National digital ID apps and disability: towards an agenda for digital inclusion?

Abstract National digital ID apps are increasingly gaining popularity globally. As how we transact in the world is increasingly mediated by the digital, questions need to be asked about how these apps support the inclusion of disabled people. In particular, international instruments, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, spotlight the need for inclusive information and communication technologies. In this paper, we adopt a critical disability studies lens to analyse the workings of state-designed digital IDs—Singpass app—and what they can tell us about existing ways of designing for digital inclusion. We situate the case of the Singpass app within the rise of global digital transactions and the political-technical infrastructures that shape their accessibility. We analyse the ways Singpass centres disability, the problems it may still entail, and the possible implications for inclusion. At the same time, we uncover the lessons Singpass’s development holds for questions of global digital inclusion.