News Post

AT-Info-Map Partners Hold Webinar in South Africa

20 February, 2019

Representatives of SAFOD, AfriNEAD, and University of Washington organized a webinar to provide stakeholders with updates on various Assistive Technology (AT)  issues, including the AT situation in Southern Africa; the AT-Info-Map project; and the forthcoming regional AT Expo. This two-hour webinar, which included a question-and-answer session, was hosted at Stellenbosch University., the home of AfriNEAD.

The webinar was held against the background that during the implementation of the AT-Info-Map project, SAFOD and collaborators had discussed the challenges and potential solutions to increasing AT access with public, private, NGO and DPO stakeholders across the region. These discussions highlighted the need to explore and interrogate a myriad of topics such as AT policies, regulations, and financing, in order to develop lasting solutions to the whole question of AT access. This webinar, therefore, sought to build on these AT discussions with the aim to share knowledge and identify effective strategies for increasing AT access.

The AT-Info-Map also managed to develop a mobile app that had undergone various stages of development based on the levels of feedback that was generated through the iterative processes within the first three years the project had been running. As the three-year Google funding was coming to an end on February 28th, the core project partners, therefore, felt it was pertinent that they update stakeholders regarding the new developments related the mobile app, as well as the web-based database.

Most importantly, the partners used the webinar to announce the Southern Africa Assistive Technology Expo (SAATE) which iwill be held from 23 to 25 October 2019 in Namibia. With the main theme, "Wake up and do it for yourself: To promote and advance local AT solutions for Southern Africa," the SAATE will bring together practical problem solvers, AT suppliers and service providers from Southern Africa and beyond, to facilitate improvements in the AT sector broadly through raising awareness about the need for better AT solutions and/or products in the region. 

Below is a list of all the presentations that were given during the webinar:

1. The AT situation in Southern Africa and suggested actions and roles of different stakeholders in addressing challenges, including the role of DPOs
(Rebecca Matter – University of Washington/University of Cape Town) | Download [420 KB]

2. An overview of the AT-Info-Map project and how it is seeking to address AT challenges in Southern Africa through a mobile app, website database and awareness initiatives.
(George Kayange – SAFOD) | Download [129 KB]

3. How to instal and use the At-Info-Map App
(Louisa April – SAFOD) | Download [1, 085 KB]

4. An overview of the forthcoming Southern Africa Assistive Technology Expo (SAATE) and how different stakeholders can participate.
(Prof Gubela Mji – AfriNEAD) | Download [166 KB]