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Assistive technology in developing countries: national and international responsibilities to implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Borg, Johan Lindström, Anna Larsson, Stig |
| Copyright Year | 2009 |
| Abstract | In developing countries, disability is often associated with poverty caused by reduced participation in education, work, and community life. Education and employment contributes to reduction of poverty, improvement of health, and increased participation in society. According to fi ndings from studies in high-income countries, assistive technology can have a positive socioeconomic eff ect on the lives of people with disabilities by improving access to education and increasing achievement. The use of assistive technology is a successful strategy to help participation in work, and maintenance of health. Despite these positive outcomes, access to assistive technology is very restricted in developing countries. The importance of assistive technology for human development is recognised by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which entitles benefi ciaries with rights to assistive technology to full and equal enjoyment of all human rights. To comply with the CRPD, national governments should implement measures to meet citizens' needs for assistive technology, and governments and international organisations with available means should provide technical and economic assistance to developing countries to access, share, and transfer assistive technology. National and international initiatives are needed to provide assistive technology that complies with the CRPD, but research to support implementation of such a development is severely lacking. The UN defi nes assistive technology as technology adapted or specially designed to improve the functioning of people with disabilities. In the CRPD, obligations for provision of assistive technology are scattered between several articles, which impedes advocacy for imple mentation. Furthermore, several terms are used in addition to assistive technology, including assistive devices, mobility aids, Braille, and augmentative and alternative modes, means, and formats of communication; we use assistive technology as an umbrella term. The CRPD specifi cally mentions terms for assistive technology in eight of articles 4–32 (4, 9, 20, 21, 24, 26, 29, and 32). Measures that could include assistive technology (eg, take all appropriate measures) are mentioned in an additional 17 articles. Provisions that are needed diff er depending on sex, age, and disability; but, since the CRPD prohibits inequality and discrimination, people with all kinds of disabilities of both sexes and all ages have a right to demand available, accessible, and aff ordable assistive technology. Further, national rulings provide support for claimants of equal rights, since failure to address the situation of a group can violate substantive equality. Thus, compliance with the CRPD requires that governments develop and implement equitable policies and legislation on assistive technology, with address of areas such as research, development, production, availability, information, training, use, and international coopera tion. By acknowledgment of the diffi culty for less resourced countries to fulfi l all commitments, the CRPD allows for progressive realisation of its goal. However, within a framework of international cooperation, such impediments should not be used as an excuse to ignore provision of assistive technology in view of the benefi t to human development. Availability of assistive technology is achieved by ensuring that infrastructure, personnel, products, and materials are available, and can be improved by providing more of them. By comparison, accessibility is achievement of an individual's maximum chance of accessing assistive technology once services have been made available, and can be improved by removal of obstacles. Provision of assistive technology entails design, production, and supply of products, and delivery of associated services. Appropriate assistive technology should meet users' needs and environmental conditions, fi t properly, be safe and durable, be available in the country, and be obtained and maintained, with services sustained, at the most economical and aff ordable price. Generally, use of assistive technology needs assessment, selection, fi tting, training, and follow-up to ensure safe and effi cient use. These services often have a substantial eff ect on outcome for users. Additionally, accessibility in the user's environment is a prerequisite for use of certain types of assistive technology. There is little academic knowledge on assistive technology in developing countries. Research has mainly concerned design and production of mobility products such as wheelchairs and lower-limb prostheses. Some fi ndings on services, outcomes, and hearing aids have been published, but almost no reports are available for use of assistive technology for people with visual or cognitive disabilities. Knowledge oriented towards products and services is needed. However, the real challenge is to make products and services available, accessible, and aff ordable. Unfortunately little scientifi c evidence is available to support the development of approaches to delivery of assistive technology in such countries. Despite this lack of evidence, initiatives to provide assistive technology are in progress. Such initiatives are frequently based on the ideas and experiences of Lancet 2009; 374: 1863–65 |
| Starting Page | 1863 |
| Ending Page | 1865 |
| Page Count | 3 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61872-9 |
| PubMed reference number | 19944867 |
| Journal | Medline |
| Volume Number | 374 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/pii/S0140673609618729 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673609618729?dgcid=api_sd_search-api-endpoint |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736%2809%2961872-9 |
| Journal | The Lancet |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
