This annual review was produced by the ATscale Secretariat team, under the guidance of Pascal Bijleveld, ATscale Chief Executive Officer and the leadership of Ceridwen Johnson, Aurelie Rigaud and Barbara Goedde. The report benefited from valuable contributions from ATscale Secretariat colleagues: Julia Amadio, Mujib Ahmad, Ranjavati Banerji, Henri Bonnin, Emma Curati-Alasonatti, Anil Kashyap, Satish Mishra, Karen Maria Reyes Castro, Leah Cherono Sakura, Eduardo Sanchez Mera, Tabitha Wanjiru Icuga Topp, Kinley Wangmo, Elaine Zameck and Giorgia Zara.
Information and data management support by Hashmat Hanifi, UNOPS National Programme Support Specialist, editing and proofreading by Prime Production, graphic design by Blossom.
This report highlights the remarkable achievements made possible through the collective efforts of numerous stakeholders dedicated to improving access to assistive technology worldwide.
ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, thanks its donors – the United States Agency for International Development, the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the European Commission, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – for their unwavering commitment and generous financial contributions, instrumental for enabling the Partnership to actively pursue its goals. Appreciation is also extended to the ATscale Board members for their dedication, strategic guidance, leadership and advocacy efforts throughout the year – particularly Jon Lomøy, the Board chair and the Board members that have been accompanying ATscale’s journey from the very beginning, such as International Disability Alliance (IDA), UNICEF and WHO.
ATscale also acknowledges the invaluable role of its implementing partners, whose dedication and expertise on the ground are essential for translating strategy into impactful results, and ensuring that assistive technology reaches those who need it most.
National governments in supported countries also play an essential role in ATscale’s mission. Their dedication to creating enabling environments and increasing the prioritization of assistive technology is key to the lasting impact of collaborative work. Equal gratitude goes to users of assistive technology and organizations of persons with disabilities, whose lived experiences, insights, and advocacy efforts are a driving force behind this work. Their participation at every level ensures that ATscale’s interventions are relevant, appropriate, and responsive to the needs of users of assistive technology.
As ATscale’s host organization, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) plays a critical role in facilitating operations, ensuring efficient and effective delivery of initiatives. ATscale extends its sincere appreciation to UNOPS for enabling the Partnership to focus on its core mission of expanding access to assistive technology.
To all stakeholders who contributed their time, expertise, and energy: thank you and we look forward to continued collaboration in the shared mission of unlocking the potential of assistive technology, and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to live a fulfilling life.
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Today, 2.5 billion people globally need to use at least one type of assistive product, and this need is growing fast.
In 2024, the global effort to ensure that every person who needs assistive technology can access it, gained both urgency and traction, marking a year of hard-earned progress. ATscale exists to bring together diverse actors – governments, donors, multilateral agencies, organizations of persons with disabilities and other representative organizations, and the private sector – to tackle this challenge collectively.
Across low- and middle-income countries, millions of children are still excluded from school, adults from employment, and older persons from full participation simply because they do not have access to the basic tools – like glasses, wheelchairs, prosthetics or hearing aids – that can help to enable independence and dignity. This is not an issue of charity or technical complexity. It is about fundamental human rights. Realizing the transformative potential of assistive technology across the life course requires sustained investment, bold policy reform and systemic change to ensure no one is left behind.
2024 saw the power of collective action in motion: from strengthening national ecosystems for assistive technology in over 20 countries, to increasing the number of users of assistive technology reached by ATscale-supported programmes, to launching the first ever assistive product market report, ATscale worked to deliver practical, scalable solutions. Crucially, we did so in close partnership with technical, strategic and implementing partners, as well as representative organizations of persons with disabilities, who continue to push us to centre lived experience and ensure that the solutions we build are inclusive by design.
Yet challenges remain. Funding for assistive technology is still fragmented, and traditional donors are cutting their budgets for development assistance. Coordination between sectors is often weak. And too many people – particularly women, girls, and those in humanitarian settings – remain overlooked. We cannot meet the ambitions of the SDGs or the commitments set out by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities unless access to assistive technology becomes a global priority.
