The case for investing in assistive technology
In this report, ATscale describes the enormous gains that access to assistive technology can have in health, for the community and the economy. The figures are dramatic: investment in the provision of four assistive products – hearing aids, prostheses, eyeglasses and wheelchairs – will result in a return on investment of 9:1.
Having access to assistive technology can make the difference between failure or success in school, between a job or unemployment, between a life of opportunity or a life of dependency. An example: for a child in a low- or middle-income country, access to assistive technology can later make a difference of US$100,000 in life-time income.
Altogether, providing assistive technology to all who need it would yield more than US$10 trillion in economic benefits over the next 55 years.
Investing in assistive technology has both a transformative impact on people’s wellbeing and makes sound economic sense for funders and governments. It is both the right thing and the smart thing to do.
Providing AT to all who need it would add over one billion additional years of ‘perfect health’ (quality-adjusted life years or QALYs) for those in need today.
A wheelchair, a prosthetic limb, a hearing aid or a pair of eyeglasses can increase the user’s access to other healthcare, improving overall well-being for a healthier life. These assistive products allow children to play, adults to work and travel, and can reduce loneliness and isolation. Over 2.5 billion people can live more-social lives through access to the right assistive technology.
Yet the world so far has failed to meet the global need for assistive technology. Nearly one billion people living in low- and middle-income countries require one or more of the four devices covered in this investment case: hearing aids, prostheses, eyeglasses and wheelchairs. But only 10 per cent have access to the assistive technology they need.
With this report, ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, aims to inspire action by stakeholders around the world to increase access to assistive technology.
Infographics from the report are also available as jpg-files: you can download them here.
