Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR RI) Lestari Moerdijat said that digital literacy and artificial intelligence (AI) literacy for people with disabilities are not just additional programs and ordinary social activities, but part of the implementation of the constitutional mandate.
"The preamble to the 1945 Constitution provides a very clear mandate, namely to improve the nation's life, which is meaningful for all citizens, including people with disabilities," Lestari said in a statement.
This was conveyed by Lestari in her remarks at the AI training program EQUAL (Empower Equality AI Initiative) held by Alunjiva Indonesia and Microsoft at the National Committee on Disabilities Office, Cawang Kencana.
Lestari said that in the past, discrimination was evident in buildings without ramps. Today, discrimination can manifest itself in applications that are not accessible to everyone.
Rerie, Lestari's nickname, said that AI or artificial intelligence that is not inclusive is not only incomplete, but has the potential to be a threat to citizens' basic rights.
The member of the Indonesian House of Representatives is of the opinion that digital transformation must proceed in line with social transformation so as not to create new inequalities.
In this context, understanding and practicing the values of Pancasila is important to remind us that technology must also respect human dignity.
Rerie believes that disability issues have been framed in a compassionate way for too long. "That paradigm must be abandoned. People with disabilities are not objects of kindness, but subjects of rights," Rerie said.
In the context of AI, he added, people with disabilities are not only required to be training participants, but must also be able to become technology designers and accessibility testers.
According to Rerie, AI must be designed with accessibility in mind from the outset. Accessibility should be a fundamental principle of technology design.
"Don't let anyone define the future without you. Don't let technology be built without your voice. Because Indonesia's future must be built together with all its citizens," said Rerie.
