The area of assistive technology has a long history of technological ingenuity and innovation. In order to ensure that the benefits of assistive technology are equitably distributed across the population and life course, it is necessary to adopt a systemic approach to the area. We describe examples of systems thinking and non-systems thinking across 10 Ps. These Ps are People (or users, as the primary beneficiaries of assistive technology), Policy, Products, Personnel, Provision (as key strategic drivers at systems level); and Procurement, Place, Pace, Promotion and Partnership (as key situational factors for systems). Together these Ps should constitute a framework for an "open" system that can evolve and adapt, that empowers users, inter-connects key components and locates these in the reality of differing contexts. The adoption of a stronger systems thinking perspective within the assistive technology field should allow for more equitable, more resilient and more sustainable assistive technology across high, middle- and low-income contexts and countries. Implications for Rehabilitation The progress of assistive technology provison has been hampered by disconnected initiatives and activities and this needs to be corrected. Systems thinking is a way of thinking about the connections between things and how these are influenced by contextual and other factors. By encouraging the providers and users of assitive technology to think more systemically we can provide a more cohesive and resilient systems. The user experience is the central component of systems thinking in assistive technologies.

Assisting Living and Learning Institute Maynooth University Maynooth Ireland

b Centre for Rehabilitation Studies Stellenbosch University Tygerberg South Africa

c Olomouc University Social Health Institute Palacky University Olomouc Olomouc Czech Republic

Institute for Matching Person and Technology Inc Webster NY USA

References provided by Crossref.org

Relevance of assistive technology and the sustainable development goals to stakeholder organizations in Malawi

Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing the Use of Assistive Technology among Children with Disabilities in Malawi

Implementation of the Assistive Product List (APL) in Malawi through development of appropriate policy and systems: an action research protocol

Intersections Between Systems Thinking and Market Shaping for Assistive Technology: The SMART (Systems-Market for Assistive and Related Technologies) Thinking Matrix