As we look ahead, we are reminded that real progress does not come from targeted programmes alone: it is driven by people and movements, and made possible through partnerships. We are deeply grateful to all those who contributed to this year’s progress, and we invite all partners – new and longstanding – to continue on this path with us. Together, we can turn commitment into access, and promise into impact.
Pascal Bijleveld
CEO Atscale
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Our partnership with ATscale is helping Cambodia strengthen national systems to expand access to assistive technology for all who need it. These products – from eyeglasses and hearing aids to mobility devices – are not luxuries; they are vital tools that support independence, participation and dignity. Assistive technology is increasingly recognized as a key enabler of inclusive health, education and social services – and we are committed to advancing this agenda.
Since 2021, we have advanced on several fronts. With ATscale’s support, Cambodia has nearly completed its first national priority assistive product list – a critical step toward making a wide range of assistive products available and affordable. Further, through ATscale support, The Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) have worked to improve vision services, including vision screening and the provision of eyeglasses. In 2024, this initiative has already screened more than 1.4 million children and adults (51 per cent women and girls) and provided over 245,000 eyeglasses, improving lives and livelihoods across the country. Additionally, ATscale, through CHAI, has also supported the strengthening of mobility-related services in the country, primarily through public physical rehabilitation centres. These efforts form part of our broader commitment to strengthening inclusive systems and achieving universal health coverage, where access to assistive technology is recognized as an essential component.
This collaboration is rooted in shared priorities, technical support, and above all, the recognition that the users of assistive technology need to be included in every step.
We remain committed to building on this momentum, and we thank ATscale for walking this journey with us.
H.E. Dr Sung Vinntak
Secretary of State, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Cambodia
H.E. Yeap Malyno
Director General for Social Policy Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, Kingdom of Cambodia
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This annual report charts the progress of ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, in its mission to transform lives through assistive technology. Since its inception, ATscale has been working towards the ambitious goal that by 2030, an additional 500 million people in low- and middle-income countries have access to life-changing assistive technology.
ATscale’s work is guided by three strategic pillars:
STRATEGIC PILLAR 1 SUPPORTING COUNTRY PLANS
ATscale is working with over 20 countries to strengthen assistive technology policies, systems, services and financing.
STRATEGIC PILLAR 2 STRENGTHENING GLOBAL ENABLERS
ATscale supports the development of global tools and resources – such as knowledge, guidance and product information – to support countries to make progress. This includes fostering healthy markets that deliver reliable supplies of quality, affordable products.
STRATEGIC PILLAR 3 ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE
ATscale catalyses political will, builds public awareness and raises overall resources for assistive technology.
ATscale-supported programmes reached over 1,5M people (51 per cent women and girls) with assistive technology, including about 250,000 people who received an assistive product in countries such as Cambodia, Kenya, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Tajikistan and Zambia - a population where women and girls constituted a full half of the users.
Significant progress was made in increasing the availability of assistive technology, with initiatives such as training health professionals in Kenya, establishing a wheelchair service provision programme in Lesotho, and supporting prosthetic and orthotic training in Cambodia.
Fostering governance and assistive technology frameworks: ATscale- supported countries have established national steering committees and strengthened national assistive products lists - an essential step towards increasing the availability of assistive products.
Expanding financial coverage for assistive technology: Notable progress was made in increasing financial coverage, particularly in Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
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Strengthening the assistive technology workforce: Close to 9,000 individuals, half of whom are women, were trained across ATscale-supported countries, with an estimated indirect reach of up to 17.5 million people over time through enhanced capacity of front line workers.
Integration of assistive technology into humanitarian settings: with ATscale support, partners procured and distributed over 1,000 assistive products for hospitals in Gaza, and are working globally to establish four AT kits for rapid deployment in disaster situations.
