Page 96 - Handbook of Electronic Assistive Technology

Chapter 4 • Assessment and Outcomes 83

• Personnel: assistive products training package.
• Provision: assistive products service delivery model.

The number of people worldwide that could benefit from AT is estimated at over a
billion (World Health Organisation, 2011). This number is projected to rise above 2 billion
by 2050. While an ageing population is a common factor in increasing the need for AT all
over the world, there is an even greater demand for AT in some regions due to emergen-
cies, e.g., the eastern Mediterranean. 3
In the past 20 years disasters such as large-scale earthquakes in Bam, Islamic
Republic of Iran, and in Kashmir, Pakistan, have resulted in huge numbers of injuries,
which has led to a considerable increase in disabilities in both countries (Mallick et al.,
4
2010). War and conflict also increase the toll of those requiring AT. Despite this grow-
ing need, it is estimated that today only 1 in 10 people has access to AT (WHO, 2017). This
situation is attributed to lack of financing, availability, awareness, trained personnel and
high costs.
CPRD has had positive influence and raised the profile of AT and the need to develop
infrastructures to put it in place. An example of this is the Mada Assistive Technology
Centre based in Qatar, which was established in 2010 in response to the UN CRPD. The
focus of the centre is information and communication technology and how it can be used
in education, employment and the community to enable people with disabilities. Since
its development, Mada has played an important role in raising awareness of AT in the
region. In 2013, Mada embarked on a project to develop an Augmentative and Alternative
5
Communication (AAC) symbol set called Tawasol Symbols, which focuses on the Qatari
Arabic language and modern standard Arabic. The project is an international collabora-
tion with the University of Southampton and Hamad Medical Corporations. It is funded by
the Qatar National Research Fund.

Assessment and Provision of AT

Many models of provision exist. In general, in European countries a person with dis-
abilities is assessed and supported through public health systems, e.g., France, Italy,
Spain and Demark, or through the combination of private and public health systems,
e.g., United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany. In countries such as the United States
or Australia the same person would be seen in a private system that will also sell certain
products. These models provide different requirements in terms of prescribing, e.g., limi-
tations in the range of products available due to costs or eligibility criteria, and cross-
agency working.

3 http://applications.emro.who.int/docs/RC_technical_papers_2016_4_19025_EN.pdf.
4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-36363222.
5 http://tawasolsymbols.org/en/about/.