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In a new episode of the third season of Pathways to Zero Barriers, host Tom Butcher speaks with Renita Nabisubi, Lead, Disability Inclusion at the Mastercard Foundation, to explore the assistive technology landscape in Africa and what it takes to bring promising innovations to the people who need them.
From locally developed digital solutions to AI-powered prosthetic limbs, Renita shares how assistive technology can expand opportunities for young persons with disabilities. Drawing on her professional experience and lived experience as an above-knee amputee, she discusses the challenges of affordability, funding, accessibility, and distribution—and why technology alone is not enough.
Assistive technology is about participation
A central part of the episode examines how assistive technology can determine whether young persons with disabilities can stay in education, approach job interviews with confidence, work independently, or travel.
Renita discusses why access goes beyond receiving a device: assistive technology must be accessible, affordable, and appropriate to each user's needs and context. Maintenance and repair are essential to ensure that devices remain functional and useful.
Local innovation and collaboration
The conversation also analyzes the role of local innovation, the importance of designing for different contexts, and the need for stronger collaboration between innovators, funders, governments, educators, and employers.
Renita explains why young persons with disabilities must have a voice in decisions that affect them. Their lived experience should inform product design, investment, procurement, service delivery, and policymaking, ensuring that their voices influence the systems and solutions intended to support them.
Pathways to Zero Barriers
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