Strengthening national health information systems: ATscale is supporting the integration of assistive technology data into existing health information management tools, such as the Kenya Health Information System.
Expanding ATscale impact through the preparatory work for 20 upcoming programmes to expand access to life- changing assistive technology in low- and middle-income countries
ATscale continued to support the development of critical global enablers, including:
Building sustainable assistive product markets: In collaboration with CHAI, ATscale supported the production of the first-ever assistive product market report, analysing markets for eyeglasses, hearing aids, prostheses, wheelchairs and digital technology. ATscale supported sustainable local production models like Motivation’s Made AT Kenya and strengthened regional distribution hubs in South-East Asia and West Africa through partnerships focused on manufacturing, management, training, needs analyses and strategic expansion.
Bringing assistive technology services to everyone, everywhere: service delivery approaches for hearing aids were developed by the World Health Organization with ATscale support.
Removing financial barriers to accessing assistive technology: ATscale is supporting the expansion of the WHO Assistive Technology Capacity Assessment to integrate an investment case methodology for national policy makers.
Leveraging the power of digital assistive technology: ATscale supported UNICEF to expand access to information and communication in four underrepresented languages through text-to-speech software.
ATscale is entering a scale-up phase, guided by its 2024-2027 Strategy. The organization intends to support at least 35 countries to develop stronger national assistive technology ecosystems, ensuring that 50 million more people benefit from assistive products and services. This will involve expanding access to priority assistive products, strengthening service delivery models, training workforces, and improving financing mechanisms.
ATscale recognizes the crucial role of users of assistive technology in its work, and is committed to ensuring that users are represented at all levels and that their voices are heard. In 2024, ATscale made significant strides in engaging users, including the recruitment of three persons with lived experience of assistive technology use.
In 2024, ATscale’s work demonstrated the transformative power of assistive technology and the importance of collective action. The organization is well-positioned to continue its progress in the coming years, ensuring that assistive technology becomes an integral part of health, education, and social systems in low- and middle-income countries.
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ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, is a cross-sectoral global partnership with the mission to transform people’s lives through assistive technology. It catalyses action to ensure that, by 2030, an additional 500 million people in low- and middle-income countries get the life-changing assistive technology they need.
Since being launched as an idea at the first Global Disability Summit in July 2018 in London, it has built a solid foundation. The 2024-2027 Strategy represents the beginning of the scale-up phase, in which it is poised to expand its country and global footprint to deliver a wider and deeper impact over the next three years and beyond.
ATscale convenes partners globally and nationally, and engages users of assistive technology, to drive progress across three mutually reinforcing strategic pillars:
Supporting country plans, and their implementation, to strengthen assistive technology policies, systems, services and financing in over 35 countries across multiple product areas;
Strengthening global enablers: the global tools and resources, such as knowledge, guidance and product information, that countries need to make progress, such as healthy markets that deliver reliable supplies of quality, affordable products;
Advocating for change to catalyse political will, build public awareness and raise overall resources for assistive technology.
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People reached with assistive technology
1,543,465 (51% female)
Indirect reach
: 4,771,592
People reached with products 247,533 (50% female)
Indirect reach: 767,035
Supporting Country Plans and their implementation, to strengthen their assistive technology policies, systems, services and financing
Reached with assistive technology by type of intervention
Reached with assistive technology by functional domains
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:
People reached with products: 247,533 (50% female)
Indirect reach: 767,035
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People trained: 8,785 (50% female) Indirect reach per year: 17,570,000
Image Description
An infographic showing information about the people trained. The number of people trained is 8,785 (50%female) which represents an indirect reach of 17,570,000 people. A footnote indicates that Indirect reach is extrapolated based on an estimated reach of individuals served by each trained person on the front-line over a one-year period using global averages.
The infographic is a donut pie chart showing the people trained by personnel title:
Teachers/education personnel are 2,566 (41% female), they represent 29% of the total trained.
Community health workers/volunteers are 2,452 (59% female), they represent 28% of the total trained.
