Global Disability Innovation Hub

We are excited to be in Uganda this weekend for the third phase of our initiative to develop inclusive Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems for individuals with non-standard or impaired speech in African languages. This effort aims to close the digital divide for people with speech impairments and marks a major milestone following successful pilots in Ghana and Kenya, culminating in a showcase event on Saturday, 2nd May 2026, at Makerere University, where innovators will present solutions designed to improve communication for people living with speech impairments in Uganda and beyond. The journey in Uganda began with a pre-innovation workshop at Makerere University, bringing together participants from academia, civil society, tech, and the disability community. Since then, data collection has successfully engaged participants with speech impairments in Uganda, creating a valuable dataset to train and refine ASR models. All models, datasets, and tools will be released open source, ensuring long-term impact and enabling further innovation. This initiative co-funded by @Google.org is a part of the #AT2030Programme, led by UCL’s Global Disability Innovation Hub and its in collaboration with, Senses Hub, and Makerere Innovation and Incubation Center. Technical support has been provided by Modal, whose GPU sponsorship is powering the development of the ASR models. #ASR #InclusiveTech #AssistiveTechnology #Uganda #AT2030Programme #SpeechTechnology #Disability #AI #OpenSource #GDIHub Brian Mwenda, Catherine Holloway, Richard Cave PhD, Justin Jesudas

Most AT innovators solve the product. Then they hit customs, certification, tax codes, and procurement cycles and stall. Not because their technology isn't good enough. Because the systems surrounding it are more complex than anyone warned them. On 14 April, GDIHub convened an AT Commercialisation Workshop at Senses Hub in Nairobi, bringing together four specialists to map exactly these barriers. Each one took a different domain. Together, they told a story every AT innovator in Kenya needs to hear. Daniel Mututo from Skylux Logistics walked through the full importation journey and made one thing clear: the hidden costs are what sink most first-timers. Demurrage charges, misdeclared shipments, missing permits these are not edge cases. They are the norm for anyone who engages a clearing agent too late, or not at all. Joseph Gachanja from KEBS reframed certification entirely: aligning with standards from the earliest stage of product development is not bureaucratic box-ticking — it is foundational market strategy. Jacinta Kiruthi from In Trade Africa unpacked the tax layer, specifically the HS code, a classification number that quietly determines your entire duty and exemption landscape. Get it wrong, even unintentionally, and you lose both money and time. Get it right early, and you may qualify for exemptions that dramatically change your cost model. Leonard Dawafula from NCPWD closed the day with procurement — perhaps the most opaque system of all for early-stage innovators — mapping the precise pathway into government and institutional markets, where volume is significant but the margin for error is thin. One lesson cut across every session: the system rewards those who engage it early and penalises those who engage it late. For people living with speech impairments and the wider disability community, this is not an abstract point. Every month a product is delayed in the system is a month that a person goes without a tool that could change their daily life. The moral urgency of AT access is real but urgency alone does not . Innovate Now is led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub (#GDIHub) in partnership with Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa (KBTA) and funded by UK International Development under the #AT2030Programme. Today's Innovate Now accelerator is funded by Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Click the link in bio to read more. https://lnkd.in/ddd-dAUJ #AT2030Programme #GDIHub Senses Hub, Ben Hardman

Join todays webinar: Getting into business with the Disabled Leaders Network - Thursday 23rd April. 1-2pm. We will hear from entrepreneurs, freelancers and business professionals on tackling business as disabled individuals. This webinar is suitable for those entering into the workplace, early careers, and for those that with established experience. We'll be sharing a range of expertise and experience, across this important dialogue.  Speakers include: 👉 Martyn Sibley: Founder and CEO of Purple Goat 👉 Alix Horton: Senior Managing Consultant at IBM 👉 Amandipp S. Singh: Founder of Enabled Talent Register now: https://lnkd.in/e52tYrcu All are welcome. This event will have closed captions and BSL. The The Disabled Leaders Network is a network of pioneering talent, consisting of disabled students, graduates, and professionals who have all been identified as leaders in their respective fields. The network is funded by the Snowdon Trust and managed in partnership between the Snowdon Trust and the Global Disability Innovation Hub. #DisabledLeaderesNetwork #DLN #Disability #Webinar #Buisness #Inclusion #Access #Carrers

