Further innovations that could help progress Inclusive Education come from Educational Technology (EdTech) and Assistive Technology (AT). EdTech is the application of digital tools, platforms, and resources such as learning management systems, interactive software, and online content, to enhance teaching and learning experiences. These have the potential to make education more engaging, flexible, and accessible for all learners. Assistive Technology (AT) are any device, software, or tools specifically designed to support learners with disabilities or those with additional learning needs, such as screen readers, speech-to-text software, or alternative communication devices. When used appropriately, they can facilitate access to, and participation in, the learning environment.
An important consideration with AT and EdTech is that there is a need to ensure effective implementation. Simply providing AT for example is not Inclusive Education, and available research indicates that for technology to work, learners require significant support to learn how to use tools before they can work effectively. This is also true of teachers who generally lack the skills and training to feel confident to incorporate EdTech or AT into their classroom practice. Teacher education programmes still do not incorporate digital skills training at sufficient levels to enable teachers to develop their practice confidently. Moreover, a significant barrier to more general implementation of EdTech and AT in low- and middle-income contexts is the relatively high cost of both EdTech / AT.[1]
Currently, there is not a lot of evidence as to the effectiveness of EdTech and AT in improving learning outcomes for children with disabilities in education. Most studies that have been done focus on how EdTech and AT facilitate entry into school rather than on their impact on learning, participation and engagement. There is also a significant bias in research on children with sensory impairments, and much of this evidence comes from its application in special education not in relation to Inclusive Education. This means that, to a large extent, interventions to date have reinforced segregation because of the focus on impairment specific AT rather than on the use of AT to assist learning needs within the broader curriculum.[2] So again, this is about how to frame interventions that promote Inclusive Education and education for all, rather than continuing to support interventions that work only for children with disabilities. But there are indications that AT and EdTech do have the potential to improve self-confidence and facilitate positive interactions with peers. With the right levels of investment and research there is the potential for EdTech and AT innovations to significantly support Inclusive Education.
There are resources available which can help ensure AT is being implemented effectively. The Global Report on Assistive Technology uses the 5AQ framework (accessibility, adaptability, acceptance, affordability, availability and quality) which can help any programme to ensure investments in AT are being properly applied.[3] The WHO tool – Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment Questionnaire (rATA), can be used to collect self-reported data on AT needs in population-based household surveys.[4] This is helping national governments to understand gaps in provision and to develop policy responses. However, its main limitation is that it cannot collect data in relation to children who are under the age of five.
The Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) has done considerable amounts to build momentum around the availability of quality, affordable, assistive products.[5] It has a Priority Assistive Products list (APL) with 50 essential high-impact devices covering mobility, hearing, vision, communication, cognition and self-care.[6]
The gaps, however, are in relation to the AT needs of children in the global south and in relation to psychosocial and intellectual domains of functioning. Much AT is not suitable for young children. So, communication boards for example are not designed in age-appropriate ways for children and not for specific contexts such as playing. There is exclusion too of learners with complex needs who are not generally considered in the development of EdTech or AT. Taken together, many learners with disabilities are likely to be excluded from the benefits of EdTech and AT. Most devices and software are too expensive for families or schools to purchase, and procurement processes are specialist, making it more cost effective if done at scale. Interventions related to EdTech tend to be small, one-off projects that are not supported by knowledge infrastructure, training, and maintenance. So, the long-term viability is difficult to measure. Without a strong evidence base and alignment with local curricula it will be difficult to get political will to support large scale procurement.
Similar concerns also face Artificial Intelligence (AI). At the moment, there are challenges in limited connectivity and device access, a shortage of trained teachers, a lack of opportunities for teachers to train and the fact that most AI enabled EdTech has been developed for a global north audience. If it is to make an impact on Inclusive Education opportunities in the global south, then it will need to focus on accessibility, data equity, skills training and ongoing support. That means working to strengthen local technology ecosystems, not trying to fit existing solutions into novel contexts.
A good example of how this can be done is illustrated by the Centre for Digital Language Inclusion’s (CDLI) flagship initiative. This develops AI-driven speech recognition models for people with non-standard speech in a number of African languages. It is collecting speech samples from a broad selection of people (for example those with cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, head and neck trauma, stroke or are Deaf) which it is using to train AI-driven Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) models. These models then make it easier for people to interact with voice recognition software and provides ways to caption their speech in real time. The basic idea is that any child with disabilities who has impaired speech can have their voice captioned or have synthetic speech recognition which is audible to the listener in order to strengthen their communication in the classroom.
Key factors in the process have been to make the data open source and to train and support local technicians in AI coding so that they can co-design technology-based solutions with people with disabilities that are locally applicable. Some recent examples of this included a speech recognition tool for women and girls with speech differences who have experienced sexual violence to report crimes to the police, and speech recognition technology to support speech and language therapist programmes in places where therapists are scarce.
[1] Assistive Products Market Report 2025. Geneva: ATscale, The Global Partnership for Assistive Technology and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI); 2025.
[2] Paul Lynch, Nidhi Singal & Gill Althia Francis (04 Apr 2022): Educational technology for learners with disabilities in primary school settings in low and middle-income countries: a systematic literature review, Educational Review, DOI:10.1080/00131911.2022.2035685
[3] Global report on assistive technology. Geneva: World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2022. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240049451
[4] See https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/5f61f74d-9e87-48cf-bf57-d0c468328257/content
[5] See https://www.who.int/initiatives/global-cooperation-on-assistive-technology-(gate)
[6] See https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/priority-assistive-products-list