Online Course
Access to Assistive Technology
Learn about the barriers and solutions to accessing assistive technology

1-1.5 hour

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Robin Tacchetti
Course instructor

Robin Tacchetti is a doctor of physical therapy whose work has focused on the academic and humanitarian sectors.

ReLAB-HS
Course instructor

Learning, Acting and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems

Course image - Access to Assistive Technology
Summarising
Summarising the latest research & evidence
Trusted
Trusted by over - clinicians
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Learn anytime, anywhere, on any device
Accredited
Accredited certificate of completion
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Introduction

Assistive technologies (AT) allow individuals to have independent, productive lives. They can decrease a user's need for health care services and caregiver support. Assistive technology is an umbrella term for devices that help with vision, hearing, mobility, self-care and communication. With ageing populations and the increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases, the need for assistive technology is increasing rapidly. It is estimated that currently, over one billion people need assistive technology. This number is expected to grow to two billion by the year 2050. Moreover, it is believed that only one in ten people have access to the assistive technology that they need. This lack of access is due to the high cost of assistive technology and limited awareness and availability. There is also a lack of policy, financing and trained personnel. Access to assistive technology varies significantly between countries, with low-resource countries having an unmet need of almost 97 percent for assistive products.

Aims

The course aims to describe barriers and solutions to accessing assistive technology in low-income countries.

Outline

This course is made up of videos, reading, forum posts and a final quiz. The course content is split into the following sections:

  1. 2 Videos
  2. Reading activity
  3. Quiz

Target audience

This course is aimed at rehabilitation professionals, students and assistants including but not limited to Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Rehabilitation Doctors, Rehabilitation Nurses, Prosthetists, Orthotists, Psychologists, Audiologists, Dietetics, Social Workers. Community Health Workers, Nurses or Medical Doctors interested in this subject are also invited to participate.

Practicalities

Availability - this course is online and can be completed on your own schedule.

Hours of Learning - No deadlines are applied to this course and it can be started and completed in your own time according to your personal schedule. We expect the required elements to take around 1-1.5 hour depending on your schedule and learning style. Additionally there are many optional resources provided and if you choose to review these the course could take longer to complete.

Types of Activities - Watching videos, reading, a final quiz and participating in an international discussion forum.

Certificates - At the end of the course, when you have completed all of the required elements, you will be able to download a certificate of completion and 1.0 Plus points will be added to your personalised learning dashboard.

Requirements to complete this course

In order to complete this course and receive a course completion certificate plus CEUs/CCUs/CPD points you will need to:

  1. Respect the Plus Community Culture.
  2. Log all the required learning activities as complete (represented by the orange icons!).
  3. Actively and appropriately participate in the course discussions.
  4. Pass a final quiz with a score of 80% or more.
  5. Complete a course evaluation form.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course you will be able to:

  • explain why assistive technology is so important in low-resource countries
  • list three barriers to accessing assistive technology in low-resource countries
  • discuss the role the WHO has initiated to eliminate barriers to assistive technology

Instructor financial and non-financial disclosures

Robin Tacchetti: No relevant relationships disclosed by instructor.

Accessibility

For special needs or accommodations please contact us with details of how we can meet your needs.

Featured reviews
It was educative to attend this course. It provides an insight into what is happening globally. It lays a platform for comparison and learning between low-resourced settings and high-resourced settings regarding the provision of assistive devices.
Stephen Kato
Physical Therapist
Uganda
Taking this course at this point makes you aware of how people who need AT miss the assistance because of several barriers that limit assess to AT. The course gives more knowledge about WHO plans for the people who need AT. If I had not taken this course, I might not have known about APL and that each country should have its priority accordingly.
Anne Christine Oidu
Physiotherapist
Uganda
Another fantastic course that I followed with eagerness because it contained important and shocking statistics, studies, numbers, and percentages of those in need who do not have access to assistive technology products. I am deeply grateful for this effort. (Google translate)
Azdasheir Ahmad Shekhey
Physiotherapist
Syrian Arab Republic
It was a great course from start to finish. The video was interesting and clear, and the reading page contained additional information. Finally, the quiz was exciting with the real-life scenarios given.
Carin Hunter
Physiotherapist
United Kingdom