On the 3rd World Assistive Technology Day, the Government of Nepal and eight organizations of persons with disabilities call for assistive technology to be financed through the health system, delivered close to where people live, and made accessible to every person who needs it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kathmandu, 4 June 2026 \u2014 <\/strong>On the 3rd World Assistive Technology Day, the Department of Information Technology (DoIT), Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Government of Nepal<\/strong>, as Lead Organizer, together with the Nepal Association of the Blind (NAB)<\/strong> as Secretariat and a coalition of national organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) \u2014 Prayatna Nepal, Blind Women Association Nepal (BWAN), Access Planet Organization, National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN), National Federation of the Deaf Nepal (NDFN), Parent Federation of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (PFPID), Nepal and Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN)<\/strong> \u2014 jointly call on the Government of Nepal, development partners and the private sector to make assistive technology available, affordable and accessible to everyone who needs it. The coalition marks the day in Kathmandu with a National Policy Dialogue<\/strong> and a hands-on Assistive Technology Exhibition<\/strong> at Alpha House (4th Floor), Kathmandu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The organizers urge the three tiers of government and their partners to act on five concrete priorities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assistive technology \u2014 from eyeglasses, hearing aids and wheelchairs to white canes, Braille and screen readers \u2014 is the bridge between a person\u2019s functional difficulty and a full, participating life in education, employment and the community. According to the WHO\u2013UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology<\/em>, more than 2.5 billion people<\/strong> need at least one assistive product, yet nearly one billion are still denied access<\/strong> \u2014 with coverage in some low-income settings as low as 3 percent of the need. Access is recognized as a precondition for people to realise their human rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which Nepal ratified in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Nepal, the scale of need is far larger than official counts suggest. The 2021 National Population and Housing Census<\/em> recorded 647,744 persons with disabilities (2.2 percent of the population)<\/strong>, but the WHO rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) national survey points to a much higher level of functional difficulty and unmet need \u2014 meaning that hundreds of thousands of Nepalis who could benefit from an assistive product are not yet being reached. For each of them, the right device at the right time can mean a child staying in school, an adult keeping a job, and an older person living with dignity at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These goals sit squarely within Nepal\u2019s own national priorities. The Sixteenth Plan (2081\/82\u20132085\/86)<\/em> commits the country to the \u201cLeave No One Behind\u201d approach, to social inclusion, and to making public spaces, services and infrastructure accessible and friendly to persons with disabilities, senior citizens and children. Assistive technology is one of the most direct \u2014 and highest-return \u2014 ways to deliver on that promise: investing in a basic set of assistive products can return an estimated nine times the investment through education, employment and independence. Assistive technology is not a cost; it is an investment in people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the heart of the day, the National Policy Dialogue<\/strong> brings together government representatives, OPDs and stakeholders to chart practical, ambitious steps to make assistive technology more available, affordable and accessible across Nepal, with presentations from the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) and the Leprosy Control and Disability Management Section (LCDMS), alongside the lived experience and leadership of organizations of persons with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Assistive Technology Exhibition<\/strong> brings innovation to life with live demonstrations of screen readers, the Orbit Reader and DAISY players, a Braille embosser, a talking weight machine and a talking blood-pressure monitor, accessible applications and videos, and a 3D animated film on accessibility \u2014 vivid proof of how the right technology unlocks independence and full participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n True to its inclusive spirit, the event provides sign-language interpretation and real-time Nepali captioning<\/strong>, and is broadcast live via News Bank and across the co-organizers\u2019 Facebook pages. Organizers invite people across Nepal and around the world to amplify the message using #UnlockTheEveryday, #MeAndMyAT and #WorldATDay<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAssistive technology is the key that unlocks education, employment and full participation. On World Assistive Technology Day, we call on government, development partners and society to work together so that every person in Nepal who needs assistive technology can access it \u2014 at the time they need it and in the place they live. Access to assistive technology is not a luxury; it is a prerequisite for the empowerment and inclusion of persons with disabilities.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Khomraj Sharma, Inclusion Advisor, Nepal Association of the Blind (NAB)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n From Kathmandu to the world, the message is clear: when assistive technology reaches everyone who needs it, everyday life and opportunity open up for all.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n World Assistive Technology Day is observed globally on 4 June as part of the \u201cUnlock the Everyday\u201d campaign led by ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology. The campaign advocates for equal access to assistive technology for all and offers free, accessible resources to help organizations plan their own events. Further information is available at unlocktheeveryday.org<\/a> and atscalepartnership.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Co-organizers:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nOur call to the State: five priority demands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Why this matters \u2014 from the world to Nepal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The day\u2019s programme<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
About World Assistive Technology Day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
About the event and organizers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Media contact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n