A UN report by WHO and UNICEF finds that almost one billion children, adults with disabilities and older people are unable to access needed assistive technology. In some low- and middle-income countries access to devices such as glasses, hearing aids or mobility tools is as low as three per cent.
The report presents numbers now and in the future: about 2.5 billion people need one or more assistive products today, and more than 3.5 billion will need them by 2050 because of population ageing and more non-communicable diseases. It is the first global snapshot of need and access and aims to show where gaps are largest.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said denying people these tools is an infringement of human rights and is economically short-sighted. The report gives personal accounts: Almah Kuambu lost a lower limb at 11 and waited nearly a year for a prosthetic that changed her life; Anna Kwemeling, 39, lost her leg and had to quit her bank job before travelling to services in Port Moresby.
The report also highlights barriers such as long travel, high cost and out-of-pocket payments, and asks for people-centred, rights-based services and better national planning using data from the rATA tool.
Difficult words
- assistive technology — Devices or tools that help people function.
- prosthetic — An artificial body part that replaces a lost limb.
- infringement — Action that breaks or reduces a legal right.
- non-communicable disease — A long-term illness not passed from person to person.non-communicable diseases
- out-of-pocket payment — Money a person pays directly for a service.out-of-pocket payments
- barrier — Something that makes access or progress difficult.barriers
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Discussion questions
- Why do you think access to assistive technology is so low in some low- and middle-income countries?
- What could governments do to reduce barriers like long travel and high cost in your area?
- Have you seen or experienced a situation where an assistive device changed someone’s life? Describe it briefly.