Health personnel are 2,154 (42% female), they represent 25% of the total trained.
Other categories are 1,613 (57% female), they represent 18% of the total trained. A footnote attached to “other category” indicates: Organizations of persons with disabilities, government representatives, programme managers, etc.
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Organizations of persons with disabilities, government representatives, programme managers, etc.
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Organizations strengthened
System strengthening
Raising public awareness, building political will, and mobilizing resources to advance global access to assistive technology
20+ COUNTRIES
2.3 MILLION reached on social media
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WORLD MAP OF ATSCALE SUPPORTED PROGRAMMES TO DATE AND PLANNED
Image Description
The map presents the geographic distribution of ATscale supported programmes as of 31st December 2024 and planned.
There are 12 foundational countries, 8 scale-up and 2 humanitarian support countries.12 of the supported countries are lower-middle income countries, 7 are upper-middle income countries and 3 are low-income countries.
Current scale up support countries are Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Georgia, Kenya, Senegal, Tajikistan and Zambia. Rwanda is already a scale-up country (hearing) but preparing for additional scale-up (vision).
El Salvador, Indonesia and the United Republic of Tanzania received foundational support and are in preparatory phase for scale-up support.
Foundational countries are Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, Honduras, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Zimbabwe.
Ukraine and Palestine were supported by ATscale with humanitarian support. Palestine is in the preparatory phase for scale-up support.
In addition, there are other countries in preparatory phase for scale-up support: Nigeria, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Colombia; and the Pacific Island Countries of Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati.
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Programmes supported by ATscale are intended to stimulate government ownership, multi-sectoral coordination, and multi-stakeholder partnership approaches, to bridge the gap between demand and supply by convening stakeholders towards a common vision.
Through catalytic investments, Atscale supports government-led and locally driven national plans to scale up access to assistive technology, which are focused on strengthening systems and creating favourable political environments to sustainably increase access to assistive technology.
In 2024, ATscale and its trusted partners supported a range of country-level programmes across 22 countries, including 3 low-income, 12 lower-middle-income, and 7 upper-middle-income countries. These programmes fall into two categories:
Foundational support focuses on raising awareness, securing political buy-in, building policy and planning foundations, and strengthening leadership capacity towards access to assistive technology.
Scale-up support helps countries to expand access to assistive technology and strengthen systems for lasting impact. Priority is given to countries that demonstrate a clear understanding of their national needs, system gaps, and strategic plans for assistive technology, as well as strong government commitment.
In addition, ATscale works to raise awareness and promote the systematic inclusion of assistive technology in broader humanitarian responses, including through the pre-positioning of essential assistive products. At the request of partners and countries, support focuses on urgent and specific needs - such as the provision of these products in emergency settings - to help ensure immediate access and address health and protection risks for vulnerable individuals during crises.
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ATscale-supported interventions address both supply- and demand-side barriers to improve availability of and access to assistive technology in low- and middle-income countries. This is achieved by strengthening workforce capacity, expanding the availability of products and services, and raising awareness of the importance of assistive technology.
In Rwanda, ATscale supported UNICEF and the Rwanda Biomedical Center to equip twelve hospitals across nine districts with state-of-the-art audiological equipment and digital hearing aids, coupled with training for health staff, greatly improving the availability of quality hearing-related services.
In Kenya, ATscale partners have strengthened systems to support the delivery of white canes, braille papers, braille kits, and braille machines to 41 schools, enabling an estimated benefit for over 1,200 children in need of AT for continued learning.
Through its partnership with WHO, the Government of Georgia integrated provision of assistive technology into several physical rehabilitation centres through a large national supplier, ensuring sustainability and building procurement capacity for quality, local assistive technology, and further committing financial support for each screened and served individual.
In Cambodia, under the leadership of the national eye health programme, ATscale is supporting two complementary programmes implemented by FHF and CHAI to strengthen vision services across the country. These initiatives focus on building the capacity of public vision centres, conducting eye screenings, and providing eyeglasses. To date, they have reached 1.4M people (51% women and girls) through screenings and provided eyeglasses to 245,000 children, teachers, and the wider community.
