Cost-effective, locally-relevant information technology can improve access to education, educational attainment and employment for visually impaired learners. Sightsavers International is piloting the innovative Sightsavers Dolphin Pen in Kenya giving visually impaired learners equal opportunities to their sighted peers and providing a model for replication in Africa. Assistive technology has enabled visually impaired people to access information and computers for many years through screen reader talking software, magnification and Braille outputs. However, this technology did not fulfill the needs of developing countries, nor was it affordable at around $1,000 per person. Our unique solution was to collaborate with the World Blind Union (WBU) and visually impaired people in Africa to specify the type of assistive technology that would fulfill local needs. We then teamed up with Dolphin Computer Access Ltd to develop this technology for the first time. The Sightsavers Dolphin Pen is a mobile screen reader in the form of a USB stick that can be used in any computer. Magnified text and synthetic speech give visually impaired students the same access to textbooks and basic information technology as their sighted peers. The Sightsavers Dolphin Pen costs less that $150, compared to a Perkins Brailler costing around $400 and textbooks in Braille at $45 per volume. This cost-effective model is vital to ensure improved learning for more children in Africa. The Sightsavers Dolphin Pen is now available in Africa. We are piloting its use through a structured, research-based project in Kenya that involves providing the hardware and software as well as training and support in the use of this assistive technology. This pilot project will provide evidence, learning and best-practice to support the effective use of this technology throughout Africa.