ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, is seeking to establish a roster of experts as ‘Technical Editor’. This provides a unique opportunity to contribute to a unique multi-stakeholder partnership to address one of the most significant and most underinvested issues of our global development agenda – the need for assistive technology (AT).

ATscale is a cross-sectoral partnership with the goal of reaching 500 million additional people with assistive technology by 2030 to support them in participating in education, work, and everyday life.

Today, over 2.5 billion people need at least one form of AT, such as wheelchairs, eyeglasses, or hearing aids, but in low-income countries, 90% do not have access to the AT they require. The number of people who need AT is expected to grow to more than 3.4 billion people by 2050.

Access to appropriate AT enables people with loss of function, disabilities, non-communicable diseases, and the ageing population to participate in education, work, family, and community life. Lack of access to AT has significant consequences for individuals, their families, and the wider society. Without AT, individuals may experience isolation and exclusion from education, the labour market, and civic life. Lack of access to appropriate AT causes poorer health outcomes including premature death, deteriorating mental health, and increased risk of chronic health conditions and secondary complications, all of which lead to a higher burden on health systems. Increasing accessibility and affordability of AT unlocks unrealised economic potential and provides socioeconomic benefit for individuals, families, and countries by increasing productivity and participation in the workforce.

The ATscale Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information, please visit https://atscalepartnership.org/