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In Cambodia, significant progress has been made in expanding access to assistive technology through physical rehabilitation services. Efforts have focused on strengthening government-managed physical rehabilitation centres (PRCs), providing essential assistive devices such as prostheses and orthoses, and extending services through outreach programmes.
As a result, the number of assistive devices distributed across six PRCs increased by 40 per cent between 2023 and 2024. Additionally, outreach sessions expanded tenfold in the same period, significantly increasing the number of users of assistive technology reached. The ATscale-supported programme enabled the restart of critical outreach services, leading to a tenfold increase in outreach sessions since 2023, reaching nearly 20 times more people and ensuring the distribution of over 2,000 products.
Image Description
An infographic shows three categories of assistive products with their distribution numbers for 2023 and for 2024, along with the percentage increase.
1. Walking Aids: 1,037 in 2023 increasing to 1,938 in 2024, showing an 87% increase.
2. Orthotics: 661 in 2023 increasing to 757 in 2024, showing a 15% increase.
3. Wheelchairs: 233 in 2023 increasing to 508 in 2024, showing a 118% increase.
Next to this, two vertical bars present the total number of products distributed in 2023 and 2024. 2,933 products were distributed in 2023 against 4,120 in 2024, which show a 40% increase.
Below this, an infographic with three bar charts illustrates outreach sessions conducted, clients who attended and device distribution data for 2023 and 2024.
The first bar chart is called “10 times increase in outreach sessions conducted by 6 PRCs in 2024”. It shows the number of outreach sessions conducted. 20 sessions in 2023, increasing to 221 sessions in 2024, marked with a "10x" indicator.
The second bar chart is called “"Reaching almost 20 times more people than in 2023". It shows the number of clients attended. 166 clients in 2023, increasing to 3,281 clients in 2024, marked with a "20x" indicator.
The last bar chart is a stacked bar chart called "With more than 2,000 devices distributed to clients who may not have come to PRC": It shows the number of devices distributed. In 2023, a total of 71 devices were distributed, with 67 being walking aids and 4 being prosthetic repairs. In 2024, a total of 2,586 devices were distributed. This includes 1,983 walking aids, 423 prosthetic repairs, and 180 wheelchairs/tricycles. An arrow indicates a "36x" increase from the 2023 total to the 2024 total.
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Building a skilled workforce is essential for ensuring sustainable and inclusive access to assistive technology and rehabilitation services. ATscale supports capacity for managing and delivering services through training and technical assistance to government officials and other stakeholders on policy development, procurement and service delivery for assistive technology.
Image Description
An infographic titled "People Trained by Functional Domains" displays a donut chart with a total of 8,785 people trained, 50% of whom are female, in the center. The chart is divided into sections representing different functional domains:
- Vision: 38% (3,370 people), with 41% female.
- Cross-cutting: 36% (3,147 people), with 59% female.
- Hearing: 12% (1,064 people), with 54% female.
- Mobility: 8% (712 people), with 43% female.
- Communication: 5% (451 people), with 49% female.
- Other: 1% (exact number not specified on the visible part of the slice).
- Selfcare: 1% (exact number not specified on the visible part of the slice).
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Image Description
An infographic titled "People Trained by Personnel Title" displays a horizontal bar chart showing the breakdown of trained individuals by their professional title. Overall, 49% of the trained individuals are female and 51% are male.
The categories and their respective numbers trained, along with the percentage of females in each category, are as follows:
- Teachers/education personnel: 2,566 total, with 41% female.
- Community health worker/volunteers: 2,452 total, with 59% female.
- Health personnel: 2,154 total, with 42% female.
- Other: 775 total, with 52% female.
- OPDs Personnel/Leaders: 452 total, with 62% female.
- Government Representative: 386 total, with 61% female.
Each bar is segmented to visually represent the proportion of male and female trainees within that category.
