Digital inclusion for persons with disabilities in China under COVID-19: how far has China come?

• Author: He Biao, Rune Halvorsen
• Position: (??) M.A. in International Social Welfare and Health Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway; Research Assistant, Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo 0130, Norway. Contact: biaohe@oslomet.no - Rune Halvorsen, Ph.D. in Sociology, Norwegian ...
• Pages: 35-57

FRONTIERS OF LAW IN CHINA

VOL. 16 MARCH 2021 NO. 1

DOI 10.3868/s050-010-021-0003-6

FOCUS

PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE GROUPS DURING COVID-19

DIGITAL INCLUSION FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN CHINA UNDER

COVID-19: HOW FAR HAS CHINA COME?

HE Biao∗, Rune Halvorsen∗∗

Abstract This article reviews social regulatory and redistributive policies in China that

aim at fostering digital inclusion of persons with disabilities. We examine the emerging

Chinese policies and how China has responded to the impacts of the coronavirus disease

(COVID-19) on digital inclusion in terms of redistribution, market regulation,

involvement of persons with disabilities and disabled people’s organizations (DPOs),

and awareness-raising campaigns. The policy review demonstrates that the Chinese

policy framework contains a few redistributive initiatives, for example, cash transfer

programs, and free distribution of information and communications technology (ICT).

These have the potential to increase the uptake of ICT among persons with disabilities.

The Chinese policy framework also includes provisions to ensure consultation with

individual persons with disabilities and DPOs in the deliberation and implementation of

ICT accessibility policies. While China has initiated awareness-raising campaigns

among market actors about the importance of digital inclusion, so far, the Chinese

government has adopted little legal regulation of the market to foster accessibility to ICT.

The article thus argues that some of the limitations may be due to the way state–market

relations have developed since the economy opened up in 1978. Apart from the growing

benefits of several cash transfer programs, we have not seen major changes or

adjustments to the current policy framework during the efforts to mitigate the impact of

∗ () M.A. in International Social Welfare and Health Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences, Oslo

Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway; Research Assistant, Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and

Social Policy, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo 0130, Norway. Contact: biaohe@oslomet.no

∗∗ Rune Halvorsen, Ph.D. in Sociology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim,

Norway; Professor, Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy, and Co-director of CEDIC—

Center for the Study of Digitalization of Public Services and Citizenship, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo

0130, Norway. Contact: rune.halvorsen@oslomet.no

The authors acknowledge the receipt of funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under

grant agreement CHN-19/004, and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under

grant agreement No. 870698. The authors would like to thank Professor ZHANG Wanhong, Wuhan University,

DING Peng, East-Lake Institute for Social Advancement, and the anonymous reviewers for their comments to

earlier versions of this article. The opinions published in this article reflect only the authors’ views.

36 FRONTIERS OF LAW IN CHINA [Vol. 16: 35

COVID-19 on digital inclusion.

Keywords disability policy, digital inclusion, accessibility, social regulation, China,

information and communication technology (ICT)

I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................... 36

II. DEVELOPMENT OF ICT AND DIGITAL INEQUALITY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

IN CHINA.................................................................................................................. 38

III. OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR DIGITAL INCLUSION ......... 39

IV. HOW HAS THE CHINESE POLICY FRAMEWORK PROMOTED DIGITAL INCLUSION?.. 42

A. Review of Digital Inclusion Policies in China: Perspectives and

Dimensions ......................................................................................................... 42

B. Redistributive Policies to Foster the Availability of ICT in China ...................... 43

C. Regulatory Policies to Foster Digital Inclusion in China................................... 46

D. How Has China Broken Down Disability-Based Bias and Raised Awareness of

Digital Equality in Society? ................................................................................ 47

E. How Has China Considered Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the

Work to Promote Digital Inclusion? ................................................................... 49

V. DIGITAL INCLUSION IN THE COVID-19 CONTEXT: HOW HAS THE CHINESE POLICY

FRAMEWORK BEEN ADJUSTED?............................................................................... 51

VI. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 54

I. INTRODUCTION

Since the 1990s, information and communication technology (ICT) has become the

most important carrier of information. Starting from a set of tools with limited use and

usability, people now apply ICT in broad sectors of society.1 With the outbreak of the

coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, ICT solutions are becoming increasingly

indispensable—given the social distancing measures in place, digital solutions are

providing new ways to provide medical care, service, and support to those most at risk;2

ICT solutions (e.g., websites, mobile applications, and television broadcasting) are crucial

channels to release real-time information on the pandemic to the public; and given

home-based isolation, ICT also plays a significant role in facilitating people’s participation

in various areas of life.

However, not all segments of the population benefit equally from advances in ICT such

1 International Telecommunication Union, Measuring the Information Society, available at https://www.

itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/mis2009.aspx (last visited Jun. 6, 2020); Soumitra Dutta & Irene

Mia, The Global Information Technology Report 2008–2009, World Economic Forum (Geneva), (2009).

2 Aneka Khilnani, Jeremy Schulz & Laura Robinson, The COVID-19 Pandemic: New Concerns and

Connections between eHealth and Digital Inequalities, 18(3) Journal of Information, Communication and

Ethics in Society, 394 (2020).