Date: Thursday, January 27, 2022
Category: General

UNICEF and AT2030 have chosen RESNA’s Assistive Technology Journal to publish companion papers in preparation for the release of the Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT). . Based on existing and new evidence, this report will provide an overview of the assistive technology scenario in the world and recommend stakeholder-specific actions to improve access.

The papers in this special issue were commissioned to inform the development of GReAT, but also constitute significant contributions to the field themselves. WHO and AT2030 have also sponsored their publication to make them freely available. The special issue can be accessed via this link.

“This is a very exciting time for the field, as it will be the first time we have a truly global perspective on the state of assistive technology,” said AT Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma M. Smith, PhD MScOT. “We are honoured to be able to host the Companion papers to the Global Report on Assistive Technology. We believe publication of these papers in full will provide additional depth to the contents of the report, and highlight key issues to be addressed in the field. We are encouraged by this global movement for change, and the opportunity to improve access to assistive technology for hundreds of millions of people around the world.”

The special issue (volume 33, 2021, supplemental issue 1) includes papers on the following topics:

• AT needs in humanitarian crises
• Emerging technologies and their potential
• Accessibility to digital technology
• Measuring AT supply and demand
• Economic evaluations of AT globally
• Improving access to AT through open innovation ecosystems
• Childhood and AT
• Inclusive education
• Social protection and access to AT
• Financing options for the provision of AT
• Applying market shaping approaches to increase access to AT