In Kenya 1,580 health professionals are undergoing training focused on several topics, including speech and language therapy, ophthalmology, audiology and hearing, wheelchair service provision and braille devices. About 3.2 million people a year will indirectly benefit through improved health and care services.
Local expertise is building in Lesotho with certification in wheelchair service provision, empowering instructors to train others, and establishing a programme at Technical and Vocational Education Training schools.
The ATscale-supported programme launched a scholarship initiative in Cambodia that has enabled eight prosthetics and orthotics students to advance to their second year of training and has successfully placed five prosthetic and orthotic technician graduates across physical rehabilitation centres.
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Jeannette and Emmanuel from Huye district, Rwanda, are parents of children with hearing impairments. The family has faced numerous challenges, including poor performance at school, harassment and bullying, high cost of devices, and limited access to essential support services. In February 2024 the children received hearing aids through ATscale’s programme in collaboration with UNICEF and the government.
Through the programme supported by ATscale, 2,284 children with various impairments were identified, of whom 1,299 were assessed, screened and managed by ear, nose and throat specialists. In addition, 582 hearing aids were fitted to 317 children and adults. Also, through market shaping efforts, the cost of hearing aids dropped significantly for the Rwanda Biomedical Centre. Health systems were strengthened with high-tech audiology equipment and health worker capacity developed.
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To support sound decision-making for assistive technology policies and services, and accountability for performance by both national governments and global actors, ATscale is supporting the strengthening of existing health information management tools that track beneficiaries. Such tools have already been integrated into the Kenya Health Information System (KHIS).
Comprehensive assessments – including the rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA), the Situation Analysis of Assistive Technology Systems (STARS), and the Assistive Technology Capacity Assessment (ATA-C) – have been conducted in several countries supported by ATscale (Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Nepal, Peru and the United Republic of Tanzania).
In Indonesia, the rATA data collection was largely conducted by persons with disabilities fostering strong community ownership of the programme activities. The survey results informed advocacy, integrated IT systems, services, and AT working group priorities. When individuals in need of assistive technology are actively involved in the process, the solutions are more likely to be effective and sustainable.
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Access to assistive technology is vital in humanitarian emergencies, offering essential support, enhancing inclusivity, and mitigating protection concerns for people in vulnerable situations. In contrast, the absence of assistive technology can create barriers to essential services, magnify risks and lead to long-term impairments.
In 2024, over 1,000 assistive products – including wheelchairs, walking frames, and toilet and shower chairs – were procured and distributed by WHO to hospitals in the northern and southern regions of Gaza.
ATscale worked with CLASP to pre-position four AT kits – collections of essential assistive products designed for rapid deployment in humanitarian emergencies. By reducing the time it takes for people in crisis situations to receive assistive technology, these kits will help make humanitarian responses more inclusive and responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities.
Further kits will be stored in United Nations Humanitarian Response Depots alongside other emergency supplies, ready for swift distribution. Their content was developed in consultation with key humanitarian actors, including WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, CBM, Humanity & Inclusion, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Future deployments will provide valuable insights to refine both the kits and the delivery approach.
In 2024, ATscale launched an ambitious new initiative to expand access to life-changing assistive technology in low- and middle-income countries for school-aged children. A key element of this programme is strengthening national systems to screen approximately four million children for hearing and vision impairments, followed by the provision of the assistive products they need.
The Partnership invited eligible countries to express their interest in receiving funding support. As a result, twenty countries, including seven Pacific Island countries, were selected. Planning processes for scale-up support were launched in Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Indonesia, Jordan, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the State of Palestine, Samoa, Solomon Islands, The United Republic of Tanzania, Rwanda, Tonga and Vanuatu. Recognizing the need for establishing a stronger base, Chad and Togo were also selected for foundational programmes.
Throughout 2024, the ATscale Secretariat actively prepared for the rolling out of this important initiative, beginning with country scoping missions, evaluation of proposals, and selection of implementing partners to kick off activities in 2025.
