Blockchain for inclusion: challenges and pathways to digital entrepreneurship among persons with disabilities in China
Wenwei Han, Zhihui Liu, Meinan Zeng, Lihong Liu · Disability & Society · 2025
Amid the structural mismatch between employment opportunities and the size of China’s population of persons with disabilities, more individuals are turning to online entrepreneurship as a route to economic inclusion. With its decentralised and secure architecture, blockchain technology offers the potential to reduce barriers through more inclusive digital business models. Realising this potential requires coordinated support from both government and the private sector. Entrepreneurs with disabilities continue to face challenges, including weak legal protections, limited technical assistance, and inadequate digital skills training. Therefore, strengthening disability-inclusive legal frameworks – especially for blockchain-based initiatives – is essential. Equally important is collaboration between public authorities and Internet platforms to build accessible digital infrastructures. Targeted digital literacy programmes must also be scaled to support engagement with new technologies.