes of a 1-day workshop exploring this topic from user, community and provision system perspectives

Cover of report

Type

Journal Paper
Guidelines for assistive technology service provision – A scoping review

Natasha Layton, Luc De Witte, Alice Spann, Evert Jan Hoogerwerf, Silvana Contepomi, Mehedi Khan Kobe, Diane Bell.

Guidelines provide trusted, standardised recommendations for practice, such as those from the World Health Organization (WHO). Assistive Technology (AT) includes both assistive products (APs) and services needed for safe, effective use. Despite international standards and growing literature, there is no universally accepted guideline for AT service delivery. Terminology, focus, and audiences vary across contexts. WHO and experts conceptualise provision broadly, encompassing assessment, fitting, training, and follow-up. Historical and recent studies affirm seven essential service delivery steps. This paper aims to synthesise global evidence to support the development of WHO Guidelines on AT provision.

Taylor & Francis; 2024

Download Visit publisher

Abstract

Guidelines for assistive technology service provision – A scoping review

Purpose:

Despite the high unmet need for effective AT provision, multiple service delivery models across different countries, and a shortage of personnel trained in this field, no widely useable and accepted Assistive Technology (AT) service provision guidelines currently exist. This review aims to provide an overview of the literature regarding AT service provision guidelines to inform the development of globally useable AT provision guidance, aligned with contemporary global initiatives to improve access to AT.

Materials and Methods:

The rapid scoping review method used a two-tiered approach to identifying relevant publications: (1) systematic search of academic databases (Medline, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar); (2) consultation with international AT organisations and experts. The search was conducted in March 2023 with no date limitations. Analysis was guided by the TIDE-funded HEART research on quality AT provision and service delivery processes in Europe, as well as the WHO-GATE 5 P framework for strengthening access to AT.

Results:

35 publications were identified from various countries, and directed at differing assistive products, personnel, and provision contexts. No established guidelines for AT service provision currently exist. However, despite the variety in contexts, the range of assistive products and the range of stakeholders to whom guidelines are directed, several key service delivery steps were identified that may form part of such guidelines.

Conclusions:

This review offers a strong starting point for developing guidance for AT provision to meet global needs. Careful consideration of vocabulary, process, and application to the diversity of assistive products is recommended in systematising globally applicable guidance.

Implications for rehabilitation:

  • Guidelines offer accepted benchmarks for clinical practice.
  • Evidence-based guidelines ensure consistent and appropriate interventions, including assistive technology provision.
  • The evidence suggests global guidance is required, and a substantial evidence base can be drawn upon to formulate such guidelines


Cite

Guidelines for assistive technology service provision – A scoping review

Natasha Layton, Alice Spann, Mehedi Khan, Silvana Contepomi, Evert Jan Hoogerwerf, Diane Bell & Luc de Witte (12 Mar 2024): Guidelines for assistive technology service provision – A scoping review, Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2024.2327515

Guidelines for assistive technology service provision – A scoping review

KEnya paper

Type

Journal Paper
The Kenyan assistive technology ecosystem: a network analysis

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

Download Visit publisher

Abstract

The Kenyan assistive technology ecosystem: a network analysis

Background

Assistive technology is central to the realization of the rights of persons with disabilities. However, there remains limited access to assistive technology throughout much of the world, with particularly poor access in lower- and middle-income countries. Evaluating stakeholder engagement in assistive technology networks has been used as a successful strategy to understand and address gaps in the assistive technology ecosystem.

Objective

The objective of this research was to provide an overview of the Kenyan Assistive Technology Ecosystem, including available assistive products and related services, and an understanding of the nature and strength of relationships between stakeholders

Methods

In this study, we employed an online qualitative stakeholder survey (2021) with representatives of organizations involved in assistive technology in Kenya.

Results

The assistive technology network in Kenya is distributed, with Government Ministries and Agencies and Organizations of persons with disabilities central to the network. The strength of relationships is concentrated on awareness and communication, with fewer organizations actively collaborating. Innovation training organizations are not yet well integrated into the network.

