House of Lords event brings together sector leaders to harness power of assistive tech for good

The Assistive Technology, Longevity and Ageing Society (ATLAS), with the support of Aging Analytics Agency and Deep Knowledge Philanthropy, hosted an event at the House of Lords to launch and reveal the findings of its latest interactive assistive technology report.

The event, which took place on 4 October 2022, brought together key industry and ecosystem participants, thought leaders, and founders of assistive technology organisations across governance, policy, charity, academia, and industry in a bid to harness the power of technology for social good.

Assistive technology refers to technologies that help people live independently where it otherwise may be difficult or impossible. Examples of such devices include braille displays, rollators, powerchairs, pressure cushions, rise and recline chairs, and orthoses.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that while more than 2.5 billion elderly or disabled people need one or more assistive products worldwide, nearly one billion of them are denied access.

The new report provides insights on numerous assistive technology ecosystem participants and stakeholders, major trends and obstacles, and highlights the UK Government’s developmental role in this emerging ecosystem.

Findings from the report, ‘AssistiveTech in the UK’, are based on data collected on 170 companies, 100 investors, and 25 non-profit organisations engaged in the assistive technology ecosystem in the UK.

The report helpfully breaks down where the UK Government is funding assistive technology initiatives. This includes a chart of government programmes or departments with a focus on assistive technology funding, such as the Department for Education (DfE), AT Impact Fund (ATIF), Access to Work, and the Global Disability Innovation Hub.

It further, and helpfully, explains the relationship between assistive technologies and medical devices according to UK regulations.

Co-launched with the report was UK-based advocacy initiative ATLAS, which seeks to inform and guide the public and private sectors to embrace the UK’s growing assistive technology, longevity, and ageing technology industries. It also encourages sectors to operate with a level of awareness that no longer excludes the elderly community and those with disabilities.

Stemming from the notion that assistive technology is a major enabler of social inclusion, the initiative aims to leverage partnerships through convening technology founders, venture philanthropists, and impact investors to deliver a future of technology for all.

ATLAS’ analysis depicts five segments of companies within assistive technology in the UK: assistive care services, devices and apps, education and consulting, technology-enabled home care, and smart homes technologies.

Award-winning Disability Inclusion Advocate Shani Dhanda and Board Co-President of Digital Assistive Technology Industry Association for Europe (DATEurope) Antony Ruck were among the speakers at the House of Lords event.

Antony delivered an impassioned talk, which championed the UK’s position as the global leader of assistive technology. In expanding on the notion of impact investing, he drew on WHO’s definition of what assistive technology is and built upon it by referring to its purpose.

He said: “The purpose of assistive technology is to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence and thereby promoting their well-being… If there was a more ethical goal for anyone, then surely what could be better than to invest in those technologies that achieve those aims.”

Shani discussed her own first-hand experience of the lack of inclusivity, especially as a consumer of mainstream goods.

“The spending power of disabled people is £274 billion a year, which rises 14 percent a year,” she pointed out. “We just don’t have enough data to understand disabled consumers. Less than 10 percent of organisations have a plan to access this ‘purple pound’. In fact, on average, every month businesses lose £2 billion by ignoring the needs of disabled people, and by not considering us as consumers… and these figures are pre-covid, they are much worse now.”

According to the report, the definition of assistive technology has evolved. No longer just referring to disability technology, assistive technologies can help those who do not identify as having a disability. This includes providing support to the global ageing population.

Dominic Jennings, Head of Strategic Partnerships for Deep Knowledge Group, commented: “As evident in our AssistiveTech in the UK report, the UK Tech ecosystem possesses all the required resources and critical mass of market-ready products and services to establish itself as a global leader in AssistiveTech, generating an immediate and long-term impact on some of our most pressing socio-economic issues.

“However, major UK AssistiveTech ecosystem players must prioritise practical technologies and harness existing resources in a more systematic manner, creating synergies and achieving rapid growth at both the organisational and national levels.

“Technology is most impactful when it is people-focused. It has become a life-changing tool to break down barriers and expand opportunities for people living with disabilities and those who need assistance in later life.

“Technology is a powerful ally that fosters inclusivity. AssistiveTech enables a more independent way of living by identifying a service or need that can be provided through innovative tech.”

During the panel, which invited open discussion from the audience, the notion of technological responsibility arose.

The panel also covered the unmet need for systems, resources, and organisations capable of showcasing both the ways that UK technology companies are and are not supporting the further growth of the UK assistive technology ecosystem and onboarding the pervasive trends of increased accessibility and inclusivity.

In response to these points, ATLAS proposed to develop, via inclusive cross-sector dialogue with assistive technology ecosystem participants and stakeholders, a Technological Responsibility Index.

The index will seek to rank and benchmark, via neutral, data-driven metrics, the overall levels of support provided by UK technology companies of the further development of the nation’s assistive technology ecosystem, as well as their own levels of corporate and infrastructural inclusivity and accessibility.

Roxy Iqbal, Project Lead for ATLAS, concluded: “This report brings a much-needed spotlight to an ecosystem with the potential to transform the lives of millions of people in the United Kingdom.

“It is a call to venture philanthropists, policy makers, and big tech companies to support our assistive technology companies and to incorporate their innovations and solutions into a broader and more inclusive range of products and services, to rightly provide equal access and experiences for all.”