The IDEAL PROCESS for developing Assistive Technology policy.

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Disability Studies
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Policy development is crucial for enhancing access to assistive technology (AT).
• A strength-based framework is proposed for national-level AT policy development.
• The United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) serves as a primary reference.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a strength-based framework for national AT policy development and implementation.
• To present the IDEAL PROCESS framework, integrating content and process principles.
• To provide a systematic approach for context-sensitive AT policy.

Main Methods:

• Action research approach.
• Data collection using the World Health Organisation's rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA).
• Application of an emergent framework based on UNCRPD and collected data.

Main Results:

• Seven guiding principles for effective policy processes, summarized as PROCESS (Participatory, Resource aware, Outcomes focused, Collaborative, Evidence-informed, supporting good practices, System strengthening).
• Five crucial building blocks for AT policy development, summarized as IDEAL (Identification of AT ecosystem, Demography of disability and AT use, Evaluation of inclusion, Alignment with UNCRPD and SDGs, Locality of implementation).
• The IDEAL PROCESS framework combines content and process principles for AT policy.

Conclusions:

• The IDEAL PROCESS framework offers a systematic, strength-based pathway to improve AT access.
• This framework guides the development of context-sensitive AT policies.
• Effective AT policy requires participatory, resource-aware, outcomes-focused, collaborative, evidence-informed, supportive, and system-strengthening approaches.