World AT Day is coming up on June 4th. As a UX researcher for assistive tech, I know the impact it can have if it’s the right fit.
Cards on the table: My industry depends on people buying AT products. And most are expensive as hell! But the disability tax is a post for another week. This week, we are focusing on the Unlock the Every Day campaign:
Unlock the Every Day
Do you know that 2.5 billion people need at least one form of assistive technology and that most people will require assistive technology at some point in their lifetime? Whether because of a disability, injuries, or simply old age, by 2050, this figure is likely to rise to 3.5 billion.
However, to fund assistive technology for everyone who will need it in their lifetime will cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
World Day for Assistive Technology — on June 4th, 2025 — is the perfect opportunity for everyone, individuals, organizations, businesses, and policymakers from around the world, to come together and champion the importance of assistive technology.
Campaign Resources
The goal? To increase access and raise awareness, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Find all of the World AT Day 2025 campaign resources here.
On HopeTech.Vision we are continually publishing a series on What Assistive Technology Is & Why It Matters based on what we learned during the Sixth Sense development process. It is our small contribution to the campaign: Unpacking what AT is, how people use it, and why design and distribution must be more inclusive.
Free Resources
Because Assistive Tech can be very expensive, I want to highlight free resources:
NVDA: a free screen reader software for Windows. Consider supporting them with a donation if you are in a position to do so.
Makers Making Change leverages the capacity of community-based makers, disability professionals, and volunteers to develop and deliver affordable open-source assistive technologies.
Also for makers: the Thingyverse
Please share whatever else you know in the comments!
Whether you're new to assistive tech or have used it all your life, there's a shared goal: Ensuring that more people can access the tools they need, when they need them.
Share this post