Accelerating access to assistive technology: report on multi-country workshop, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 5-7 December 2023

Overview

In the Region of the Americas, with more than one billion people, and a mix of low, middle, and high-income economies, the availability, quality, and provision of assistive technology are extremely variable. In recent years, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Assistive Technology team has supported initiatives at the country level to assess system barriers to assistive technology access. Although important progress has been achieved through national capacity assessments, introductory training courses and regional mapping of the regulatory context in countries, much remains to be done to close the gap in access to affordable, quality, and appropriate assistive products and services across the Region.