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A series of short talks concerned with local innovation and production of AT devices in Nepal given by representatives of members of the associated ecosystem. A short history of the projects is presented. The devastating earthquake in 2015 and COVID both demonstrated the necessity for local innovation, production, repair and maintenance of AT. Three workstreams are ongoing: codesigning for individual needs; manual wheelchairs; and repair and spare part production. The need to develop local OT services in Nepal, particularly of bespoke provision, codesigning with the user to ensure achievable goals with a developed therapeutic intervention plan, is highlighted. Innovative AT associated with the knee joint and a diabetic foot and also a temperature monitoring device are shown and problems with local product validation are highlighted.  Ram Chandra Thapa (founder of Zener Technologies) describes the use of 3D printing in emergency engineering situations. He briefly describes his current project concerning wheelchairs, outlining associated difficulties, the local production ecosystem and the assessment of which parts are the most important for maintenance needs. The need for training and also finance to take a product from innovation to production are mentionned.

Background: South Africa’s Constitution guarantees everyone, including persons with disabilities, the right to education. A variety of laws are in place obliging higher education institutions to provide appropriate physical access to education sites for all. In practice, however, many buildings remain inaccessible to people with physical disabilities.

Objectives: To describe what measures South African universities are taking to make their built environments more accessible to students with diverse types of disabilities, and to assess the adequacy of such measures.

Method: We conducted semi-structured in-depth face-to-face interviews with disability unit staff members (DUSMs) based at 10 different public universities in South Africa.

Results: Challenges with promoting higher education accessibility for wheelchair users include the preservation and heritage justification for failing to modify older buildings, ad hoc approaches to creating accessible environments and failure to address access to toilets, libraries and transport facilities for wheelchair users.

Conclusion: South African universities are still not places where all students are equally able to integrate socially. DUSMs know what ought to be done to make campuses more accessible and welcoming to students with disabilities and should be empowered to play a leading role in sensitising non-disabled members of universities, to create greater awareness of, and appreciation for, the multiple ways in which wheelchair user students continue to be excluded from full participation in university life. South African universities need to adopt a systemic approach to inclusion, which fosters an understanding of inclusion as a fundamental right rather than as a luxury.

This guide provides strategies and recommendations for developing inclusive classrooms and schools. We specifically address the needs of Sub-Saharan African countries, which lack the resources for implementing inclusive education. However, our strategies and recommendations can be equally useful in other contexts where inclusive education practices have not yet been adopted. Strategies for enhancing existing school and classroom environment and instruction include: modify the physical environment; modify classroom managment strategies; ensure social inclusion; adopt best instructional practices; apply strategies for students with sensory disabilities; and use assistive technologies. Strategies for adopting response to intervention include: tier by tier implementation; individualised education plans; and planning for school wide adoption of inclusive practices and a multilevel system of support.

This guide aims to assist professionals in conducting an accessibility audit, and is aimed at Handicap International professionals who have responsibility for developing, implementing or analysing accessibility activities. Within the framework of inclusive local development, an accessibility audit is a complex, substantial and technical process to implement involving a large number of different stakeholders, increase time preparation and technical specialised skills for making recommendations to remove barriers. An accessibility audit is a participatory democracy exercise which can be used as the basis to form relationships between stakeholders in a municipality accessibility commission or even a municipality commission for inclusive development, who will have responsibility for suggesting, studying, organising and implementing actions to improve accessibility

Persons with physical disabilities face many architectural and social barriers to community participation. This research employed the ‘Photovoice’ method. The aim was to gain insight into the daily lives of persons with physical disabilities, and to assess their needs in the Kumasi metropolis. Participants in this study were trained and instructed to photograph their everyday activities, so as to document their struggles and concerns, to promote critical dialogue and to reach policymakers. Results indicated a number of concerns, such as poor accessibility to public toilets, transport and buildings, as well as a need for attitudinal change and equal opportunities. Other needs which were raised by theparticipants included economic empowerment, marketable vocational training, accident prevention, affordable and quality rehabilitation, and the establishment of emergency shelters. It was concluded that the most pressing needs of persons with disabilities were related to overall social, employment and accessibility issues. Finally, the ‘Photovoice’ methodology offered a suitable, structured, and participatory way to assess the needs of persons with disabilities. It gave this marginalised group a voice through photographs, and formed an excellent way of disseminating the findings of this study to the stakeholders involved.