In Nairobi, wheelchair users navigate daily challenges shaped by uneven roads, inaccessible transport, and environments that were not designed with them in mind. These barriers don’t just limit movement. They restrict access to education, employment, and social participation. That’s why the AT2030 Third Wheel pilot is such an important step forward. This project idea originated with FCDO Pioneers Anne MacKinnon and Dr. Jacqueline O., who asked if a product that has proven successful in India and Colombia could work in Nairobi. And more importantly, can it be adapted to meet the specific mobility needs of Kenyans living with disabilities? The project is testing a detachable electric “third wheel” for wheelchairs, designed to improve mobility across challenging urban terrain while remaining affordable, repairable, and relevant to local contexts. But this isn’t just about introducing a new device it’s about learning what works when assistive technology is co-designed, locally grounded, and connected to real economic opportunity. What makes this initiative stand out is the depth of collaboration behind it. Innovators from Kenya, India, and Colombia are working alongside people with lived experience of disability, researchers, and local organisations. Together, with our partners, we are exploring questions around: ▪️ Designing for safety, durability, and Kenya’s urban environment ▪️ New ownership and affordability models like rent‑to‑buy ▪️ Linking mobility solutions to employment and income‑generating opportunities ▪️ Building systems that support long‑term use, maintenance, and scale   In this next phase, we will involve on‑the‑ground testing in Korogocho, Nairobi, working directly with users and partners to refine the product and the ecosystem around it. The goal isn’t just improved mobility, but increased independence, dignity, and economic inclusion. In this project, we are partnering with Ebikes Africa, who provide technical expertise across device deployment, charging infrastructure, and maintenance systems. Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) leads on data collection, user insights, and real-world usage analysis ensuring that learning from the pilot is systematically captured and translated into actionable evidence for design, operations, and future scale. Jionee group which anchors the initiative within the community by facilitating local engagement, supporting user onboarding, and ensuring the hub model is responsive to community needs. Click the link below to read more https://lnkd.in/duiV-YR9 NeoMotion,Mikaela Patrick, Ben Hardman, Annamae Muldowney, Markéta Šmitová, Harrison Kamau #AT2030Programme #GDIHub #Inclusion #Disability #Wheelchair

Not long left to apply for our PA/Team Assistant role at #GDIHub! 👀

Most assistive technology is designed in wealthy countries and shipped to places where it doesn't fit too expensive, too hard to repair, and disconnected from the lives of the people it's meant to serve. The AT2030 Frontiers symposium in Kathmandu challenged that model head-on. Hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering and UCL's GDI Hub, brought together 60+ engineers, clinicians, policymakers, and people living with disabilities to ask a better question: What happens when communities lead innovation instead of just receiving it? Some of what emerged: A Nepali team shared how they have replaced a $50 imported prosthetic valve with a nine-cent aquarium valve with no loss in quality. Nepal has hundreds of 3D printers but still depends on imports for most assistive devices. Only 27.7% of Nepalis who need assistive technology currently have access to it. The country has just eight prosthetists. The sharpest reframe came from Andrew Lamb: "Design is no longer the bottleneck distribution is." The technology exists. The gap is in getting it to the people who need it, in forms they can maintain and afford. From the symposium, ten collaborative teams have now received seed funding to turn these ideas into practice from local fabrication pilots to inclusive education tools. The takeaway for anyone working in global health, engineering, or development: stop scaling up. Start scaling out. Invest in community-based maker spaces, local training pipelines, and co-creation with the people closest to the problem. Innovation doesn't need to be imported. It needs to be unlocked. Click here to read the full blog. https://lnkd.in/dcZAugvh #AT2030Programme #AssistiveTechnology #Inclusion #GlobalHealth #Engineering #Disability #Innovation Ben Oldfrey, Alice Benton

