AccessABLE
The AccessABLE project, funded by UNFPA, GDI Hub, and GNYPWD, aimed to tackle the significant challenges faced by young individuals with disabilities in accessing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information. By developing a WhatsApp and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, the project ensured that vital information could be easily accessible, even in low-resource settings, allowing users with limited internet access or feature phones to receive crucial SRHR guidance.
Project Goal
The project’s primary objective was to create a system that not only provided accurate SRHR information but was also tailored to the unique needs of individuals with disabilities. This system ensured that people from semi-urban and rural areas could access critical SRHR services and information in a private, accessible, and user-friendly manner, improving their ability to make informed decisions regarding their health and well-being.
Project Team
This initiative involved collaboration between a diverse group of organizations and stakeholders. The team included non-profits working with young women with disabilities, as well as subject-matter experts from UNFPA, GDI Hub, and GNYPWD. Project Bala also contributed significantly, providing culturally sensitive language guidance and insights from working with young women in India on SRHR issues.
Top Achievements
WhatsApp and IVR-based System: Developed a conversational platform powered by GPT, accessible via WhatsApp and IVR, allowing individuals with disabilities to access SRHR information in an intuitive and user-friendly manner.
Successful Pilot Test: Conducted a pilot with over 25 young individuals with disabilities, receiving valuable feedback that confirmed the system’s effectiveness and highlighted areas for improvement.
Local Language Support: Integrated local languages and culturally relevant terminologies into the system, ensuring better accessibility and user engagement, particularly for non-English speakers.
Task Automation Prototype: Implemented a prototype of automation features to assist users in completing forms and enrolling in government schemes, enhancing the system’s functionality beyond information delivery.
Privacy Management:Â Implemented strong privacy management features, allowing users to delete their conversation history and ensuring session expiration after 60 minutes of inactivity.
Key Learnings
Privacy and Session Management: Participants emphasized the importance of privacy when accessing sensitive SRHR information, with many requesting features to delete session history and maintain confidentiality.
Local Language Accessibility: The need for clear, localized language emerged as a priority, particularly for users from rural areas and those with visual impairments, who preferred voice messages or simplified content.
Voice Recognition Improvements: Some users found that local dialects and accents presented challenges for voice recognition, indicating a need for further refinement in this area to enhance accessibility.
Future Plans
Continued User Testing: The project will conduct further user research and testing to gather more data on user preferences and improve system performance based on cultural relevance and user feedback.
Enhanced Task Automation: Plans to refine the task automation system will focus on making it more robust and versatile, allowing users to complete administrative tasks like enrolling in SRHR schemes more efficiently.
Improving Privacy Features: Future updates will focus on strengthening the platform’s privacy features, ensuring that users can access sensitive information while maintaining full control over their session data and history​