Assistive Technology

Innovations aimed at helping people overcome mobility, sight and other disabilities have exploded in recent years, and are becoming ever more integrated in regular consumer goods, the United Nations said on March 23. More than one billion people worldwide currently need technology-based assistance to overcome a disability – a figure expected to… Continue Reading »

Ensuring accessibility for tourists with specific access requirements can be a ‘game changer’ for destinations around the world as they look to bounce back from the impacts of the pandemic. A new set of  Inclusive Recovery Guides from the World Tourism Organization, produced in partnership with the European Network for Accessible… Continue Reading »

The WHO Online Master Training Workshop for Measuring Access to Assistive Technology will take place on 17-19 November 2020. The workshop is an integral part of the development of the WHO-UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT). The resolution on improving access to assistive technology (WHA71.8) mandates WHO to develop the global report in the context… Continue Reading »

Care Direct Technology has announced the commercial release of its suite of assistive technology products designed to make independent living more achievable for those who need extra help around the home. The release includes a set of IoT home sensors, a smartwatch, personal alarm, reactive cameras with a two-way microphone,… Continue Reading »

The WHO has developed a Priority Assistive Products List (APL) to assist Member States in planning policies and programmes related to the provision of assistive products. The British Assistive Technology Association in collaboration WHO-GATE have launched this survey to identify the UK’s most essential Assistive Products List. This will help us define our own national priorities… Continue Reading »

THAILAND: National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEP), and Department of Older Persons (DOP) signed in an MoU to support the development of the innovations for empowering the older people and persons with disabilities. In the initial stage, there are a few inventions that… Continue Reading »

Startups with solutions addressing barriers to digital inclusion faced by people with disabilities have been invited to apply for up to US$325,000 in grant funding from the latest GSMA Innovation Fund. The GSMA Innovation Fund for Assistive Tech, supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, is looking for… Continue Reading »

CANADA  – CNIB, Canada’s largest non-profit serving people with sight loss, has signed a new partnership agreement with LEARNstyle, experts in specialized education and assistive technology training. Through this exciting new partnership, LEARNstyle will provide high-quality, specialized training to support Ontario teachers and students in their journey to take full advantage… Continue Reading »

UNITED KINGDOM: Hertfordshire County Council has produced a visual guide to demonstrate how assistive technology can be used inside and outside the home to aid independent living. The interactive guide allows the user to click on different parts of a ‘technology house’ to view examples of devices and solutions that can be installed or… Continue Reading »

US – A group of students from internationally acclaimed US-based Harvard University has launched a startup called Foresight, a wearable navigation aid for people with vision impairments that uses cutting-edge soft robotics and computer vision technology. Foresight connects to a user’s smartphone camera, which is worn around the neck. It detects… Continue Reading »