Assistive technologies are central to the realization of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Figures & data

Table 1. The contribution of AT to the realization of rights outlined in the CRPD.

Article	Conceptualization	Indicative example (study type, type of AT, context)
Article 6: Women with disabilities	Access to AT reduces vulnerability to sexual and gender-based violence, which impact women and girls with disability at a much higher rate than men with disabilities, or the general population.	AT for communication disability, such as hearing or speech-impairments, provided a means to report abuse and receive support services, and to engage in sexual health education and advocacy. [11] (Interviews and Focus Groups, Communication AT, Rwanda)
Article 7: Children with disabilities	AT is critical to supporting the social inclusion, education, and acquisition of developmental milestones in children with disabilities.	AT facilitates social interaction between children with severe disabilities and their peers, enhancing play and social inclusion. There are links between the use of AT and improved activities of daily life outside the classroom, including bathing and feeding. [12] (Literature Review, range of AT, Global)
Article 8: Awareness raising	AT is used by persons with disabilities for self-advocacy, providing opportunities of increased awareness of the experiences and rights of persons with disabilities.	A study of adolescent AT users using cameras with necessary AT to allow them to document daily experiences through a photovoice approach identified a key theme of “photos as a means of consciousness-raising.” [13] (Photovoice, range of AT and adapted cameras, Canada)
Article 9: Accessibility	AT promotes access to the built environment, transportation, and information and communication on an equal basis with others.	Access to adequate ramps and accessible washrooms fosters equitable access to public and private buildings for users of wheelchairs and ambulation aids. [14] (Systematic Review, accessibility technology, Global)
Article 10: Right to life	AT supports individuals in living an enjoyable life on an equal basis with others.	Mobile health apps can help to reduce depression, psychological distress and self-harm, commonly experienced by persons with disability. [15] (Systematic Review, mobile health technology, Global)
Article 11: Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies	AT service provision which is integrated within emergency response mechanisms helps to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of humanitarian risk and promotes best outcomes for person who acquire a disability during a humanitarian emergency.	A recent review identifies critical recommendations for increasing access to AT in humanitarian emergencies including the deployment of rehabilitation professionals alongside emergency response teams, and the development of an “AT Provision and Coordination Framework” for humanitarian settings. [16] (Thematic Review, range of AT, humanitarian emergencies)
Article 12: Equal recognition before the law	AT promotes independent management of financial and legal affairs by persons with disabilities.	AT, including the use of voice recognition, screen readers or other communication technologies support exercising legal capacity by persons with disabilities with respect to healthcare and financial decision-making. [17] (Literature review, communication technology, global)
Article 13: Access to justice	AT supports persons with disabilities to participate in justice processes as jurors, witnesses, accused persons, or victims in legal processes.	The International Principles and Guidelines on Access to Justice for persons with Disabilities calls for access to legal advice for persons with disabilities using AT where necessary, and for States to ensure procedural accommodations including AT are available for legal practitioners to communicate with witnesses and clients with disabilities. [18,19] (Guidelines, communication technology, global)
Article 14: Liberty and security of the person	AT provides support for community living and the de-institutionalization of persons with disabilities.	AT is used to support independent choice for people with intellectual disability, increasing options for community living and the de-institutionalization of disabled people. [20] (Commentary, range of AT, global)
Article 15: Freedom from torture, or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment	AT increases freedom of persons with disabilities and reduces the use of harmful or degrading treatments or punishments.	The use of assistive technologies by people with dementia reduced the number of falls, while simultaneously reducing the number of physical restraints used on patients. [21] (Pilot RCT, home independence AT, Netherlands)
Article 16: Freedom from exploitation, violence, and abuse	AT can empower persons with disabilities to report abusive, violence, or exploitative practices.	A mobile computing-based reporting system demonstrates promise for empowering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to report abuse. [22] (Focus groups, mobile computing, USA)
