The Responsible Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (RAIL-KNUST), has partnered with individuals with disabilities and other stakeholders to create assistive devices aimed at improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Senior Lecturer at the Department of Health Promotion and Disability Studies, Dr Paul Okyere, reaffirmed KNUST's commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity.

“We know that significant progress has been made in combating discrimination against persons with disabilities, but there is still a lot to be done to ensure that persons with disability are included in all facets of our development,” he said.

Principal Investigator and Scientific Director for RAIL, Prof Jerry John Kponyo, underscored the need for partnerships to enhance the adoption of assistive devices.

“Out of the many devices developed, only twenty-five per cent (25%) are being used. Therefore, there's a need to collaborate and share ideas on how to develop and enhance the adoption of these devices. The expectation is that the devices we develop moving forward; the uptake will go beyond twenty-five per cent, and we will have at least seventy per cent (70%) using these devices,” he stated.

Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow on the RAIL project, Dr Enoch Acheampong, stressed the importance of involving persons with disabilities in the design process.

“In most cases, when developers are coming with facilities and tools, they don’t include their views, and when the devices come, the disabled people are not able to use them. At the back of this, we want to involve them, give them the opportunity to give us details and how they want us to develop the tools,” he said.

The meeting featured breakout sessions to brainstorm ideas.

President of the Ghana Federation of Disability in the Ashanti Region, Mr Andrew Gyimah Minkah, urged members of the association to embrace the initiative and work towards its success.

“This opportunity can only succeed if we fully cooperate and ensure our inputs guide the project to meet our needs,” he remarked.