Assistive Technology during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: The Roles of Government and Civil Society in Fulfilling the Social Contract

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed significant challenges to users of assistive technology (AT). Three key issues emerged from a series of structured qualitative interviews with 35 AT users in six low- and middle-income countries. These were (1) access to information about COVID-19 and available supports...

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Auteurs principaux: Daniel Mont, Natasha Layton, Louise Puli, Shivani Gupta, Abner Manlapaz, Kylie Shae, Emma Tebbutt, Irene Calvo, Mahpekay Sidiqy, Kudakwashe Dube, Ulamila Kacilala
Format: article
Langue:EN
Publié: MDPI AG 2021
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Accès en ligne:https://doaj.org/article/f54fb87713724bd5b30e4a3d065cde76
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Résumé:The COVID-19 pandemic imposed significant challenges to users of assistive technology (AT). Three key issues emerged from a series of structured qualitative interviews with 35 AT users in six low- and middle-income countries. These were (1) access to information about COVID-19 and available supports and policies, (2) insufficiency of the government response to meet the needs of AT users, and (3) the response of civil society which partially offset the gap in government response. AT users noted the need for better communication, improved planning for the delivery and maintenance of AT during times of crisis, and higher-quality standards to ensure the availability of appropriate technology.