INTRODUCTION: Assistive technology (AT) is important for the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) for persons with disabilities (PWD). Increasingly, studies suggest a significant gap between the need for and demand for and provisions of AT for PWD in low-income and middle-income settings. Evidence from high income countries highlights the importance of robust AT policies to the achievement of the recommendations of the World Health Assembly on AT. In Malawi, there is no standalone AT policy. The objectives of the Assistive Product List Implementation Creating Enablement of inclusive SDGs (APPLICABLE) project, are to propose and facilitate the development of a framework for creating effective national AT policy and specify a system capable of implementing such policies in low-income countries such as Malawi. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: We propose an action research process with stakeholders in AT in Malawi. APPLICABLE will adopt an action research paradigm, through developing a shared research agenda with stakeholders and including users of AT. This involves the formation of an Action Research Group that will specify the priorities for practice-and policy-based evidence, in order to facilitate the development of contextually realistic and achievable policy aspirations on AT in Malawi and provide system strengthening recommendations that will ensure that the policy is implementable for their realisation. We will undertake an evaluation of this policy by measuring supply and support for specific AT prior to, and following the implementation of the policy recommendations. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol was approved by Maynooth University Research Ethics Committee (SRESC-2019-2378566) and University of Malawi Research Ethics Committee (P.01/20/10). Findings from the study will be disseminated by publication in peer-reviewed journals, presentations to stakeholders in Malawi, Ireland and international audiences at international conferences.

Assisting Living and Learning Institute Department of Psychology Maynooth University Maynooth Ireland

Centre for Social Research University of Malawi Zomba Malawi

Olomouc University Social Health Institute Palacký University Olomouc Czech Republic

Zobrazit více v PubMed

World Health Organization World report on disability. 2011 world disability report, 2016.

Bright T, Wallace S, Kuper H. A systematic review of access to rehabilitation for people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018;15:2165. 10.3390/ijerph15102165 PubMed DOI PMC

Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD) [online], 2006. Available: https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html [Accessed Feb 2020].

Sustainable development goals [online], 2020. Available: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html [Accessed Feb 2020].

Tebbutt E, Brodmann R, Borg J, et al. . Assistive products and the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Global Health 2016;12:79. 10.1186/s12992-016-0220-6 PubMed DOI PMC

Khasnabis C, Mirza Z, MacLachlan M. Opening the GATE to inclusion for people with disabilities. Lancet 2015;386:2229–30. 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01093-4 PubMed DOI

WHO Global cooperation on assistive technology (GATE). Geneva: World Health Organization, 2014.

WHO Priority assistive products list (APL). Geneva: World Health Organization, 2016.

WHO WHO model list of essential medicines: 17th list, March 2011. World Health Organization, 2011.

Desmond D, Layton N, Bentley J, et al. . Assistive technology and people: a position paper from the first global research, innovation and education on assistive technology (GREAT) Summit. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2018;13:437–44. 10.1080/17483107.2018.1471169 PubMed DOI

Smith RO, Scherer MJ, Cooper R, et al. . Assistive technology products: a position paper from the first global research, innovation, and education on assistive technology (GREAT) Summit. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2018;13:473–85. 10.1080/17483107.2018.1473895 PubMed DOI

de Witte L, Steel E, Gupta S, et al. . Assistive technology provision: towards an international framework for assuring availability and accessibility of affordable high-quality assistive technology. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2018;13:467–72. 10.1080/17483107.2018.1470264 PubMed DOI

Smith EM, Gowran RJ, Mannan H, et al. . Enabling appropriate personnel skill-mix for progressive realization of equitable access to assistive technology. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2018;13:445–53. 10.1080/17483107.2018.1470683 PubMed DOI

MacLachlan M, Banes D, Bell D, et al. . Assistive technology policy: a position paper from the first global research, innovation, and education on assistive technology (GREAT) Summit. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2018;13:454–66. 10.1080/17483107.2018.1468496 PubMed DOI

MacLachlan M, Scherer MJ. Systems thinking for assistive technology: a commentary on the GREAT Summit. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2018;13:492–6. 10.1080/17483107.2018.1472306 PubMed DOI

Sterman JD. Learning from evidence in a complex world. Am J Public Health 2006;96:505–14. 10.2105/AJPH.2005.066043 PubMed DOI PMC

Holloway C, Austin V, Barbareschi G, et al. . Scoping research report on assistive technology: On the road for universal assistive technology coverage Prepared by the GDI Hub & partners for the UK department for international development global disability innvoation hub, 2018.