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In Cambodia, uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of visual impairment. Simple interventions, such as providing eyeglasses, can have a profound impact on people’s lives. Sina, a 60-year-old former tailor, experienced this firsthand. Her deteriorating eyesight forced her to abandon her tailoring work and take up manual labour on a cassava plantation. After many years, Sina finally found the help she needed when she received a pair of properly prescribed glasses. With her vision restored, Sina regained not only clarity of sight but also a renewed sense of confidence and independence.
ATscale has been supporting the Fred Hollows Foundation, in partnership with the Government of Cambodia, and supported by the Government of the United States to address the issue of uncorrected refractive error. So far, the programme has achieved significant results, providing eye screenings to over 380,000 children and adults (49 per cent women and girls), providing eyeglasses to over 37,000 children and adults, and delivering eye health education sessions to over 3.2 million. In addition, the programme has set up public vision centres, trained local eye health professionals, and raised awareness about eye health among the general public. To ensure long-term sustainability, the project in Cambodia is deeply integrated with national systems, working collaboratively with both the public and private sectors to create lasting impact.
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Beyond country engagement support, in 2024 ATscale has continued to support the creation and advancement of critical global enablers (also termed ’Global Public Goods’). This includes the development of global key normative tools, guidance and advocacy products that fill knowledge gaps to drive informed decision making, advocate for policy change, and promote coordinated action at national, regional and global levels. These resources – along with research that builds evidence and generates data – are essential to underpin new or improved approaches to the provision of assistive technology.
ATscale has identified four priority areas that cover a range of critical bottlenecks.
1 BUILDING SUSTAINABLE ASSISTIVE PRODUCT MARKETS
DESIRED OUTCOME: A step-change in assistive product markets is attracting growing numbers of buyers and suppliers of affordable and high-quality products situated closer to users.
2 BRINGING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TO EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE
DESIRED OUTCOME: Comprehensive guidance and tools, including on innovative service delivery models, is easily available and supporting countries to design services for assistive technology access across the life cycle for all those who can benefit.
3 REMOVING FINANCIAL BARRIERS TO ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ACCESS
DESIRED OUTCOME: Evidence on sustainable assistive technology financing options, approaches and models, as well as costing tools, have been strengthened and are available for countries for adoption and roll out.
4 LEVERAGING THE POWER OF DIGITAL ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
DESIRED OUTCOME: The potential of digital advances for assistive technology, particularly smartphones, is being harnessed more effectively.
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A key aspect of ATscale’s work on global enablers is to strengthen assistive product markets to attract a growing number of buyers and suppliers of affordable and high-quality products situated closer to users, which can include local production.
Transparent, reliable and up-to-date market data and information about assistive products are foundations of a well-functioning market and affordability. They allow buyers to better understand the price, quality and availability of products, and provide suppliers with a much clearer understanding of market demand.
For this purpose, ATscale supported the development of the Assistive Products Market Report in collaboration with CHAI, analysing markets for eyeglasses, hearing aids, prostheses, wheelchairs and digital technology. The report acts as a catalogue for assistive products, specifications, prices and suppliers to enhance information about the availability of affordable, high-quality assistive products in low- and middle-income countries.
ATscale has continued to ensure that comprehensive guidance and tools – including on innovative service delivery models – is easily available and supporting countries to design services for access to assistive technology across the life cycle for all those who can benefit.
ATscale is working with the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) to improve access to quality prosthetic services for people with limb loss. As part of this collaboration, they are developing a mobile application to bring two key outcome measurement tools - LEAD (Lower Extremity Amputation Dataset) and COMPASS (Comprehensive Outcome Measurement for People with Amputations and Stump/Socket Systems) - closer to users. These tools assess the effectiveness of prosthetic services by capturing data on users’ physical functioning,
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mobility, comfort, and overall experience, supporting evidence-based improvements in service delivery.
