Assistive technologies (ATs) promote participation and inclusion in society, and support access to health, social services, education, work and other important life experiences for persons with disabilities, older people and those with chronic conditions. The Global Report on Assistive Technology, launched in May 2022 by WHO and UNICEF, calls for concrete actions to improve access to AT globally, and recognizes AT as both a means to, and an end itself, in the achievement of rights of persons with disabilities. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, 2006) is the most widely ratified human rights convention, affirming the right to participation in society on an equal basis with others.

In 2018, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on improving access to assistive technology (AT), and mandated the WHO to prepare a global report on assistive technology based on the best available evidence and international experience. As limited data on access to AT at country and global levels were available, there was a need to conduct representative population surveys in order to inform the development of the global report, national AT programs, and global initiatives. The objective of this protocol is to describe a multi-country study of access to assistive technology in six self-reported areas: use, source, payer, satisfaction, unmet need, and barriers. In collaboration with WHO Regional and Country offices, Member States, and other stakeholders, the Assistive Technology Access team in WHO coordinates the study. Data are collected through household surveys using the rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) questionnaire. Findings from the surveys will be published in the global report.

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between assistive technology system elements and access to assistive products. Data on assistive technology system elements and self-reported survey data on access to assistive products from 20 countries were analyzed using multivariate statistical methods, including orthogonal partial least squares analyses. Access to assistive products was primarily associated with the geographic coverage of assistive technology services in a country, followed by system elements related to policy and personnel. To achieve universal access to assistive technology, geographic coverage of assistive technology services is an instrumental system element. However, it requires the implementation of appropriate policies along with sufficient funding, recruitment of adequately trained personnel, and availability of assistive products in need.

Mobility impairments are a common symptom of age-related degenerative diseases. Gait features can discriminate those with mobility disorders from healthy individuals, yet phenotyping specific pathologies remains challenging. This study aims to identify if gait parameters derived from two foot-mounted inertial measurement units (IMU) during the 6 min walk test (6MWT) can phenotype mobility impairment from different pathologies (Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS)—neurogenic diseases, and knee osteoarthritis (KOA)—structural joint disease). Bilateral foot-mounted IMU data during the 6MWT were collected from patients with LSS and KOA and matched healthy controls (N = 30, 10 for each group). Eleven gait parameters representing four domains (pace, rhythm, asymmetry, variability) were derived for each minute of the 6MWT. In the entire 6MWT, gait parameters in all four domains distinguished between controls and both disease groups; however, the disease groups demonstrated no statistical differences, with a trend toward higher stride length variability in the LSS group (p = 0.057). Additional minute-by-minute comparisons identified stride length variability as a statistically significant marker between disease groups during the middle portion of 6WMT (3rd min: p ≤ 0.05; 4th min: p = 0.06). These findings demonstrate that gait variability measures are a potential biomarker to phenotype mobility impairment from different pathologies. Increased gait variability indicates loss of gait rhythmicity, a common feature in neurologic impairment of locomotor control, thus reflecting the underlying mechanism for the gait impairment in LSS. Findings from this work also identify the middle portion of the 6MWT as a potential window to detect subtle gait differences between individuals with different origins of gait impairment.

If accessible, assistive technology would be life changing for a billion people across the world today – and two billion people in 2050 (WHO, 2018). It would make the difference between independenc...

The objective of this population-based study was to assess the use, sources, payers, barriers, need, and unmet need of assistive products (AP) in the population of Iraq using the Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) survey. The survey included a representative national sample from six governorates, including 36 cities/districts that cover all the country. In total 12,021 respondents' data were included in the data analysis. A total, of 16.4% of the sample reported use of AP, and 22.8% reported being in need of AP. Children and adolescents (≤17 years), seniors (≥80 years), and people living in rural areas had lower access to APs. The main sources of funding were out-of-pocket (57.6%), followed by friends and family (31.2%), government (10.1%), and NGOs (4.8%). Furthermore, 58%, 27.3% and 12.2% APs were obtained from the private sector, friends and family, and the government, respectively. The main barriers facing people in need to get APs were inability to afford (43.6%), no support (22.3%), unavailability of APs (11.5%), stigma (4.6%), and no time available (3.5%). It is the government's responsibility to provide AP, in addition to suitable environments (sidewalks, transportation, and public buildings) that are friendly to people with wheelchairs and crutches.