An introduction to a special issue on the role of assistive technology in social inclusion of persons with disabilities in Africa: Outcome of the fifth African Network for Evidence-to-Action in Disability conference

摘要

This article introduces the (AJOD)’s special issue on Disability and Inclusion in Africa: The Role of Assistive Technology. The special issue comprises papers presented at the fifth African Network for Evidence-to-Action in Disability (AfriNEAD) conference which focused on the role of Assistive Technology (AT) in social inclusion of persons with disabilities in Africa. The conference was held at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana, in August 2017. The conference was a collaboration between AfriNEAD, based at the Centre for Rehabilitation Studies (CRS) at Stellenbosch University, as well as the Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies (CEDRES) and the College of Health Sciences at KNUST. The KNUST College of Health Sciences, which holds a biannual conference, decided in 2017 to combine their efforts with those of AfriNEAD and CEDRES to table one unified conference. This joint venture gave an opportunity to raise awareness about disability-related issues to the College of Health Sciences. The intention was to facilitate and influence a response regarding disability issues at KNUST, at a national level in Ghana and beyond.