Not all disabilities are visible. Chronic illness, mental health conditions, sensory impairments, and learning differences can shape daily life in ways that aren’t always seen — and too often, they’re dismissed or misunderstood. Stigma thrives in that gap. Breaking it starts with awareness: remembering that disability doesn’t always come with a cane, a chair, or a dog.

Disability and gender often overlap in ways that remain unseen. Women with disabilities face higher risks of violence, income inequality, and stigma in healthcare and parenting. Data from Austria, Germany, and France highlights these challenges — but there are still major gaps worldwide. Exploring these intersections helps us ask better questions, challenge bias, and design fairer solutions.

What starts with accessibility often benefits everyone. Voice assistants, auto-correct, and dark mode were once niche features — now they’re everyday tools. Assistive tech is evolving from specialist gear to smart, seamless support.

When we talk about assistive technology (AT), we often think of the tools, screen readers, magnifiers, or speech interfaces. But behind every effective tool is the content it interacts with. If the content isn’t accessible, even the best AT can fall short.

This series is our small contribution: unpacking what AT really is, how people use it, and why design and distribution must be more inclusive. Whether you're new to assistive tech or have used it all your life, there's a shared goal: ensuring more people can access the tools they need, when they need them.

Mental health and disability are often treated as separate issues, but for many, they overlap in deeply personal ways. At Hope Tech, we know that adapting to vision loss isn’t only about learning new tools — it’s about navigating identity, emotional wellbeing, and access to support. From the impact of stigma and social exclusion to the grieving process of sight loss, these experiences remind us that choice and access to the right tools are not just practical needs, but matters of dignity and independence.

Guide dogs are life-changing partners, but only a small percentage of blind or visually impaired people work with them. On International Guide Dog Day, we celebrate the trust and teamwork behind guide dog partnerships — while recognising that independence looks different for everyone. At Hope Tech, we believe in mobility on your own terms, whether that’s with a dog, a cane, or new tools like Sixth Sense.