LIRNEasia’s engagements on disabilities and assistive technologies began in 2015 when we conducted our first study on persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Myanmar to understand the accessibility challenges of ICT use by PWDs.

Working with Disabled Persons Organizations, and in collaboration with our local partners, LIRNEasia identified policy and practical solutions to these problems, in particular solutions enabled by Myanmar’s rapid take-up of smartphones. The recommendations were disseminated widely, to 23 Members of Parliament from the Myanmar Union Parliament, Members of the Yangon Regional Parliament, and the local media.

LIRNEasia repeated the exercise in Nepal in 2017-19, conducting a qualitative study to understand the challenges faced by PWDs. This was supplemented with two additional steps: a nationally representative (quantitative) survey on PWDs which explored their experiences and quantified PWDs by type of disability, barriers and other variables related to education, transport and livelihood, and a hackathon that yielded two mobile apps that could assist those with speech/hearing disabilities.

Working with our local partners, LIRNEasia proposed simple, immediately actionable ways to promote independent living by PWDs with the release of eight white papers to support our engagements with key policy stakeholders in May 2019 in Nepal.

Through our current research cycle, we are seeking to replicate this exercise in Sri Lanka and India. We seek to build on this work by not just prototyping assistive digital solutions for PWDs, but also catalyzing the roll out at scale by connecting developers with social impact investors.

Documents

• Comments on the proposed new regulations on integrated financial consumer protection framework for entries regulated by Financial Consumer Relations Department of Central Bank of Sri Lanka

  LIRNEasia’s comments on the proposed new regulations on integrated financial consumer protection framework seek to promote financial inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWD). These comments are based on insights derived from multiple quantitative and qualitative research projects on PWD by LIRNEasia

• Designing Policy Centric Disability Research in Resource Constrained Settings in the Global South: A Review of Key Concepts

  In this literature review, our aim is to contextualize these in the wider arena of disability studies in the Global South. In doing so, we intend to connect the policy research with the theoretical and policy debates about disability emerging from the Global South.

• ICT access and use by Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Sri Lanka (Presentation – Tamil)

  ICT access and use by Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Sri Lanka

• ICT access and use by Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Sri Lanka (Presentation – Sinhala)

  ICT access and use by Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Sri Lanka

• Qualitative findings onpersons with disabilities and independent living (Research Report – Tamil)

  Qualitative findings on persons with disabilities and independent living

• Qualitative findings onpersons with disabilities and independent living (Research Report – Sinhala)

  Qualitative findings on persons with disabilities and independent living

• Expert Forum on policy-relevant research on disability and information & communication technologies (ICTs) – (Event Report)

  LIRNEasia’s Disability Research

• Assistive Tech App Development

  Project by LIRNEasia + Nuffield School + Yarl IT Hub

More Documents →

Events

• Sri Lanka’s digital future: A conversation between Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya and Prof. Rohan Samarajiva
  In an insightful 50-minute discussion, Principal Presidential Advisor on Digital Economy Dr.
• LIRNEasia at IGF Sri Lanka 2024: Bridging the digital divide
    The Internet Governance Forum Sri Lanka (IGF Sri Lanka) 2024 took place in Colombo in December 2024, marking a significant step in Sri Lanka’s journey toward inclusive and collaborative Internet governance.
• Unlocking Data for Artificial Intelligence in Sri Lanka: LIRNEasia hosts exclusive forum in Colombo
  LIRNEasia hosted a forum on December 7, 2024, titled “Unlocking Data for Artificial Intelligence in Sri Lanka” at the ITC Ratnadipa Hotel, Colombo.
• Consultative meeting with Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) – Event participants
  Consultative meeting with Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) - Event participants
• Expert Forum on policy-relevant research on disability and information & communication technologies (ICTs) – (Event Report)
  LIRNEasia’s Disability Research

More Events →

People

Babu Ram Aryal

Dilshan Fernando

Gayashi Jayasinghe

Htaike Htaike Aung

Isuru Samaratunga

Nirmita Narasimhan

Tharaka Amarasinghe

Blogs and Updates

• Sri Lanka’s digital future: A conversation between Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya and Prof. Rohan Samarajiva
  In an insightful 50-minute discussion, Principal Presidential Advisor on Digital Economy Dr.
• LIRNEasia at IGF Sri Lanka 2024: Bridging the digital divide
    The Internet Governance Forum Sri Lanka (IGF Sri Lanka) 2024 took place in Colombo in December 2024, marking a significant step in Sri Lanka’s journey toward inclusive and collaborative Internet governance.
• Unlocking Data for Artificial Intelligence in Sri Lanka: LIRNEasia hosts exclusive forum in Colombo
  LIRNEasia hosted a forum on December 7, 2024, titled “Unlocking Data for Artificial Intelligence in Sri Lanka” at the ITC Ratnadipa Hotel, Colombo.
• Disability and Place of Living: Experiences of Disability, Accessibility, and Inequality in Four Regions of Myanmar
  LIRNEasia's Research Fellow, Dilshan Fernando, along with CEO Helani Galpaya, Senior Research Manager Gayani Hurulle and Catherine Mobley of Clemson University, recently published a paper on disability and place of living.
• Comments on the proposed new regulations on integrated financial consumer protection framework for entries regulated by Financial Consumer Relations Department of Central Bank of Sri Lanka
  LIRNEasia’s comments on the proposed new regulations on integrated financial consumer protection framework seek to promote financial inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWD).
• Consultative meeting with Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) – Event participants
  Consultative meeting with Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) - Event participants
• Designing Policy Centric Disability Research in Resource Constrained Settings in the Global South: A Review of Key Concepts
  In this literature review, our aim is to contextualize these in the wider arena of disability studies in the Global South.
• ICT access and use by Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Sri Lanka (Presentation – Tamil)
  ICT access and use by Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Sri Lanka
• ICT access and use by Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Sri Lanka (Presentation – Sinhala)
  ICT access and use by Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Sri Lanka
• Qualitative findings onpersons with disabilities and independent living (Research Report – Tamil)
  Qualitative findings on persons with disabilities and independent living
• Qualitative findings onpersons with disabilities and independent living (Research Report – Sinhala)
  Qualitative findings on persons with disabilities and independent living
• Expert Forum on policy-relevant research on disability and information & communication technologies (ICTs) – (Event Report)
  LIRNEasia’s Disability Research
• Day 2: LIRNEasia’s Expert Forum on policy-relevant research on disability and information & communication technologies (ICTs)
  Day 2 of LIRNEasia’s Expert Forum on policy-relevant research on disability and information & communication technologies (ICTs) dealt with how policy and innovations can work together to promote inclusion and accessibility.
• Assistive Tech App Development
  Project by LIRNEasia + Nuffield School + Yarl IT Hub
• Accelerate Ability: A Thesis Led Accelerator for Disability
  An Acceleration Approach to Scaling Need Based Technologies to Enable Independent Living and Human Potential Realisation for People with Disabilities in India
• Day 1: LIRNEasia’s Expert Forum on policy-relevant research on disability and information & communication technologies (ICTs)
  The session started with the presentation of findings and reflections on disability related research conducted by LIRNEasia in Nepal, Myanmar, India and Sri Lanka.
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