Background Information – ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology
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.
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/
Assistive technology has far-reaching impacts that can sometimes feel abstract. Grounding success stories with lived experiences helps target audiences grasp and understand the real-world ways that assistive technologies transform lives and national economies. Capturing stories from both ATscale partners and ATscale’s own programmes, and communicating them regularly across ATscale communication channels is key. As well as enabling ATscale to communicate impact effectively, this will build interest and momentum amongst key stakeholders and serve the learning agenda. ATscale seeks creative ways to share stories of impact, using video, graphics, and photography, where possible, to grab attention and capture the audience's imagination. Much of ATscale’s audience is high level with a focus on decision-makers and potential donors.
ATscale has developed a deeper understanding of key AT products and markets through five Product Narratives for wheelchairs, prostheses, hearing aids, eyeglasses, and assistive digital devices and software. ATscale launched the first ever Investment Case for Assistive Technology, demonstrating a 9:1 Return on Investment (ROI). Atscale supported the publication of the first WHO and UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology in 2022. There is work to be done to package these, and other reports and disseminate the content for different audiences.
A major focus for ATscale visibility in 2024 will be the delivery of a global campaign that seeks to reach new audiences and thematic areas and raise the profile of the assistive technology agenda. The communications Specialist will support the Advocacy and Communications Advisor to successfully deliver the campaign.
ATscale commits to circulating all published documents in accessible PDF, HTML, DAISY, and EPUB to guarantee accessibility.
ATscale is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist to support the team in assessing if progress is made in achieving expected results, to spot bottlenecks in implementation and to highlight learnings that can be fed back into programmes.
Role of the Monitoring , Evaluations and Learning Specialist
The MEL Specialist will be responsible for the implementation of ATscale’s M&E and learning framework both for its work on global public goods and its support to country-level programmes. He/she will support the partnership's effectiveness and help boost the impact of overall efforts.
The MEL Specialist reports to the Strategy and Coordination Advisor who provides direction and general supervision. He/she works in close collaboration with ATscale partners and other key stakeholders.