“Knowledge Comes Through Participation”: Understanding Disability through the Lens of DIY Assistive Technology in Western Kenya

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People with disabilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) have limited access to digital assistive technologies (ATs). Most ATs in LMICs are manufactured elsewhere and are expensive and difficult to maintain. Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technologies (DIY-ATs) designed, customized, and repaired by non-technical users offer exciting directions in these contexts. We have been exploring the possibilities and challenges of DIY-ATs in Western Kenya for the past three years, where we used a DIY-AT prototyping platform in community-engaged workshops at rural and urban special education schools. In this paper, we present findings from a concluding-stage research activity: a focus group in which stakeholders, including teachers, disability advocates, and representatives from the local government and technology innovation hubs, discussed the possibilities and challenges of addressing disability issues through DIY-ATs in this context. Participants identified opportunities for homegrown DIY-ATs for social inclusion, disability assessment, and inclusive education. They also shared concerns about the sustainability, safety, and contextual relevance of future ATs.