ATscale, the Global
Partnership for Assistive Technology 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.
ATscale is hosted by UNOPS.
Today, over 2.5 billion
people need at least one form of assistive technology (AT), such as
wheelchairs, eyeglasses, or hearing aids, but in some countries as little as 3%
have access to the assistive technology they require. The number of people who
need assistive technology is expected to grow to more than 3.5 billion people
by 2050.
Access to appropriate
assistive technology enables persons with a loss of function, impairments,
non-communicable diseases, and the aging population to participate in education,
work, family, and community life. Lack of access to assistive technology has
significant consequences for individuals, their families, and the wider
society. Without assistive technology, individuals may experience isolation and
exclusion from education, the labour market, and civic life. Lack of access to
appropriate assistive technology 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
assistive technology unlocks unrealised economic potential and provides
socioeconomic benefit for individuals, families, and countries by increasing
productivity and participation in the workforce.
ATscale was developed in
response to the need for a new, catalytic approach to overcoming the
significant gap in access to appropriate, high-quality, and affordable
assistive technology globally. As a cross-sector partnership for assistive
technology, ATscale aims to bring greater resources and strategic focus to this
significant global challenge.
ATscale has defined a
strategy overview (https://ATscalepartnership.org/strategy) in which it
describes two strategic objectives: 1) to develop an enabling ecosystem for
increased access to AT by galvanizing political will, mobilizing investment,
driving policy reform, and strengthening targeted, cross-product systems,
particularly at country level; and 2) to build and shape markets for priority
products and their related services by identifying and investing in
interventions to overcome specific supply and demand-side market barriers.
ATscale has also published
an investment case for the sector (https://atscalepartnership.org/investment-case),
as well as thorough market analyses and strategies, called Product Narratives,
for improving access to its five priority products: wheelchairs, hearing aids,
eyeglasses, prostheses, and digital assistive devices and software
ATscale is still in an
exciting start-up phase and the Strategy and Coordination Advisor will play an
important role in shaping the strategic vision for the organization with the
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and others in the ATscale Secretariat. The
Strategy and Coordination Advisor will manage Board relations and support the
CEO in preparing and following up on all Board meetings and its various
committees. He/she will also lead ATscale’s partner engagement identifying new
and relevant partners, and developing strong collaborative relationships with
existing partners. He/she will also support cross-cutting strategic management
functions such as planning, monitoring & evaluation, knowledge sharing,
etc.