Lecco, ITALY, 13 July 2022: WHO’s Chapal Khasnabis is awarded the AAATE Honorary Membership and Prof. Luc de Witte receives AAATE’s Diamond Award.

The AAATE Honorary Membership is granted exceptionally by the AAATE Board to people having contributed greatly to the field of assistive technology in Europe and the world, to date only granted to three people. It was with great please that Georgios Kouroupetroglou, President of AAATE, and Tone Øderud, AAATE Secretary, announced that Chapal Khasnabis will join these ranks for his dedication to develop the WHO UNICEF Global Report on AT which was just released, and his support to the AT sector over so many years.

Chapal Khasnabis is Head of the Access to Assistive Technology and Medical Devices Unit in the same-named division of the WHO and since 2014 leading the WHO’s Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE). He is a Prosthetics and Orthotics Engineer by formation and started his career in 1979 in the Ministry of Health and then Ministry of Social Welfare in India. In 1994, he founded Mobility India, Bangalore to enable, empower and include people with disabilities, everywhere. Since 2003, he is working in the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2018, he facilitated formation of the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology ATscale.and was a driving force in developing the first WHO-UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology.

On the same occasion was also awarded AAATE’s Diamond award to Prof. Luc de Witte for his mission, drive and expertise in assistive technology.

The AAATE Diamond award is a personal recognition, granted for outstanding work in advancing assistive technology in Europe, within or outside the Association, at international or national level. The award is granted by the board. All AAATE members can nominate individuals for the award by sending a motivated request to the president. Nominees are evaluated every year before the general assembly and awards are presented at the conference, workshop or general assembly that year.

Luc has been working as an application-oriented researcher in the field of long-term care and assistive technology Maastricht University, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, the University of Sheffield and the Hague University of Applied Sciences. His research focuses on the development, implementation and evaluation of technology-enabled innovations in health and social care. He worked on projects in India and some other low- and middle income countries. These international projects focused on the use of technology to improve health and wellbeing of people with support needs in low resource settings.

This award is meant as motivation for Luc to continue the great work as active member of AAATE, president of GAATO and in his work as researcher in the field of AT.

The award ceremony was held during the Joint International Conference on Digital Inclusion, Assistive Technology & Accessibility (ICCHP-AAATE), taking place 13-15 July 2022 in beautiful Lecco, Italy.

Find the list of awardees here: https://aaate.net/about-aaate/honourable-members-and-aaate-award-holders/

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About AAATE:
The Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE) is a non profit membership organization and its aim is to advance the knowledge on assistive technology in all its forms and, more in general, to enhance the role technology can have in enabling citizens with functional restrictions to be active, to participate in all realms of life and to have a higher quality of life. The association has institutional and single members in almost all European countries and is part of various international collaboration frameworks, such as the Global Alliance of AT professional organisations (GAATO) and the ENTELIS Network (together with other European umbrella organisations). The association organises every two years a major international conference on Assistive Technology and publishes the journal Technology and Disability.