United Nations Malawi, 2020. Available: http://mw.one.un.org/country-profile/

Malawi Government National policy on equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities, 2006. Available: http://www.motpwh.gov.mw/images/Publications/policy/Malawi%20National%20Policy%20on%20Equalisation%20of%20Opportunities%20for%20Persons%20with%20Disabilities.pdf

Malawi Government National disability mainstreaming strategy and implementation plan 2018-2023. Lilongwe, Malawi, 2018.

Loeb M, Eide AH. Living conditions among people with activity limitations in Malawi. A national representative study. SINTEF Report 2004.

Munthali AC. A situation analysis of persons with disabilities in Malawi, 2011.

WHO Global perspectives on assistive technology: proceedings of the great consultation 2019 (22–23 August 2019). Vol. 1 Geneva: World Health Organization, 2019.

Ngomwa PMG. Discourse on intellectual disability and improved access to assistive technologies in Malawi. Front Public Health 2018;6:377. 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00377 PubMed DOI PMC

Coghlan D, Brydon-Miller M. The SAGE encyclopedia of action research. Sage, 2014.

Boger J, Jackson P, Mulvenna M, et al. . Principles for fostering the transdisciplinary development of assistive technologies. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2017;12:480–90. 10.3109/17483107.2016.1151953 PubMed DOI

Albala S, Holloway C, MacLachlan M. Capturing and creating value in the assistive technologies landscape through a Mission-Oriented approach: a new research and policy agenda: AT2030 working paper series, 2019.

De Brún A, O’Donovan R, McAuliffe E. Interventions to develop collectivistic leadership in healthcare settings: a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res 2019;19:72. 10.1186/s12913-019-3883-x PubMed DOI PMC

Michaud-Létourneau I, Gayard M, Mathisen R, et al. . Enhancing governance and strengthening advocacy for policy change of large collective impact initiatives. Matern Child Nutr 2019;15:e12728. 10.1111/mcn.12728 PubMed DOI PMC

Gélinas-Bronsard D, Mortenson WB, Ahmed S, et al. . Co-construction of an Internet-based intervention for older assistive technology users and their family caregivers: stakeholders’ perceptions. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2019;14:602–11. 10.1080/17483107.2018.1499138 PubMed DOI

Raelin JA. What are you afraid of: collective leadership and its learning implications. Manag Learn 2018;49:59–66. 10.1177/1350507617729974 DOI

Huss T, MacLachlan M. Equity and Inclusion in Policy Processes (EquIPP): a framework to support equity & inclusion in the process of policy development implementation and evaluation. Global Health Press, 2016.

Mason P, Barnes M. Constructing theories of change: methods and sources. Evaluation 2007;13:151–70.

Harrington HJ. Force field analysis. The innovation tools Handbook, volume 2: evolutionary and improvement tools that every Innovator must know, 2016.

Bourdieu P. The social space and the genesis of groups theory and society, 1985.

Amin M, MacLachlan M, Mannan H, et al. . EquiFrame: a framework for analysis of the inclusion of human rights and vulnerable groups in health policies. Health Hum Rights 2011;13:1–20. PubMed

Loitz CC, Stearns JA, Fraser SN, et al. . Network analysis of inter-organizational relationships and policy use among active living organizations in Alberta, Canada. BMC Public Health 2017;17:649. 10.1186/s12889-017-4661-5 PubMed DOI PMC

Ryan D, Emond M, Lamontagne M-E. Social network analysis as a metric for the development of an interdisciplinary, inter-organizational research team. J Interprof Care 2014;28:28–33. 10.3109/13561820.2013.823385 PubMed DOI

Kania J, Kramer M. Collective impact: FSG, 2011.

MacLachlan M, McVeigh J, Cooke M, et al. . Intersections between systems thinking and market shaping for assistive technology: the smart (Systems-Market for assistive and related technologies) thinking matrix. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018;15:2627. 10.3390/ijerph15122627 PubMed DOI PMC

Equator Network Enhancing the quality and transparency of health research. Available: https://www.equator-network.org/ [Accessed 10 Feb 2020].

Gray DE. Doing research in the real world. Sage, 2013.

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

Exploring equity and inclusion in Malawi's National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy and Implementation Plan