Suva — The Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) marked World Day for Assistive Technology on 4 June, using the global awareness day to press for urgent action after a recent review found that only 5 to 15 per cent of assistive technology needs are being met in parts of the Pacific. The regional peak body said the shortfall — spanning basic items such as wheelchairs, hearing aids and eyeglasses through to communication tools and rehabilitation services — demands faster investment, stronger service systems and deeper engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities.
PDF pointed to growing momentum in the region, including a major programme launched last year by ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology. The Strengthening Pacific Assistive Technology and Rehabilitation for Kids (SPARK) programme, rolled out in 2025 under ATscale’s Unlock Healthy Learning initiative, is backed by a US$10.5 million commitment from the Australian Government. The three‑year effort is designed to expand access to assistive technology and rehabilitation services for school‑aged children in seven Pacific island countries: Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia.
PDF chief executive Sainimili Tawake welcomed the SPARK investment as a step in the right direction but said the scale of unmet need means Australia’s injection and other donor support must be matched by national systems strengthening. “This momentum is welcome, but much more must be done so no one is left behind,” Tawake said, urging Pacific governments and partners to move from project‑level support to sustainable, government‑led provision, maintenance and distribution systems for assistive devices.
As part of its World AT Day messaging PDF set out specific priorities for the coming months: promoting inclusive and accessible communities through the integration of assistive technology; investing in sustainable systems for provision and maintenance; supporting awareness campaigns and community engagement; collaborating closely with organisations of persons with disabilities to ensure solutions reflect lived experience; and formally recognising smartphones and other consumer technologies as valid assistive devices that can support people who are blind or have low vision, Deaf and hard of hearing people, neurodivergent people and other underserved groups.
PDF also acknowledged the continuing technical and programmatic role of multilateral partners, including WHO and UNICEF, and highlighted the contributions of regional actors such as the Fiji Mobility Alliance (formerly the Spinal Injury Association of Fiji) and PhysioNet UK in delivering devices and services across islands. The forum’s public call follows a period of national policy change in Fiji: government moves in 2024–25 raised disability sector funding and produced a new 2025–2035 National Policy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, signalling a willingness to pair increased budgets with policy frameworks — a foundation PDF says is needed to scale programmes like SPARK.
Advocates say the focus on school‑aged children in SPARK is strategically important because early access to assistive products and rehabilitation can determine a child’s ability to attend school and participate fully. But they warn that short project timelines and logistical challenges across dispersed island geographies will require coordinated national planning, workforce development and predictable financing if the gains from 2025–28 investments are to be sustained beyond the programme’s lifespan.
World Day for Assistive Technology has given PDF an opportunity to reframe the conversation from one‑off device donations to longer‑term system building. The forum’s appeal to governments, donors and civil society is that only by aligning policy, funding and community‑level delivery can the Pacific move from current low coverage rates toward the inclusive societies its new national policies envision.