UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is calling for investments in the availability and affordability of assistive technologies such as special tablets and lightweight wheelchairs, a UN spokesperson said Thursday.

"Evidence points to millions of children with disabilities never entering school, and, for those that do, hundreds of thousands of them are segregated from their peers and communities," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at a regular briefing.

"This is a tragic waste of potential for these children, their families, national economies and society," UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan said.

"UNICEF is calling for investments in quality availability and affordability of assistive technologies, as these products have the potential to drastically increase the number of children with disabilities accessing their fundamental right to education," she said.