Conclusions

Improving access to assistive technology in Kenya will benefit from greater collaboration amongst all assistive technology stakeholders.

Cite

The Kenyan assistive technology ecosystem: a network analysis

To cite this article:

  1. Emma M. Smith, Stephanie Huff, Rose Bukania, Bernard Chiira, Catherine Holloway & Malcolm MacLachlan (2024) The Kenyan assistive technology ecosystem: a network analysis, Global Health Action, 17:1, DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2024.2302208


The Kenyan assistive technology ecosystem: a network analysis

cover of report

Type

Conference Paper
Mapping Assistive Technology Start-ups

Catherine Holloway, Tigmanshu Bhatnagar, Patel Dilisha

This paper explored their experiences of providing and accessing AT, including procurement strategies, adoption of new technologies, and provision pathways. Overall, we found that there is still a substantial knowledge gap in assistive products, how to access products, and funding for needed products. These discussions also enlightened us that word-of-mouth and peer networks are the main avenues through which knowledge of assistive products is shared. Difficulties in keeping up with the expanding innovative landscape were raised as a key concern.

Springer; 2023

Visit publisher

Abstract

Mapping Assistive Technology Start-ups

Assistive technology (AT) is the application of organised knowledge and skills related to assistive products, systems and services designed to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence, thereby promoting their well-being [1]. We can enable life-changing differences in millions of lives worldwide using and enabling access to assistive technology. However, with all the incredible innovation, development and distribution of assistive products, there is still a significant gap between design and awareness to access and use of assistive products [2]. This was corroborated through our project to understand the met and unmet needs of AT through a country-capacity assessment [3]. As a part of this project, we carried out 5 focus group discussions with AT Users, policy stakeholders, AT developers, providers, and those that work in AT distribution and support (n=31).

Mapping Assistive Technology Start-ups

Type

Journal Paper

Research Group

Local Productions
Repair strategies for assistive technology in low resource settings

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

Visit publisher

Abstract

Repair strategies for assistive technology in low resource settings

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the practices of repair that exist for users of mobility assistive products in low resource settings, as well as the psychosocial impact that the repair, or non-repair, of these devices has on users’ lives.

Materials and Methods

This article collates data on repair practices and the responses from participants on the topic of repair from studies conducted by the authors across four different low resource settings in Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Indonesia. This data was then analyzed to identify the common themes found across geographies.

Results

Three major models of repair practice emerged from the data: “Individual or Informal Repair in the Community”; “Local Initiatives”; and “Specialist AT Workshop Repair”. Additionally, the wider impact on the participants’ lives of “Problems & Concerns with Repair”; “Experiences of Breakages & Frequencies of Repair” and the “Impact of Broken Devices” are explored.

Conclusions

The results of this analysis demonstrate the paramount importance of community-based repair of devices, and how despite this importance, repair is often overlooked in the planning and design of assistive products and services. There is a need to further incorporate and support these informal contributions as part of the formal provision systems of assistive device.

Cite

Repair strategies for assistive technology in low resource settings

Ben Oldfrey, Cathy Holloway, Julian Walker, Steven McCormack, Bernadette Deere, Laurence Kenney, Robert Ssekitoleko, Helen Ackers & Mark Miodownik (2023) Repair strategies for assistive technology in low resource settings, Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2023.2236142

Repair strategies for assistive technology in low resource settings

Image of an empty street in Korea, with vibrant shop signs

Type

Journal Paper

Research Group

Disability Interactions
Assistive technology in Korea: Findings from the 2017 National Disability Survey

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

Visit publisher

Abstract

Assistive technology in Korea: Findings from the 2017 National Disability Survey

Purpose

Explicitly monitoring the need, use and satisfaction of assistive product (AP) provision is essential to support population health and healthy longevity in ageing/aged countries, like Korea. We present findings from the 2017 Korea National Disability Survey (NDS) on AP access and compare them to international averages, introducing Korea’s data into the wider coherence of global AP research.

