The Association of People with Disability has highlighted how local service delivery can translate the United Nations General Assembly’s first dedicated resolution on access to assistive technology into practical improvements in people’s lives.
According to APD India, its Assistive and Adaptive Technology interventions reached 3,017 individuals during 2025–26.
The organisation reported providing:
- 1,345 wheelchairs
- 3,793 splints
- 913 mobility and supportive devices
- 767 prefabricated devices
- 255 pairs of specialised footwear
- 210 artificial limbs
The number of devices exceeds the number of individuals reached because one person may require several products as part of a coordinated rehabilitation plan.
These figures demonstrate the scale of work required to turn international policy commitments into individual mobility, function and participation.
The UN establishes assistive technology as a global priority
On 2 September 2026, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/80/305 on access to assistive technology.
The Pakistan-led resolution was adopted without a vote and became the General Assembly’s first resolution specifically dedicated to the subject. It calls on countries to adopt comprehensive and coordinated approaches involving health, education, employment, social protection and other public systems.
The resolution recognises assistive technology as considerably broader than a collection of products. It identifies five connected components required for effective assistive-technology systems:
- People-centred care
- Products
- Provision
- Personnel
- Policy
It also identifies persistent barriers including high costs, inadequate awareness, shortages of trained professionals, limited geographic access, restricted product choice, inconsistent quality, maintenance problems and procurement challenges.
This framework is particularly relevant to prosthetics and orthotics. A device cannot deliver its intended benefit without an appropriate assessment, clinical prescription, individual fitting, user education and continuing access to review and repair.
From device distribution to service provision
APD’s message that assistive technology is not charity reflects an important change in perspective.
A wheelchair, orthosis, prosthesis or adapted item of footwear is not simply an object to be distributed. It is a tool that may allow a person to attend school, enter employment, reduce pain, prevent deformity or participate more independently in family and community life.
APD describes its Assistive and Adaptive Technology service as providing end-to-end support for the production, adaptation and distribution of custom-made devices. Its qualified staff assess individual needs before manufacturing or supplying the required technology.
This clinical process matters because poorly selected or incorrectly fitted equipment can cause harm.
An inappropriate wheelchair can contribute to pressure injuries, pain or postural deterioration. A badly fitted orthosis may create skin damage, fail to control the intended joint or be abandoned by the user. A prosthesis that does not accommodate the residual limb correctly can restrict mobility and require repeated adjustment.
Numbers of devices supplied are important, but service quality must also be measured through safety, comfort, functional outcomes and sustained use.
Orthotic volume deserves greater visibility
The 3,793 splints reported by APD form the largest product category within its 2025–26 interventions.
This illustrates an aspect of assistive technology that is sometimes overlooked in public discussion. Orthoses may appear less visible than advanced prosthetic limbs or powered wheelchairs, but they often form a substantial part of everyday rehabilitation provision.
Splints, ankle-foot orthoses, callipers and other supportive devices may be used to:
- Maintain joint position
- Prevent or manage contracture
- Support weak muscles
- Improve standing or walking
- Reduce pain
- Protect tissues
- Assist postoperative recovery
- Improve upper-limb positioning and function
APD states that its P&O centre manufactures orthoses—including callipers, splints and AFOs—as well as prostheses. This local production capability can help services respond to individual requirements rather than relying only on standardised products.
What happens after provision?
APD has invited organisations including ATscale, ALIMCO, AssisTech Foundation and Motivation India to share their experiences of what helps assistive technology reach users and what support is required after provision.
That second question is essential.
A successful assistive-technology pathway should consider:
- Identification and referral
People must know that services exist and be referred at the appropriate time. - Assessment and prescription
The product must reflect the person’s diagnosis, environment, priorities and functional needs. - Fitting and customisation
Dimensions, alignment, pressure distribution and usability must be checked. - User and caregiver training
Users need instruction in safe use, skin inspection, cleaning and basic care. - Clinical follow-up
Growth, physical changes, disease progression or altered activity may require review. - Maintenance and repair
Worn straps, damaged wheels, broken joints and degraded liners must be addressed promptly. - Replacement
Devices have finite working lives and should not be treated as permanent one-time provisions. - Outcome measurement
Services should establish whether the intervention improved function, participation and quality of life.
These stages require skilled personnel and sustained financing. A programme that funds only the initial product may create impressive distribution numbers without securing long-term benefit.
Building stronger Indian AT systems
India already possesses significant strengths, including public schemes, ALIMCO manufacturing, professional rehabilitation education, charitable programmes, clinical providers and a growing assistive-technology startup community.
The next opportunity is to connect these resources into more consistent pathways.
Priorities should include:
- Greater integration of assistive technology into health and rehabilitation systems
- Stronger referral links between hospitals, schools and community services
- Adequate numbers of trained prosthetists, orthotists, therapists and wheelchair professionals
- Product-quality and service-delivery standards
- Funding for fitting, training, maintenance and replacement
- Better access in rural and underserved communities
- Participation of users in product and programme design
- Outcome data extending beyond the number of devices distributed
APD’s broader lifecycle approach—working across healthcare, education, employment and advocacy—reflects the multisectoral structure encouraged by the UN resolution. The organisation says it has served more than one million people with disabilities through its different interventions.
Global policy must produce local independence
The UN resolution provides international recognition that assistive technology is integral to health, education, employment, social protection and participation.
Its real value, however, will be determined by implementation.
For a child, implementation may mean receiving an appropriate orthosis and being able to enter an accessible classroom. For an adult with limb loss, it may mean obtaining a properly fitted prosthesis, completing gait training and returning to employment. For a wheelchair user, it may mean having access to repairs before equipment failure removes their independence.
APD India’s 2025–26 figures show how policy becomes tangible: through assessment, fabrication, fitting, training and sustained support delivered to individual people.
The landmark UN resolution creates momentum. India’s challenge now is to ensure that assistive technology is treated neither as charity nor as a one-time distribution exercise, but as an essential, continuing service that enables people to function and participate with dignity.
- Association of People with Disability
- APD Assistive and Adaptive Technology Services
- UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/305
- ATscale: UN General Assembly Adopts Landmark AT Resolution
- ALIMCO
- AssisTech Foundation
- Motivation India