Report. One third of the world’s population needs assistive technology. In poor countries, only 3% of people with disabilities have access to it

Nearly one billion people with disabilities or the elderly do not have access to life-saving equipment, especially in low- and middle-income countries. There are places where access to such devices may be only 3% of what is needed for these life-changing products, the report said.

People in need of assistive technology include people with disabilities, the elderly, people with communicable and non-communicable diseases, including neglected people with degenerative diseases, people with degenerative diseases, people with mental health, and many people affected by humanitarian crises.

We are talking about mobile devices, such as walkers or wheelchairs, to hardware or software devices. For example, a visually impaired person may use software that reads text aloud from a computer, or a program that magnifies the contents of the screen. A visually impaired person may use a device that speaks aloud when typing text on a keyboard.

There is a program in Romania for people with disabilities to apply for vouchers worth up to 23,000 lei, developed by the National Agency for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Children and Adoption, as Libertatea wrote last year. They applied for less than 500 people, but in total there are more than 800 thousand as in Romania.

By 2050, 3.5 billion people will need assistive technology

“Auxiliary technology changes lives. “It opens the door to education, work, social interaction for children with disabilities for adults with disabilities, and a dignified independent life for the elderly,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreius.

“Banning people from access to life-changing tools is not only a violation of human rights, but also an economic disgrace,” Gebreius added.

The report says the number of people in need of one or more caregivers is likely to rise to 3.5 billion by 2050 due to an aging population and the spread of disease worldwide. The report also highlights the large gap in accessibility between low- and high-income countries.

“Almost 240 million children have disabilities. “Depriving children of the right to produce what they need to raise not only harms them but also deprives their families and communities of all the investments they would make if their needs were met,” said UNICEF Director Catherine Russell.

Without access to assistive technology, children with disabilities will continue to be deprived of education, exposed to the risks of exploitation through work, stigmatized and discriminated against, undermining their trust and well-being.

Catherine Russell.

What are the biggest drawbacks?

A survey of 70 countries in the report found gaps in service delivery and assistive technology training. Previous WHO surveys highlight potential barriers: lack of awareness, unaffordable prices, lack of services, inadequate product quality, range, quantity, and procurement and supply chain challenges.

The report, published this month, makes some suggestions for specific actions to improve accessibility, including:

• Improving access to education, healthcare and social care systems.
• Ensuring the availability, safety, efficiency and affordability of care products.
• Raising public awareness պայքար Fight against stigma.
• Inclusion of aid technologies in humanitarian response;
• Provide technical and economic assistance through international cooperation to support national efforts.