How has it already been 2 weeks since Naidex?! 🤩 It was such a pleasure to return to NAIDEX after years of not going! We had so much fun exhibiting with our team, our The Disabled Leaders Network and our DPO Map (curated by Anna Landre) 💜 We got to catch up with old and new friends, test out new AT innovations, and build communities through both our panel discussions and our exhibition stall. Being in an environment with over 12,000 disabled people, is so powerful and watching people get excited at the work we are doing, was so energising! 🥹 Our highlights: ✨ Our DLN day one panel about transitioning from education to work, featuring DLN manager Amelia Underwood-King and Rhys Jenkins who is an autistic advocate at The NeuroDifference LLC ✨ Speaking to the community to connect DPOs to Anna Landre DPO map: if you run a DPO and would like to be added to the map, please head to our website: https://lnkd.in/eYRFwpZ5 ✨ Our day two panel about the power of disabled leadership, featuring our DLN manager Amelia Underwood-King alongside three of our members: Gavin Clarke, Pravjoth Gill Assoc CIPD and Matthew Horspool! From learning how to harness lived experience to channelling disabled leadership into more inclusive systems, the panel shared their expertise and experiences to demonstrate the power of disabled leaders. ✨ Seeing so many old and new friends, including Adam Hyland from Evenbreak, Brian Mwenda from Hope Tech, Princewill Ahante from the DLN who joined us to represent the network and more! We can’t wait for NAIDEX 2027! A massive thank you to our team, Jet Gates, Louise Gebbett, Princewill Ahante, Anna Landre and Amelia Underwood-King and to our Disabled Leaders Network members who exhibited, shared their experiences through our panels, and to everyone who came and said hi to us! What was your favourite part of NAIDEX? Are you going back next year? Let us know in the comments below! 👇 #Naidex #DisabledLeadersNetwork #GDIHub #AT2030Programme

🔔 We’re hiring: PA & Team Assistant 🔔 Are you an exceptionally organised, proactive PA or Team Assistant who wants their work to really matter? The Global Disability Innovation Hub (#GDIHub) is looking for a PA & Team Assistant to provide high‑level support to our CEO and Academic Director, while also working closely with our wider team across operations, communications, and project delivery. This is a fantastic opportunity to: ✅ Work at the intersection of innovation, social justice, and disability inclusion ✅ Play a key coordination role in a mission‑driven, international organisation ✅ Support impactful work reaching 40+ countries and millions of people globally ✅ Join an inclusive team where reasonable adjustments are business as usual. 📍 Hybrid role (London/UK‑based) 📄 Full‑time, 1‑year fixed‑term (with possibility of extension) 💷 £32,000–£35,000 📅 Applications reviewed on a rolling basis – early applications encouraged If you thrive in a fast‑moving environment, love bringing order to complexity, and want to contribute to a more inclusive world, we’d love to hear from you. 👉 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dZ_xFw5m Please feel free to share with your networks! #Hiring #PAJobs #TeamAssistant #DisabilityInclusion #InclusiveCareers #SocialImpact #AssistiveTechnology

Recently Professor Catherine Holloway from Global Disability Innovation Hub helped to launch a new project at the Augmented Humans Conference in Japan 🤩 The conference is dedicated to physical, cognitive, and perceptual augmentation of humans through digital technologies. During this we launched “Enhancing Humanity”: an international research collaboration network reimagining human augmentation for an inclusive future. Led by Kouta Minamizawa at Keio University (慶應義塾大学), this 5-year ASPIRE-funded initiative (Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)) brings together 12 PIs across 6 countries: Japan, US, Italy, France, UK, and Germany. This group includes: - Kouta Minamizawa from Keio University [LEAD] - Yoshihiro Tanaka from Nagoya Institute of Technology 名古屋工業大学 - Kasahara Shunichi from Sony Computer Science Laboratories & Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology - Yuji Hatada from The University of Tokyo, Pedro Couto Lopes from University of Chicago - Pattie Maes from MIT Media Lab, Domenico Prattichizzo from Università di Siena - Anatole Lécuyer from Centre Inria de l'Université de Rennes - Catherine Holloway from UCL & Global Disability Innovation Hub - Giulia Barbareschi from Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security & University of Duisburg-Essen As part of the launch, there was a live B2J (BrainDJ) demonstration from Masatane Muto who has ALS 🎶 🎛️ "We're building human augmentation technologies *with* people who need them most, not for them. From AI-supported learning to affordable assistive devices, from avatar-mediated remote work to cross-border employment, this is innovation rooted in real accessibility challenges. The future of human augmentation is global, interdisciplinary and deeply human" Tags: #AugmentedHumanConference #DisabilityInnovation #GDIHub #AT2030Programme