The intersection of sustainability, inclusion, and entrepreneurship is increasingly recognised as a strategic priority for contemporary businesses and societies. Among underserved groups, people with disabilities (PwDs) present both a significant entrepreneurial potential and unique barriers to business creation and operation. While self-employment offers a promising pathway towards economic inclusion for PwDs, research into the specific mechanisms enabling this form of disadvantage entrepreneurship remains fragmented and under-theorised (Klangboonkrong and Baines, 2022; Bhardwaj et al., 2023). This paper critically reviews the business and management literature to examine how emerging digital technologies can act as affordances facilitating entrepreneurial activity among PwDs.
Drawing upon affordance theory (Gibson, 1979; Leonardi, 2011), this study employs a qualitative, problematising literature review methodology (Alvesson and Sandberg, 2011, 2020), sourcing peer-reviewed articles across entrepreneurship, business, management, and disability studies. A theoretical framework is developed by synthesising the findings, identifying four key technological affordances: communication and interaction, business creation and operation, learning and capability development, and community and identity formation.
The analysis demonstrates that digital technologies are not neutral enablers but dynamic socio-material actors whose affordances depend on user capability and institutional context. It reveals how digital solutions can meaningfully reduce systemic barriers, enhance market access, and foster entrepreneurial identity among PwDs. This study contributes to extending the understanding of inclusive entrepreneurship within a digital economy, proposing that inclusive technology strategies must be embedded in policy and education, digital platform design, and business support services.
The paper advocates for future empirical research to validate and refine the proposed framework across diverse PwD populations and socio-economic contexts. It emphasises the need to account for intersectional factors and to evaluate the long-term sustainability of technology-enabled ventures. Ultimately, enabling entrepreneurs with disabilities through technology is not merely an ethical imperative but a strategic investment in unlocking innovation, diversity, and sustainable growth.