Materials and methods

Using data from Korea’s 2017 NDS, surveying 91,405 individuals, we extracted and calculated AP access indicators, including needing, having, using and being satisfied with 76 unique APs, by functional difficulty and product type. We compared satisfaction and unmet need between the National Health Insurance System (NHIS) and alternative provision services.

Results

Prosthetics and orthotics had high rates of under-met need, and lower satisfaction rates, from 46.9% to 80.9%. Mobility APs overall had higher rates of under-met need. There was either low (<5%) or no reported need for most digital/technical APs. Among main products, those provided through the NHIS had lower unmet need (26.4%) than through alternative providers (63.1%), though satisfaction rates were similar (p < .001).

Conclusions

The Korean survey findings align with global averages calculated in the Global Report on Assistive Technology. Low reported needs for certain APs may reflect low awareness about how these products could benefit users, emphasizing the importance of data collection at each stage of the AP provision process. Recommendations to expand access to APs are given for people, personnel, provision, products, and policy.

Implications for rehabilitation

  • Access to assistive products (APs) is an essential part of physical and occupational therapy services and rehabilitation. Monitoring population-level data on disability and AP access can inform policymakers about a key aspect of population health and healthy ageing, and demonstrate the need to expand access by including APs and associated services in primary/universal healthcare packages.
  • Stratifying findings about AP access by type of functional difficulty and further by specific device helps identify the populations for whom needs are not being met. These domain-level and device-level indicators inform efforts to support specific groups within the population of people with disabilities, which has implications for how rehabilitation services are provisioned, targeted and made more accessible.

Cite

Assistive technology in Korea: Findings from the 2017 National Disability Survey

Jamie Danemayer & Myung-Joon Lim (2023)

Assistive technology in Korea: Findings from the 2017 National Disability Survey, Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology,

DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2023.2225565

Assistive technology in Korea: Findings from the 2017 National Disability Survey

Type

Report
Assistive Technology Changes Lives: an assessment of AT need and capacity in England

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

Download

Abstract

Assistive Technology Changes Lives: an assessment of AT need and capacity in England

The aim of this research was to undertake a Country Capacity Assessment (CCA) to inform a more integrated approach to Assistive Technology (AT) provision in England. The results aim to support policymakers in identifying actions to strengthen service delivery to better meet disabled people’s needs, improving outcomes for AT users and reducing inefficiencies in the current approach.

The research was undertaken from November 2022 to March 2023 and led by the Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub, which is the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Collaborating Centre on AT access, using WHO tools in the Assistive Technology Assessment (ATA) suite.

Cite

Assistive Technology Changes Lives: an assessment of AT need and capacity in England

Suggested Citation: Austin, V, Patel, D, Danemayer, J, Mattick, K, Landre, A, Smitova, M, Bandukda, M, Healy, A, Chockalingam, N, Bell D, and Holloway, C; Assistive Technology Changes Lives: an assessment of AT need and capacity in England; Cabinet Office, HMG; 2023

Assistive Technology Changes Lives: an assessment of AT need and capacity in England

Type

Journal Paper
Seeking information about assistive technology: Exploring current practices, challenges, and the need for smarter systems

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

Visit publisher

Abstract

Seeking information about assistive technology: Exploring current practices, challenges, and the need for smarter systems

Ninety percent of the 1.2 billion people who need assistive technology (AT) do not have access. Information seeking practices directly impact the ability of AT producers, procurers, and providers (AT professionals) to match a user's needs with appropriate AT, yet the AT marketplace is interdisciplinary and fragmented, complicating information seeking. We explored common limitations experienced by AT professionals when searching information to develop solutions for a diversity of users with multi-faceted needs. Through Template Analysis of 22 expert interviews, we find current search engines do not yield the necessary information, or appropriately tailor search results, impacting individuals’ awareness of products and subsequently their availability and the overall effectiveness of AT provision. We present value-based design implications to improve functionality of future AT-information seeking platforms, through incorporating smarter systems to support decision-making and need-matching whilst ensuring ethical standards for disability fairness remain.

