WHO estimates that over 2.5 billion people need assistive technology, but access to assistive products is as low as 3% in some settings. Among the users of assistive technology, the majority are older people and those living with disabilities or with chronic health conditions. Access to assistive technology is a fundamental human right to live a productive, dignified and independent life. 

The World Health Assembly resolution WHA71.8 “Improving access to assistive technology” mandates countries to develop, implement and strengthen policies and programmes to improve access to assistive technology as a move toward universal health coverage.  The WHO Access to Assistive Technology team has developed tools and actions to guide countries in building a people-centred assistive technology ecosystem through interventions on policy, products, provision and personnel.

In 2016, the WHO published the Priority Assistive Product List (APL). The APL includes 50 products based on widespread need and impact on a person’s life. These products support functioning in mobility, seeing, hearing, communication, cognition and self-care. The APL aims to provide Member States with a model to develop a list of national priority assistive products according to national needs and available resources. The list can also be used to guide product development, production, service delivery, market shaping, procurement, and reimbursement policies (including insurance coverage). In 2021, WHO published Assistive Product Specifications and How to Use Them (APS) and in 2022 WHO launched an online Training for Assistive Products (TAP), to equip the primary healthcare workforce to provide assistive technology at a community level. These two products will strengthen procurement and workforce capacity for better access to quality-assured assistive technology and in turn, support countries to implement the APL.  

In addition, WHO developed the Assistive Technology Assessment (ATA) toolkit to support countries in systematically collecting data related to assistive technology, informing decisions regarding policy and program design, raising awareness of the need and impact of assistive technology and galvanising political support and resources for assistive technology.

With the publication of the first WHO and UNICEF Global report on assistive technology and advances in technology, new knowledge, evidence and innovative solutions are made available. WHO is now updating the APL and continuing to develop technical products, tools and resources for Member States to strengthen access to assistive technology.

The Technical Advisory Group on assistive technology (“TAG”), first established in March 2022, will play an important role in providing recommendations to WHO on strategies to accelerate access to assistive technology and will act as an advisory body to WHO in this field.

In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the TAG shall have the following functions:

1. To provide independent advice to WHO on methodologies and review of evidence for the development of APL and accompanying tools such as the APS and TAP to support its implementation; 
2. To provide recommendations to WHO on the use of the evidence in the aforementioned technical development;
3. To review and make recommendations to WHO on the APL based on available evidence and further identify gaps where more research is needed; and
4. As appropriate, to review and make recommendations to WHO on technical products in development.