From Medical Xpress:
“Nearly 1 billion people lack access
to disability aids”
(Almah Kuambu and a prospective
assistive technology user during a National Orthotic and Prosthetic Services
outreach programme in Popondetta in southern Papua New Guinea.)
Almost 1 billion children and
adults with disabilities, and older people, are unable to access the assistive
technology they need, according to a UN report, which calls for more investment
in these life-changing products. Access to assistive technologies such as
glasses, hearing aids, mobility or communication devices is as low as three
percent in some low-and middle-income countries, according to the report by the
World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),
launched on 16 May. It says more than 3.5 billion people will need one or more
assistive products by 2050 due to population aging and the increase in
incidence of non-communicable diseases. At present, the figure is 2.5 billion. The
report, which is the first ever global snapshot of the need for and access to
assistive technology, calls on governments, industry and civil society to fund
and prioritize access to these products.
Almah Kuambu, technical advisor
to the National Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (NOPS) in Papua New Guinea's
(PNG) Department of Health, knows the difference access to assistive technology
can make to a child's development, education, participation in sports and
community, and future employment prospects. "I had lost my lower limb in
an accident at the age of 11. It was devastating for me and my family,"
Kuambu told SciDev.Net. "It took nearly a year before I could be fitted
with a prosthetic limb. I remember feeling over the moon to be able to stand on
both legs again. It changed my life and inspired me to work in this space and
help de-stigmatize disability in our communities." There are globally 240
million children living with one or more disabilities, according to UNICEF.
"One of the biggest barriers for children with disabilities is stigma
among peers and the non-inclusive school settings that prevent them from
accessing or using assistive technology," Rosangela Berman-Bieler,
UNICEF's lead on disability, told a virtual media briefing on Friday. "Children
who are unable to access technology are even less likely to access health care
and other social services, further exacerbating their disabilities and
excluding them from participating in everyday life. Their families are often
also affected due to reduced income as a result of increased caretaking
requirements," she added.
In developing countries, people
have to travel long distances to access assistive technology and the cost is
often prohibitive, which can be a major barrier to access. Around two-thirds of
people with assistive products reported making out-of-pocket payments for them.
Others reported relying on family and friends to support their needs
financially, the report notes.
When Anna Kwemeling, 39, lost her
leg seven years ago in a car accident in Kimbe, PNG's West New Britain
province, she had to quit her bank job. "I had two young children. There
were no assistive technology services available nearby. It took a while before
we could save enough resources to pay for travel and accommodation to access
the service in Port Moresby. With the prosthetic leg, I feel normal again and I
am hoping to re-enter the workforce," Kwemeling told SciDev.Net. The
report calls on governments to include assistive technology as part of
universal health care coverage packages and employ a people-centered,
rights-based approach, actively engaging users in all aspects of assistive
technology. "Denying people access to these life-changing tools is not
only an infringement of human rights, it's economically short-sighted,"
said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "We call on all
countries to fund and prioritize access to assistive technology and give
everyone a chance to live up to their potential." "This report gives
us an understanding and some evidence that to get the most efficient and
effective outcome, it's about more than just the assistive product. As an
occupational therapist, I see the power of the right assistive product that
enables people to do the occupations of their daily life," said Natasha
Layton, senior research fellow at Monash University in Melbourne and a board
member of the Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association. "The
new data on the rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) tool in the
report, for the first time, will tell us about unmet needs and where the most
impact can be had, particularly in developing countries. I am hoping that it
will change access to assistive technology from a small charitable provision to
a systematic scaling and improving of in-country provision that is
fit-for-purpose," Layton told SciDev.Net. "There are many learnings
from frugal innovation that are culturally and environmentally appropriate and
worked very well in low-and-middle income countries," added Layton, who is
also a contributing author to the report.
^ This is a much larger number than
I could have imagined, but sadly it does make sense. The World needs to do more
to help all the Disabled regardless of where they live. ^
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-05-billion-people-lack-access-disability.html
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