Biennium report 2023

BIENNIUM REPORT 2021-2023 34 ISPO recognises the importance of collaborations with interested partners to improve – on a worldwide basis - the quality of life for persons who may benefit from prosthetic, orthotic, mobility and assistive devices. We believe that working together can create greater outcomes than to work alone. We believe that the sum of the whole is bigger than the sum of each part. Working together collaboratively with other organisations results in greater achievements. World Health Organization (WHO) The World Health Organisation (WHO) and ISPO have collaborated closely for more than 20 years. As a non- state actor in official relations with the WHO, ISPO actively supports the WHO’s mission and activities by promoting a multidisciplinary approach in advocating for improved access to high-quality, affordable rehabilitation services and assistive products globally. During the last biennium: • We supported the development of the WHO Standards for Prosthetics and Orthotics Assessment Tools , developed to help countries to objectively measure the degree to which the WHO Standards are being implemented. • We supported, in collaboration with the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP), the development of the Wheelchair Provision Guidelines , these guidelines aim to ensure that wheelchair users have the opportunity for timely access to, and support to use, an appropriate wheelchair through wheelchair services that are people-centred and responsive to their personal and environmental needs. ISPO and WHO will proudly launch WHO Standards for Prosthetics and Orthotics Assessment Tools and the Wheelchair Provision Guidelines at the ISPO 19th World Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2023. In addition to the above-mentioned activities: • ISPO supported the organisation of a meeting to initiate a high-level discussion among decision-makers and rehabilitation stakeholders to support the development of competency-based rehabilitation education in central Asia and eastern European countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan). • ISPO supported the launch of the Global Report on Assistive Technology in Africa • ISPO started to collaborate with WHO in the development of the second edition of the Priority Assistive Products List (APL) • ISPO, at the invitation of WHO, participate in high- level meeting with Egyptian Government to discuss the development of a national programme to improve access to mobility products in Egypt. ISPO is now a member of The World Rehabilitation Alliance (WRA) , a WHO global network of stakeholders whose mission is to support the implementation of the Rehabilitation 2030 Initiative through advocacy activities. It focuses on promoting rehabilitation as an essential health service that is integral to Universal Health Coverage and to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. ISPO is a member of the Steering Committee. G Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI) Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) is an Academic Research and Practice Centre accelerating disability innovation for a fairer world. Founded in the legacy of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the GDI Hub has reached 28 million people across 41 countries since its 2016 launch - and is the world’s first WHO Collaborating Centre for Assistive Technology. Based out of UCL Engineering GDI Hub deliveries an extensive portfolio of international research, global programmes, and accelerators – with expertise focused on Assistive Technology, Inclusive Design, Innovation, Ecosystems and Product Development, Humanitarian, ICT, EdTech and AI. GDI Hub translates research and academic excellence into impact on the ground. ISPO continued working in collaboration with the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI), the World Health Organisation (WHO), AT2030, and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to build consensus across the multidisciplinary prosthetics and orthotics community through the production of a paper called: “Digital Transformation: Implications for manufacturing prostheses and orthoses”. The scope of this consensus-building project is a focused review of evidence on digital transformation methods for prosthetic and orthotic fabrication (e.g., body scanning, CAD design, carving or 3DPrinting, central fab). Drawing on two sources of expertise, research review of the available literature and expert opinion, ISPO is supporting the initiative by bringing together an expert group of clinicians, technicians, administrators, Collaborations