Disabled people should be involved from the earliest stages of assistive technology design to ensure it reflects real-life needs, a new report from the Royal Society says.
More than half of disabled digital assistive technology (AT) users surveyed said they could not live the way they do without it. Tools cited range from voice assistants to speech-to-text software and smartphone apps for daily living.
However, barriers remain. The average disabled household faces more than £1,000 in extra monthly costs, making many assistive technologies unaffordable.
The Disability Technology report explores how data-driven tools could reduce the everyday obstacles disabled people face. It also highlights that while focused on the needs of disabled people, disability access affects everyone, as many will experience temporary or permanent disability in their lifetime.
Findings are based on a survey of over 800 disabled people in the UK, a separate nationally representative survey of around 2,000 people, UK-based focus groups, literature reviews and case studies from the UK, US, India and Kenya. The report was also informed by workshops and roundtables covering inclusive design, gaming, social care and technology lifecycles.
“We shouldn’t be developing assistive technologies or policies without disabled people being front and centre of the process. How do you capture the day-to-day challenges faced by disabled people, or ensure you’re offering solutions that actually work, unless you talk to disabled people?” said Dr Hamied Haroon, research fellow in quantitative biomedical MR imaging at the University of Manchester and member of the Royal Society Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s Disabled Scientists Subgroup.
Digital assistive technologies—tools that help people with disabilities perform tasks they might otherwise struggle with—can have a transformative impact if designed and deployed appropriately.
Disabled people in the UK are almost twice as likely as non-disabled people to be unemployed. The report calls for action to address digital exclusion through better training, funding and infrastructure.
It recommends governments recognise smartphones as essential assistive technology—alongside devices like wheelchairs and hearing aids—and include them in the provision of services such as healthcare, education and internet access.
“These assistive technologies are fundamental to the workplace and our daily tasks – but they can be prohibitively expensive or unusable in some settings. We need to look at removing these barriers, whether that’s costs, additional training, or infrastructure improvements – like addressing patchy mobile data services that can cut off disabled people in rural and deprived areas,” said Dr Haroon.
The report also recommends a shift in how disability data is recorded. Instead of relying solely on self-reported disability status, it suggests gathering more detailed information about daily challenges with sight, mobility and memory.
In the context of AI, which relies on large datasets, the report promotes the use of ‘small data’—research methods that derive insights from limited datasets—as a way to develop more personalised assistive technologies.
The report was guided by an international steering committee, many of whom have lived experience of disability. Members include professor Sir Bernard Silverman FRS (chair), Dr Vint Cerf FRS, professor Jacques Fleuriot, Dr Louise Hickman, professor Catherine Holloway, Prateek Madhav, professor Mike Wald, and from the Royal Society Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s Disabled Scientists Subgroup, professor Paul Upchurch, professor Seralynne Vann and Dr Hamied Haroon.
The Royal Society says inclusively designed, sustainable assistive technologies can support access in all areas of life—whether for work, care, rest or play.
The report also cites research from Citizens Advice showing that most complaints about assistive technologies relate to defective goods, highlighting concerns about quality alongside affordability and availability.