Seeking information about assistive technology: Exploring current practices, challenges, and the need for smarter systems

Kenyan man holding a prosthesis

Type

Journal Paper
Evaluating the use of a thermoplastic socket in Kenya: A pilot study

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

Visit publisher

Abstract

Evaluating the use of a thermoplastic socket in Kenya: A pilot study

Background:

Many people with amputations who live in low-resourced settings struggle to access the workshops where qualified prosthetists provide appropriate care. Novel technologies such as the thermoplastic Confidence Socket are emerging, which could help facilitate easier access to prosthetic services.

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction and the performance of transtibial prosthesis featuring the Confidence Socket.

Study design:

This is a longitudinal repeated-measures design study.

Methods:

A convenience sample of 26 participants who underwent transtibial amputation were fitted with the Confidence Socket. The performance of the socket was evaluated after a follow-up period between 1 month and 6 months using the L test of functional mobility and the amputee mobility predictor. Satisfaction with the prosthesis was measured using the Trinity Amputation and Prosthetic Experience Scales and purposefully designed 7-point Likert scales.

Results:

Ten of the 26 participants returned for follow-up. Perceived activity restriction and L test times improved significantly at follow-up, but the self-reported satisfaction with the Confidence Socket was lower at follow-up compared with that after fitting.

Conclusions:

The Amparo Confidence Socket represents a potentially viable alternative to improve access to appropriate prosthesis in Kenya, but some aspects of users’ self-reported satisfaction should be further investigated.

Cite

Evaluating the use of a thermoplastic socket in Kenya: A pilot study

Barbareschi G, Teerlink W, Njuguna JG, Musungu P, Kirino MD, Holloway C. Evaluating the use of a thermoplastic socket in Kenya: A pilot study. Prosthet Orthot Int. 2022 Oct 1;46(5):532-537. doi: 10.1097/PXR.0000000000000130. Epub 2022 Mar 25. PMID: 35333813; PMCID: PMC9554758.

Evaluating the use of a thermoplastic socket in Kenya: A pilot study

""

Type

Journal Paper
Responding to the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic with innovative data use: The role of data challenges

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

Visit publisher

Abstract

Responding to the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic with innovative data use: The role of data challenges

Innovative, responsible data use is a critical need in the global response to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Yet potentially impactful data are often unavailable to those who could utilize it, particularly in data-poor settings, posing a serious barrier to effective pandemic mitigation. Data challenges, a public call-to-action for innovative data use projects, can identify and address these specific barriers. To understand gaps and progress relevant to effective data use in this context, this study thematically analyses three sets of qualitative data focused on/based in low/middle-income countries: (a) a survey of innovators responding to a data challenge, (b) a survey of organizers of data challenges, and (c) a focus group discussion with professionals using COVID-19 data for evidence-based decision-making. Data quality and accessibility and human resources/institutional capacity were frequently reported limitations to effective data use among innovators. New fit-for-purpose tools and the expansion of partnerships were the most frequently noted areas of progress. Discussion participants identified building capacity for external/national actors to understand the needs of local communities can address a lack of partnerships while de-siloing information. A synthesis of themes demonstrated that gaps, progress, and needs commonly identified by these groups are relevant beyond COVID-19, highlighting the importance of a healthy data ecosystem to address emerging threats. This is supported by data holders prioritizing the availability and accessibility of their data without causing harm; funders and policymakers committed to integrating innovations with existing physical, data, and policy infrastructure; and innovators designing sustainable, multi-use solutions based on principles of good data governance.

Cite

Responding to the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic with innovative data use: The role of data challenges

Danemayer, J., Young, A., Green, S., Ezenwa, L., & Klein, M. (2023). Responding to the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic with innovative data use: The role of data challenges. Data & Policy, 5, E11. doi:10.1017/dap.2023.6

Responding to the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic with innovative data use: The role of data challenges

""

Type

Conference Paper
The Social Network: How People with Visual Impairment use Mobile Phones in Kibera, Kenya

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

Visit publisher

Abstract

The Social Network: How People with Visual Impairment use Mobile Phones in Kibera, Kenya

Living in an informal settlement with a visual impairment can be very challenging resulting in social exclusion. Mobile phones have been shown to be hugely beneficial to people with sight loss in formal and high-income settings. However, little is known about whether these results hold true for people with visual impairment (VIPs) in informal settlements. We present the findings of a case study of mobile technology use by 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.

