New podcast - Innovation Action Insights explores Assistive Technology

The third episode of Innovation Action Insights podcast is now live.

Episode 4

People with disabilities represent the world’s largest minority. According to global estimates from the World Health Organization and the World Bank there are over 1 billion people with disability in the world, nearly 1 in 7. As the global population ages, this number grows, and the expectation is that it will double by 2050. Assistive technologies are a powerful tool that people with disabilities leverage to extend their capabilities, complete everyday tasks, access better opportunities in their communities, and ultimately live life on their own terms. Unfortunately, the majority of people who need assistive technologies do not get access to them. In the Global South, it is estimated that over 80% of people with disabilities are unable to get the assistive technologies they need because these devices are too costly, unavailable in their communities, unsuitable to their context or sometimes, because they have yet to be invented.

In this episode, we’ll hear how a Kenyan start-up has been developing new devices that support independent mobility for blind users and how a group of researchers is using data analysis methods normally applied to social media to create more resilient assistive technology delivery systems in Kenya and Malawi.

Find out more about Hope Tech Plus & the Kenyan Technology Ecosystem Strengthening project.

You can also read the full paper on the Network Analysis of Assistive Technology Stakeholders in Malawi.