Global Assistive Technology Innovation

Goals

More than 2.5 billion people need assistive technology to live productive and dignified lives, yet nearly one billion lack access. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, access to assistive technology can be as low as 3%.

We envision Confluence, a Global Assistive Technology Innovation Hub, as a solution. Confluence aims to facilitate the collective development of contextually relevant and sustainable assistive technology for people with disabilities in low-income countries.

This VIP introduces students to the mission of Confluence. Through collaboration with our Rwandan partners, students will explore concepts of co-design, sustainability, and localization. They’ll work in sub-teams to develop projects that advance locally relevant AT innovation.

Issues Involved or Addressed

Disability, Assistive Technology Access Gap, Co-Design, Inclusive Innovation, Locally Relevant Innovation, Sustainable Innovation, Global Development.

During the Fall 2025 semester, we will have four sub-teams:

Sub-team 1 – GIS: Building upon previous semesters, this team will continue building the GIS mapping of Rwanda capturing disability prevalence and disability service touchpoints.

Sub-team 2 – UX: This team will focus on designing and refining the Confluence platform, ensuring it is user-friendly and accessible.

Sub-team 3 – Lived Experience Narratives: This team will focus on collecting and curating authentic lived experience narratives from people with disabilities in Burera, Rwanda, in close collaboration with our Rwandan partner. These stories will be integrated into the Confluence platform providing crucial contextual understanding of disability and AT needs.

Sub-team 4: Low-cost Assistive Technology Production: This team will collaborate with our Rwandan partner to establish a workshop focused on low-cost assistive technology.

Students will select and join one sub-team, remaining with that team for the duration of the semester. Our work will build on the progress and insights gained since the launch of this VIP in Spring 2024.

Partners/Sponsors

We will be partnering with disability organizations in Rwanda.