Learning Brief: Accessibility as a Core Design Principle in MSME Capacity Development.
We’re thrilled to share our latest Learning Brief: Accessibility as a Core Design Principle in MSME Capacity Development.
At The Sweef Institute, we believe accessibility should be an integral part of entrepreneurship support. In Indonesia, people with disabilities continue to face significant barriers to employment, education, and digital participation, while accessibility standards remain inconsistently applied across both public and private sectors.
These barriers also shape who can participate in entrepreneurial ecosystems and access opportunities. Digital platforms may not be compatible with screen readers, lack alt-text, or use low-contrast designs, while physical and program environments can overlook different accessibility needs.
At the KINETIK Sweef Entrepreneurs Program, we have sought to integrate accessibility into program design from the outset, across the Learning Management System, in-person events, and the wider entrepreneur community. This includes creating space for participants to communicate their needs, providing practical accessibility workshops, and learning directly from entrepreneurs working in disability inclusion and digital accessibility.
Our experience has shown that accessibility requires more than good intentions. Early and continuous integration matters, from asking about accessibility needs at every event to making learning materials available in different formats and then refining our methods through feedback and practice.
Working alongside entrepreneurs with accessibility expertise, including Suarise, Selang, and KONEKIN, has strengthened program delivery and peer learning. Feedback from Suarise also surfaced gaps in the LMS, prompting the program team to work with Pintar to improve the platform and explore low-cost accessibility integrations, these experiences have reinforced the importance of continuously testing and refining digital tools. At the same time, the strong response to our accessibility workshops showed that entrepreneurs are eager to learn, particularly when accessibility is presented not simply as a compliance consideration, but as an opportunity to build more inclusive businesses and communities.
With 22 companies in the network either founded by a person with a disability or directly focused on accessibility-related products and services, the community itself has become an important source of learning.
Read our latest Learning Brief: Accessibility as a Core Design Principle in MSME Capacity Development, to explore what we are learning about building accessibility into entrepreneurship support: