Global Disability Innovation HUb.

GLOBAL DISABILITY  INNOVATION HUB. Lecturer: A.A.Rakhimov

GDI HUB: EXPLORING DISABILITY FROM A  NEW PERSPECTIVE They are building a movement to accelerate disability innovation for a fairer world. They harness academic excellence, innovative practice and co-creation to tackle global challenges from a new perspective. We do this to have a positive impact on the lives of disabled people around the world.

WHAT THEY MEAN BY DISABILITY INNOVATION? Disability innovation is more than a product, service or policy; it is a way of thinking. It’s about listening to the people who know best. It’s about creating disruptive partnerships, finding new solutions, and bringing people together to find new approaches and then making them happen. Disability Innovation is not an activity on the sidelines; it is harnessing the creativity and dynamism of community-led solutions to shape mainstream projects and programmes. Disability Innovation is primarily about better outcomes for disabled people. However, it is also about the freedom to unleash visionary solutions that work better for all of us.

PHD OPPORTUNITY ­ JOIN THE GDI HUB TEAM. The GDI Hub PhD team has been awarded an EPSRC studentship based in the  UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC). UCLIC is a world leading Centre of Excellence in Human- Computer Interaction teaching and research, studying interactions between people and technology, drawing on the best scientific traditions in Computer Science and Human Sciences, and working collaboratively with the research community and industry. The PhD studentship is for a project to develop interactive technologies with local disabled groups in East London. The specific type of technology is flexible. Candidates are asked to email  Cathy Holloway if interested in the position. Applications will close on the 14th Sept and the applicant will be expected to start by the 1st Dec 2018.

ABOUT GLOBAL DISABILITY INNOVATION HUB The Global Disability Innovation Hub was born out of the legacy of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and launched by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in September 2016. Based at UCL on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, GDI Hub is formed of an Academic Research Centre and a Community Interest Company non-profit, mission-led organisation). (a Their Mission To change how we think about disability through co-design, collaboration, and innovation. We provide a platform for the talents of disabled people and the expertise of practitioners, academics and local communities. Over the next ten years we want to become the leading place to research, study, practice and share disability innovation, globally.

PROJECTS AT: 2030 - Assistive Technology Scoping Exercise Partners: 1. World Health Organisation (WHO) 2. Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) 3. Leonard Cheshire and Motivation Description: Funded by DFID this focused on mapping and analysis of the innovation landscape around Assistive Technology globally with a focus on low and middle- income countries to highlight potential market failures and to scope out possible solutions.

UPCOMING EVENTS Global Disability Summit 2018 On 24 July 2018 the UK government will co-host its first ever Global Disability Summit with the  International Disability Alliance and the Government of Kenya. The summit will take place at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London and will bring together more than 700 delegates from governments, donors, private sector organisations, charities and organisations of persons with disabilities.

GDI HUB DISABILITY INNOVATION SUMMIT 13th and 14th July 2017 GDI Hub's first Disability Innovation Summit was held alongside the World Para- Athletics Championships at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The sold-out event brought together disabled people, academics, practitioners, international partners, organisations and innovation, from wheelchairs to wearable tech, art, culture, charity, corporate and sport. It was an inspiring, dynamic and energetic couple of days; a fantastic starting point for collaborations. Speakers at the summit included: • Charlotte V McClain-Nhlape (Global Disability Advisor, World Bank) • Tom Watt-Smith (Producer, Big Life Fix) & Ross Atkin (Designer, Big Life Fix) • Chapal Khasnabis (Assistive Technology Lead, World Health Organisation) • Neil Heslop (Chief Executive, Leonard Cheshire Disability) Jess Markt (Disability Sport & Intergration, International Committee for the Red Cross) •

AT 2030 GDI Hub is leading a £10m global programme called AT 2030 - Life Changing Assistive Technology for All. Its aim is to reach over 3 million people, testing new approaches and backing ‘what works’ to get AT to those who need it.

AT 2030 Beginning in September 2018, the programme is being delivered by a global partnership including; WHO, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, UNICEF and some of the world’s best AT innovators, universities and disability NGOs and DPOs. It aims to transform access to life-changing assistive technology (AT) such as wheelchairs, prosthetics, hearing aids and glasses by creating partnerships with the private sector to build and shape markets. AT:2030 will: 1. reach at least 3 million people; 2. catalyse at least 10 new disruptive technologies with potential for life changing impact; 3. develop at least 6 innovative service delivery models; 4. spark 30-50 new start-ups; 5. develop and test new methodologies for market shaping on assistive technologies; 6. establish an East Africa AT Innovation Hub; 7. double DFID’s initial investment through partner backing; 8. and use all of this to leverage resources from other stakeholders.

LORD CHRIS HOLMES MBE The 2012 Paralympic Games demonstrated what is possible when world-class performance is brought together with inclusive design. The GDI Hub has gathered a team of the best in the world to address the global challenge of access to Assistive Technology. The task is huge but the prize is even greater; now is the time to make AT a reality for everyone!