Cite

The Social Network: How People with Visual Impairment use Mobile Phones in Kibera, Kenya

Giulia Barbareschi, Catherine Holloway, Katherine Arnold, Grace Magomere, Wycliffe Ambeyi Wetende, Gabriel Ngare, and Joyce Olenja. 2020. The Social Network: How People with Visual Impairment use Mobile Phones in Kibera, Kenya. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '20). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1145/331383...

The Social Network: How People with Visual Impairment use Mobile Phones in Kibera, Kenya

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

Type

Editorial
COVID-19 as social disability: the opportunity of social empathy for empowerment

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

Visit publisher

Abstract

COVID-19 as social disability: the opportunity of social empathy for empowerment

  • COVID-19 has conferred new experiential knowledge on society and a rare opportunity to better understand the social model of disability and to improve the lives of persons with disabilities.
  • The COVID-19 experience may offer contextual knowledge of the prepandemic lives of persons with disabilities and foster greater social awareness, responsibility and opportunities for change towards a more inclusive society.
  • Information, family and social relationships, health protection and healthcare, education, transport and employment should be accessible for all groups of the population. The means must be developed and deployed to ensure equity – the deployment of resources so that people with different types of needs have the same opportunities for living good lives in inclusive communities.
  • We have learnt from COVID-19 that inclusive healthcare and universal access should be the new normal, that its provision as a social good is both unifying and empowering for society as a whole.

Cite

COVID-19 as social disability: the opportunity of social empathy for empowerment

Ebuenyi ID, Smith EM, Holloway C, et alCOVID-19 as social disability: the opportunity of social empathy for empowermentBMJ Global Health 2020;5:e003039.

COVID-19 as social disability: the opportunity of social empathy for empowerment

A woman wearing a mask, testing her hearing using an app and headphones

Type

Editorial

Research Group

Social Justice
Developing inclusive and resilient systems: COVID-19 and assistive technology

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

Visit publisher

Abstract

Developing inclusive and resilient systems: COVID-19 and assistive technology

Assistive technology is a critical component of maintaining health, wellbeing, and the realization of rights for persons with disabilities. Assistive technologies, and their associated services, are also paramount to ensuring individuals with functional limitations have access to important health and social service information, particularly during a pandemic where they may be at higher risk than the general population. Social isolation and physical distancing have further marginalized many within this population. We have an opportunity to learn from the COVID-19response to develop more inclusive and resilient systems that will serve people with disabilities more effectively in the future. In this Current Issues piece, we present a starting point for discussion, based on our experiences working to promote access to assistive technologies through inclusive and sustainable systems and policies.

Cite

Developing inclusive and resilient systems: COVID-19 and assistive technology

Emma M. Smith, Malcolm MacLachlan, Ikenna D. Ebuenyi, Catherine Holloway & Victoria Austin (2021) Developing inclusive and resilient systems: COVID-19 and assistive technology, Disability & Society, 36:1, 151-154, DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2020.1829558

Developing inclusive and resilient systems: COVID-19 and assistive technology

Type

Conference Paper
Disability design and innovation in computing research in low resource settings

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

Visit publisher

Abstract

Disability design and innovation in computing research in low resource settings

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. In short, researchers rarely examine what was challenging in the process of collaboration. We present reflections from the field across four studies. Our contributions are: (1) an overview of past work in computing with a focus on disability in low resource settings and (2) learnings and recommendations from four collaborative projects in Uganda, Jordan and Kenya over the last two years, that are relevant for future HCI studies in low resource settings with communities with disabilities. We do this through a lens of Disability Interaction and ICT4D.

Cite

Disability design and innovation in computing research in low resource settings

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, and Catherine Holloway. 2020. Disability design and innovation in computing research in low resource settings. In Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '20). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 11, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1145/337362...

Disability design and innovation in computing research in low resource settings