The initiative includes developing the app in English (with planned translations into Spanish and other languages), piloting the tools in multiple countries to validate their clinical relevance and usability, and building a business case for long-term, secure data collection and management. By equipping providers with insights into what works for users, the project aims to ensure that prosthetic services are not only more widely available, but also more effective and responsive to individual needs.
Digital assistive technology (DAT) offers a powerful opportunity to improve accessibility through affordable and scalable solutions. While smartphones have significant potential in this space, their impact remains limited by fragmented standards, insufficient local language support, and the lack of enabling policies.
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ATscale is developing a portfolio of initiatives to address these gaps, with an initial focus on smartphones. This includes promoting common accessibility standards for developers and exploring opportunities to work with governments to recognise smartphones as assistive technology, including their integration into national Assistive Products Lists (APLs).
ATscale identified TTS voices for under-represented languages as an area in which it could make a catalytic investment to improve access. Under-represented languages are those which tend to have less support from private information technology companies due to the perception that they are predominantly spoken in countries or regions for which such investments are not considered commercially attractive.
ATscale worked with UNICEF to develop voices in Turkmen, Nepali, South Vietnamese and Setswana (spoken in Botswana and South Africa) for TTS software. This adds realistic voices to existing applications, such as book readers or screen readers, so that people can use digital devices, such as smartphones, to read text out loud in their languages from web pages, emails, electronic books and more. As open-source software, the voices are available free to download and can be further modified and improved to be installable on additional platforms, ensuring broader access to digital content for children and adults.
This initiative is a major step towards making digital content accessible to everyone. It opens up new possibilities, especially for visually-impaired children and young people in Nepal. (...) I am deeply thankful to the young volunteers who tested this software and helped to improve it. Their involvement shows that community-based engagement is crucial for developing solutions that are effective, inclusive and sustainable.”
Alice Akunga
UNICEF Representative to Nepal
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ATscale has reached a pivotal moment. Building on the foundation laid during its start-up phase, it is now entering a scale-up phase, guided by its 2024-2027 strategy, which was approved in 2024. In recent years, ATscale has helped shape policies, strengthen markets, and support country-led efforts to improve access to assistive technology. However, the need remains vast, with more than 2.5 billion people still lacking access to the assistive technology they require. The momentum achieved must not be taken for granted. It is threatened by shifting global priorities and a sharp decline in international development assistance, which risks undermining progress just as real gains are being made. ATscale’s next phase will focus on translating progress into large-scale, sustainable impact.
The 2024-2027 strategy sets out an ambitious yet achievable roadmap to ensure that assistive technology becomes an integrated part of health, education, and social systems. Over the next three years, ATscale aims to support at least 35 low- and middle-income countries to develop stronger national AT ecosystems, ensuring that 50 million more people benefit from assistive products and services. This includes expanding access to priority assistive products while also strengthening service delivery models, training workforces and improving financing mechanisms.
Alongside its country-level work, ATscale will continue to address global systemic barriers that limit access to assistive technology. This will drive market-shaping initiatives to lower costs and improve supply chains, advocate policy and regulatory improvements, and support innovative funding models to ensure that AT financing is sustainable. Strong focus will be placed on leveraging digital solutions, ensuring that assistive technology can also meet the needs of an increasingly connected world.
None of this will be possible without strong partnerships and collective action. ATscale will work closely with governments, donors, private sector actors and civil society to mobilize resources and advance solutions that are locally owned and scalable. The success of this strategy depends on a fundamental shift: assistive technology is no longer a neglected area of development, but a recognised enabler of health, education, employment and inclusion.
The next three years represent a defining window of opportunity to turn commitments into impact. Through coordinated effort and shared responsibility, access to assistive technology can be unlocked for millions more people worldwide, enabling them to learn, work, and participate fully in society.
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ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, is a cross-sector global partnership with a mission to transform people’s lives through assistive technology. It catalyses action to ensure that, by 2030, an additional 500 million people in low- and middle-income countries get the life-changing assistive technology they need.
For more information, visit atscalepartnership.org
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