Almost every country, including developing countries, has increased its use of digital technology over time. The presence and development of digital technology, particularly the internet, is thought to have the potential to promote empowerment and improve community welfare (Poerwanti et al., 2024). Countries around the world are committed to inclusive development as outlined in the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). This implies that the state ensures that no one is left behind, excluded, or unaffected by development. This specifically applies to marginalized groups, such as people with disabilities. As a new force that is constantly evolving, digital technology is one of the options, if not the primary force, for such development efforts.
The SDGs are global goals that have been agreed upon by UN member states. As part of this global commitment, Indonesia has also enacted rules ensuring that people with disabilities have the right to work. The regulation is outlined in Article 5, paragraph (1), Article 11, Article 20, and Article 28, paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution. In these laws, Indonesia recognizes, respects, and demonstrates its commitment to fulfilling the rights of people with disabilities. However, data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in February 2019 showed that Indonesia has 10.19 million people with disabilities, with only 9.91 million of them working (Tan, 2021). Meanwhile, research results as revealed by Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah show that people with disabilities continue to have lower workforce participation rates and pay than non-disabled workers (Tan, 2021).
Furthermore, the level of digital inclusion in Indonesia remains quite low. Sanders (2020) defines digital inclusion as the ability of people at all levels of society to improve their lives via the use of technology, particularly the internet. However, according to National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) research, just 36% of individuals with disabilities owned a cell phone or laptop in 2020, and only 18.9% had access to the internet (Poerwanti et al., 2024). Thus, it can be concluded that digital inclusion and Indonesia’s ambitions for inclusive development remain unfulfilled.
Southern Empowerment of People with Disabilities: Obstacles and Possibilities
Today, the realm of investment is now focused on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in addition to financial returns. As a result, engaging workers with disabilities is considered a socially responsible practice that can provide specific benefits to the company, such as improving the corporate image (Choi & Kim, 2025). In Asia, Japan has set an example on how to utilize empowerment for individuals with disabilities while also offering a platform for the growth of digital inclusion with the existence of Avatar Robot Café Dawn. Avatar Robot Café Dawn, in Tokyo, Japan, is a one-of-a-kind café with robot servers. The robots in the cafe are not ordinary robots; they are remotely controlled by individuals with disabilities, which is known as telepresence. The cafe was initiated by Kentaro Yoshifuji, a robotics researcher and disabled individual. As of 2021 until now, Kentaro Yoshifuji currently employs 90 people (Ishikawa, 2022).
Meanwhile, in comparison to Japan’s advances, disability empowerment in the global south in collaboration with digital inclusion remains highly unequal. As previously said, the presence of people with disabilities is highly likely to improve the company’s image and draw the attention of many people. As a result, numerous southern countries have embraced the idea, including Reaching Out Teahouse in Vietnam and Yimsoo Cafe in Thailand. In Indonesia, various cafes also employ people with disabilities, including Starbucks Signing Store Tata Puri, DignityKu, Difabis Coffee and Tea, Sunyi Cafe, Kopi Berbagi, Deaf Cafe, Pelataran Difabel Gallery and Cafe, and Cafe More Wyata Guna. However, these cafes still tend to focus on the use of sign language or conventional tools, such as paper and pen, rather than digital technology like the Avatar Robot Café Dawn in Japan.
According to van Dijk (2005), access to motivation, materials, skills, and usage are all important facets of digital inclusion. In the context of Indonesia and the empowerment of people with disabilities, there are still several overlapping issues that must be addressed strategically in order to achieve digital inclusion effectively and efficiently. These obstacles include: 1) the number of people with disabilities is dominated by the elderly who are not familiar with the use of digital technology, especially the internet; 2) the number of internet access ownership tends to be low; 3) the quality of education of people with disabilities tends to be poor; 4) digital technology that is not friendly to people with disabilities; and 5) the constraints outlined above make people with impairments exposed to the threats of digital crime (Poerwanti et al., 2024). Furthermore, Choi and Kim’s (2025) research found that disabled workers frequently receive unfavorable replies. People with disabilities are frequently perceived as weak and inept. Because of these preconceptions, some individuals avoid shops that employ people with disabilities.
When individuals are given the option of choosing between disabled workers who work in-person and disabled workers who work remotely via robots, the choice usually favors disabled workers who work in-person (Choi & Kim, 2025). The study found that the appearance of the robot wasn’t accompanied by an emotional and humanistic reaction, resulting in a mechanical dehumanization process in which people with disabilities are viewed as tools in the form of robots rather than humans. Meanwhile, although the difference is not statistically significant, customers tend to react more warmly when people with disabilities are present in person with the assistance of robots. In this instance, consumer satisfaction may serve as a clue for enhancing the participation of individuals with disabilities and advancing initiatives for digital inclusion. In terms of utility, digital technology has offered numerous advantages to everyone, including people with disabilities. The presence of digital technology has reduced the communication gap between people with disabilities and non-disabled consumers. Data from the field indicates that remotely controlled robots are not perceived as human (Choi & Kim, 2025). This does not, however, imply that digital technology does not have a place for those with disabilities. The presence of Avatar Robot Café Dawn has offered people with disabilities in Japan new hope and a space where they can contribute to society.
In short, the issues associated with digital inclusion in the context of empowering people with disabilities are determined by the state’s ability to provide and ensure equal accessibility to digital technology, both in terms of ownership and skill level. Meanwhile, issues associated with the existence of digital technology can be addressed by modifying customer preferences. If corporations can supply robots that serve as companions to people with disabilities rather than robots that entirely replace human functions, they can achieve digital inclusion as a moral aim while still gaining commercially profitable consumer pleasure. The closest and simplest example is Kopi Berbagi’s Barista Smart Glasses in Bandung. The Barista Smart Glasses can transform customer voices into text that is read immediately on deaf and/or speech-impaired baristas’ smart glasses (Hidayat, 2023). The engagement provided by this technology also addresses issues about emotional responses and concerns regarding the competency of workers with disabilities. The success of Kopi Berbagi marks the first step towards digital inclusion. To achieve the desired results, the Indonesian government can broaden the scope of rules and policies aimed at empowering individuals with disabilities, beginning with providing easy access to the internet and digital technologies.
