Project overview
Chance for Childhood, in partnership with Entain’s Ennovate Innovation Hub, successfully launched the Disability Detect App, a groundbreaking digital tool designed to identify developmental delays and disabilities in children aged three to eight years. This mobile app was created to equip teachers and parents with the tools to screen pre-school-aged children, enabling early detection and intervention. The app was piloted in 20 governmental pre-primary schools across Ghana, and is now available for anyone to use, ensuring that more children can be supported in reaching their full potential.
“We were thrilled to partner with Chance for Childhood on this initiative. Technology has the power to drive social change, and the Disability Detect App has made a significant impact on the lives of many children in Ghana.”
– Sophie Platts, Group Head of Sustainability at Entain
Why was the project needed?
Ghana’s Inclusive Education Policy sought to support all children with special educational needs, but many children with disabilities remained ‘invisible’ in national data and were often overlooked in education and social programmes. These children were at risk of exclusion from the education system, limiting their opportunities to thrive. The Disability Detect App addressed this gap by providing an accessible, easy-to-use tool that enabled early identification of developmental delays.
It was designed as a mobile tool accessible even in low-technology environments, ensuring that children from remote or disadvantaged areas were not left behind. The App was piloted in 20 governmental pre-primary schools, laying the groundwork for its broader use across more schools and communities. With early detection, teachers and parents were able to intervene effectively, giving children with disabilities a better chance to succeed in school and life. Here’s how the app works:
Project objectives:
- Enable teachers to identify children with development delays and disabilities early in their lifetime, so that effective interventions and support can be provided.
- Enhance individual and organisation capacity in the identification of children with developmental delays and disabilities by improving training, knowledge, and skills by providing necessary inclusion training.
- Enable school-aged children with development delays and disabilities to secure support with education and development as early as possible by referring them to local-authority clinics.
- To provide children with assistive devices, such as hearing aids and glasses.
Our impact so far
- Over 27,000 children screened by the app so far.
- Equipping Educators and Families: The app successfully equipped teachers and parents with the tools and knowledge needed to identify and support children with developmental delays and disabilities at an early stage.
- Addressing Gaps in Inclusive Education: By identifying children who might have been overlooked, the app helped to close the gap in Ghana’s education system for children with special educational needs.
- Creating Long-Term Change: The project left a lasting legacy by providing a tool that is now available for anyone to use, ensuring that children with developmental delays and disabilities can be supported across Ghana and beyond.
- Scaling Up: The App has been scaled up and is being used across three countries that we work in: Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda. Through the partnership between Chance for Childhood and Entain’s Ennovate Innovation Hub, the Disability Detect App continues to be a transformative tool for families, teachers, and communities.
- Free Use: The app is now widely available for anyone to use, helping ensure that every child, regardless of their abilities, has the chance to learn, play, and reach their full potential. It can be downloaded for iPhones on the App Store or for Android on the Google Play Store.
- Award-winning: In 2025, the App was awarded the Education Innovation Award from Theirworld, recognising its pioneering approach to disability detection.