Article 17: Protecting the integrity of the person	AT provides the tools for meaningful and informed consent for medical procedures and/or research.	Digital technologies may be a more accessible option to support sharing of information and understanding of ideas for children and youth with disabilities in decision making and consent procedures. [23] (Commentary, Digital technology, N/A)
Article 18: Liberty of movement and nationality	AT supports safe migration of persons with disabilities within and across national borders.	Accessible transportation is critical to the safe evacuation of people with mobility disability from conflict situations. [24] (Review, accessible transportation, global)
Article 19: Living independently and being included in the community	AT promotes an equal and effective enjoyment of the right to live independently and participate actively in the community by promoting inclusion and reducing isolation.	AT for independent living includes products which, among others, assist in daily living, communication, computer access, and environmental control systems. [25] (Policy analysis, independent living technology, global)
Article 20: Personal mobility	AT for mobility promotes access to home and community for people with mobility disabilities.	Powered wheelchairs increase life-space mobility for adults and older adults with mobility disabilities. [26] (Cohort study, mobility technology, Canada)
Article 21: Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information	AT increases access to information for people who require accessible forms of communication and information sharing.	Digital AT, including telecommunication technologies, including captioning apps, have accessible communication for people who are D/deaf and hard of hearing during the COVID pandemic. [27] (Viewpoint, communication technology, N/A)
Article 22: Respect for privacy	Persons with disabilities can exercise individual choices using AT and computing devices, without relying on others, and thereby maintaining their privacy.	Non-invasive brain control interfaces can provide persons with disabilities increased control over mobility or other assistive technologies while maintaining their privacy. [28] (Pilot study, brain control interfaces, Italy)
Article 23: Respect for the home and the family	AT promotes freedom of choice in marriage and fertility decisions.	Access to accessible transportation and health care facilities reduces barriers to reproductive health services for persons with disabilities in low and middle income contexts. [29] (Review, accessible transportation and facilities, low- and middle-income countries)
Article 24: Education	AT supports participation and achievement in education for persons with disabilities.	A systematic review demonstrated that AT can be an “enabler of academic engagement,” and that barriers to AT use “can hinder academic engagement” in higher education settings. [30] (Review, educational technology, global)
Article 25: Health	AT supports access to health services in the community for preventative and ongoing health maintenance.	AT can enable people with disabilities to circumscribe structural barriers to accessing health care, including access to health facilities, washrooms, examination tables, and beds. [31] (Review, accessibility technology, South Asia)
Article 26: Habilitation and rehabilitation	AT is a critical component of habilitation and rehabilitation experiences for persons with disabilities, promoting independence and participation in the community.	AT for cognition increases the efficacy of traditional rehabilitation activities by increasing independent engagement and contextual environments where tasks can be completed. [32] (Narrative review, cognitive supports, global)
Article 27: Work and employment	AT enhances the potential to work and earn a living, and to create inclusive work practices and accessible environments that allow equal participation and retention of workers with disabilities.	AT has been found to reduce the systemic exclusion of blind people from work through enhancing self-reliance, resulting in broadening managerial perspectives about additional jobs that that blind staff could perform. [33] (Case study, mobile technology, USA)
Article 28: Adequate standard of living and social protection	Access to AT is associated with reduction of poverty for persons with disabilities, thereby improving standard of living.	Access to AT in Bangladesh was associated with reductions in capability poverty, an important factor in reducing income poverty and increasing standard of living. [34] (Cross-sectional study, range of AT, Bangladesh)
Article 29: Participation in political and public life	AT promotes access to formal and informal citizenship, including participation in elections.	Assistive technologies allow persons with disabilities access to participate in elections, and those who are blind or have visual impairments to vote privately and independently in general elections [35,36] (Interviews and focus groups, range of AT, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe)
Article 30: Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure, and sport	AT allows persons with disabilities to access cultural, recreation, leisure and sport facilities, and to participate in activities in similar ways to their non-disabled peers.	Basic AT promotes sport participation across a range of types of sport and levels of participation. [37] (Survey, range of AT, global)

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