Disability, technology innovation and social development in China and Australia

Abstract

This paper examines the turn to technology innovation in disability policy, as it has manifested in the accessibility and digital inclusion agendas in China and Australia. It provides a review of the disability policy changes and related initiatives in both countries to offer insights for broader discussions of digital technology innovation and social policy in Asia. We argue that while governments take pivotal roles in formulating and implementing digital disability policies, people with disabilities apply their own agency to take advantage of market opportunities through economic participation in digital economy. The state responds positively to the agency of people with disabilities in social development and participation by opening opportunities for research grants, start-up funds, publicities and policy lobbying. It is here we see the hope in such a collaborative and mutually constitutive approach to innovative social policies that aim at inclusive and sustainable growth – something that deserves concerted, comparative research and evaluation by policy scholars.