David Banes

David Banes is Chair of the Equitable AI Alliance, Director of David Banes Access and Inclusion Services and co-founder of Global Symbols, having worked in assistive technology for almost 40 years, leading assistive technology services in Europe and the Middle East, including Mada in Qatar from 2010-2016. He now works across the globe, including projects in low- and middle-income countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, and South Asia, to support the implementation of access and inclusion from policy to practice through capacity building.

He has a special interest in both emerging and low-cost technologies and their impact on people with a disability, including the use of AI to ensure access to mobility, technology, and the self-management of mental health. He speaks regularly on these themes and on how we address issues of bias and discrimination in the design and implementation of AI.

David writes regularly on the tools and techniques. Recent publications include emerging technologies and the impact on universal design for learning, economic return on investment in AT, and the potential impact of innovation on the provision of assistive products. He was the general secretary of DATEurope, the Digital Assistive Technology association for Europe from 2023-2025

He speaks widely as a keynote and workshop facilitator on assistive and accessible technology at conferences and a range of bespoke online and in-person events. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Assistive Technologies and the Journal of Rehabilitation, and the Journal of Disability and Rehabilitation, Assistive Technology. He is an adjunct Fellow of the University of Southampton.