MP Urges Disability-Friendly Digital Literacy Services
Technological progress should broaden access to information and knowledge, rather than creating new barriers for people with disabilities.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Abdul Fikri Faqih, a member of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), has requested that the government ensure digital literacy services managed by the state are inclusively accessible to persons with disabilities, particularly the visually impaired.
“Hopefully, together with others, we can create inclusive policies for everyone,” Fikri stated in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Furthermore, he highlighted state-owned digital services, such as the iPusnas application, which is a social media-based digital library application from the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia (Perpusnas). According to Fikri, the application is not yet user-friendly for the visually impaired group.
Therefore, Fikri is encouraging the National Library to immediately implement the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure that access to information and digital literacy can be enjoyed by all members of society.
He noted that feedback regarding these accessibility limitations has been submitted by the Indonesian Blind Association (Pertuni), which found that state-owned digital literacy services still face issues regarding accessibility for the visually impaired.
Fikri believes that the transformation of services into digital spaces must be accompanied by inclusive design. Technological progress should open wider access to information and science, rather than creating new obstacles for people with disabilities.
He emphasised the importance of policies that consider the needs of all societal groups, including persons with disabilities, in the development of government digital services.
Previously, the National Library had asserted that the 2026 budget efficiency policy would not impact the quality of public services, whether in-person or digital, including the continued strengthening of the iPusnas application.
The President Secretary of the National Library, Joko Santoso, stated that the institution is committed to providing the best services to the public in response to growing energy efficiency issues in society facing the global crisis.
Regarding the adjustments experienced by the iPusnas service, the National Library emphasised that this was not related to budget efficiency, but was part of an effort to strengthen the digital service system as a whole to ensure long-term stability and reliability of the service.