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When Edi Suwanto lost his sight in a chemical laboratory accident, the world he once knew seemed to slip away. Yet from that moment of loss, a new door opened — accessible technology bridged him back to education, opened up opportunities, and ultimately connected him with the community he now champions.
Today, as a facilitator for persons with disabilities in Microsoft Elevate, Edi represents how AI can remove barriers and open pathways to equality. His journey reflects a broader shift: when technology is designed inclusively, it has the power to transform the lives of millions.
Recently, the world once again commemorated International Day of Persons with Disabilities. However, after the moment passes, one reality remains: behind the rapid digital transformation, many persons with disabilities are still struggling just to gain equal access to technology that should be making their lives easier. This reminds us that the digital divide is still one of the biggest barriers preventing persons with disabilities from fully participating in everyday life — from accessing public services and learning, to working, building community, and expressing themselves.
According to Central Statistics Agency (BPS) 2023, there are around 22.97 million persons with disabilities in Indonesia, with 17 million of them in productive age. However, their labor force participation rate remains low at 45 percent1. With the workforce landscape increasingly shaped by technology and AI, persons with disabilities need to overcome existing barriers to unlock broader access and opportunities — and within these challenges, a new source of hope emerges: AI as a tool for equality.
Research from UNDP shows that more than 1.5 billion people worldwide live with hearing loss2. Today, AI-powered technologies have introduced features such as speech-to-text, voice recognition, and audio source separation, which make daily communication more inclusive, especially in the workplace. For individuals with visual impairments — including 43 million who are fully blind, 295 million with moderate to severe vision impairment, and 258 million with mild impairment — AI helps recognize facial expressions and movements, and describe images, surroundings, and distances more accurately. These technologies reduce isolation, highlight individual strengths, and promote independence.
In the workplace context, research conducted by EY in partnership with Microsoft3 shows that Microsoft 365 Copilot — an AI assistant integrated into Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams — not only boosts productivity but also supports employees with disabilities and neurodivergence in performing tasks with greater confidence. Respondents in the study found Copilot valuable for communication, reducing cognitive load, and enabling more personalized learning access, including for those with language challenges or reading and writing difficulties.
In short, AI is more than “advanced technology” — it can become the next generation of assistive technology that helps close the digital gap long faced by the disability community.
In Indonesia, one individual who has witnessed and experienced AI’s role in closing this digital gap is Edi Suwanto, an educator and facilitator in Microsoft Elevate, Microsoft’s AI training initiative.
From Losing Vision to Creating an Inclusive Technology-Based Learning Space
After losing his vision due to a laboratory accident, Edi found a new path through accessible technology. Screen readers, audio-based laptops, and other assistive devices gradually reopened doors for learning, interaction, and reconnecting with the world around him.
From this experience, he founded difabelajar.id, a digital learning platform designed specifically for people with visual impairments. Through this platform, Edi teaches a variety of digital skills: using computers, navigating Microsoft 365, creating digital content, and learning foundational coding skills.
As AI advanced rapidly, Edi saw an even greater opportunity. “Technology brings us onto equal ground. Now with AI, people with visual impairments can create content, learn new skills, and express themselves without limits. Technology makes us more independent,” he said.
AI Empowering Independence and Preparing Learners for the Digital Workforce
In the classes Edi teaches — at the Sam’an Cinta Quran Islamic boarding school for people with visual impairments, through Microsoft Elevate, and through difabelajar.id — AI plays a central role in helping participants become more independent, more confident, and more prepared to participate in the digital world, especially for those who want to start small businesses or work from home.
AI assists them across various aspects of life and practical skills:
- Developing content ideas and digital marketing strategies.
What once took a week to create a one-month content plan can now be completed in 1–2 hours with Copilot, generating 30 content ideas complete with publication dates, platforms, topics, content pillars, and image directions.
- Learning in ways that are more personalized and accessible.
AI can simplify difficult materials, explain concepts through audio, and provide practical examples. For learners with visual impairment, these features make learning more flexible and no longer dependent on others.
- Building digital skills relevant to employment.
Edi teaches foundational skills such as ten-finger typing, managing folders, using Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — all through screen-reader navigation. AI then accelerates tasks such as writing articles, creating captions, or generating visuals for promotion.
- Developing more creative coding abilities.
If previously learners only felt confident creating simple HTML pages, now with AI they can enhance their websites using various CSS options recommended by Copilot — including choosing accessible-friendly color palettes and layouts for visually impaired users.
- Interacting and expressing themselves without barriers.
AI helps them write messages, describe images, summarize information, and create audio content. With Copilot’s more screen-reader-friendly interface, learners can do all of this directly from their phones.
For Edi, language skills combined with digital skills are the foundation of independence, especially for people with visual impairments who want to start small businesses, become freelancers, or simply build more confidence when communicating digitally. This is why he focuses on teaching English, Arabic, and digital marketing — all strengthened by AI.
After participating in Edi’s programs, many learners have experienced meaningful change: students with visual impairments are now able to complete their theses and search for references independently; MSME owners with visual impairments have increased their income after consistently producing content; and lecturer with visual impairments at a state university in Bandung can now more easily review student work and manage classroom materials using Copilot.
For Edi, these transformations are his greatest motivation. “Access to technology is much more open now, and AI makes many things easier for us. The real challenge is having the courage to start learning. When language skills and technology skills come together, persons with disabilities can truly stand on equal ground with non-disabled individuals. We just need the opportunity to prove it.”
In Edi’s view, AI is not merely a work tool. It is a means to show up, to participate, to earn, and to become a full part of the digital society.
Becoming a Microsoft Elevate Facilitator: Doubling the Impact
As a facilitator in Microsoft Elevate, through one of the program partners Alunjiva, Edi not only teaches how to use AI but demonstrates how it can support persons with disabilities in navigating daily life in the digital world. With empathy and lived experience, he shows that everyone, with the right support, has equal potential to grow in the AI era.
Through this AI skilling initiative, Microsoft and its partners aim to ensure that the disability community in Indonesia does not only follow technological progress but participates actively in it — as learners, creators, professionals, and leaders within their own communities. Because ultimately, an increasingly digital world can only be truly inclusive when everyone can participate.
“AI is not just about advanced technology, but about opening doors of opportunity for everyone. With AI, we remove barriers, create inclusive spaces, and ensure that anyone can be present, participate, and thrive in the digital era,” said Arief Suseno, AI Skills Director, Microsoft Indonesia.
Limitations are not obstacles to expanding one’s horizons. Persons with disabilities across Indonesia can now join equal.elevaite.id — presented by Microsoft and Alunjiva Indonesia — which provides inclusive AI learning opportunities for growth, creativity, and equality in the digital era.
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[1] BPS. (2025). Serapan Tenaga Kerja Penyandang Disabilitas Harus Terus Ditingkatkan.
[2] UNDP. (2024). The AI Revolution: Is it a Game Changer for Disability Inclusion?. 2024
[3] EY. (2024). GenAI for accessibility: more human, not less.