The Inclusive Innovation Summit, during the Kenya Innovation Week 2023 Commonwealth Edition was hosted by Innovate Now. It highlighted the critical role of innovation & technology in advancing socio-economic development across the Commonwealth. Thus, the groundbreaking work by Innovate now and Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa (KBTA) in supporting young innovators in Africa and their start ups to design and develop affordable, context-based innovations of assistive technology for persons with disabilities in Africa.
The event was attended by representatives from all areas of work impacting persons with disabilities. There were amazing speakers from technology start-ups providing practical solutions for those with disabilities. There were educators who were cognizant of the gaps in quality education for those with disabilities due to barriers to inclusion in the social and economic fabric of life especially related to access to education. A panel discussion allowed the participants on this day to learn about what was being done to break down barriers to education, employment and entrepreneurship for persons with disabilities. KBTA was able to show case its end-to-end education to employment actions for those with visual impairments and engage with others working in the disability space in order to collaborate and bring in greater and wider impact.
The impact of KBTA's support to startups through its innovative live labs and the provision of Orbit Readers to learners at all levels of education, highlighted the transformative potential of inclusive innovation in addressing societal barriers and ensuring equal opportunities for all.