‘Train disabled people to turn them skilled manpower’

Speakers at a roundtable on Thursday said training the people with disabilities to transform them into skilled manpower is a must for poverty eradication and sustainable development of Bangladesh.

The speakers said at least 1.6 million people in Bangladesh are living with some kind of disabilities. Government and non-government organisations have been doing many things for improving their lives; still they are lagging behind.

They blamed lack of proper implementation of the projects relating to the people with disabilities for that.

Prothom Alo, in association with Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) and CBM, organised the roundtable on incorporating issue of disabilities in development initiatives.

National Human Rights Commission chairman Nasima Begum said the authorities should ensure proper implementation of projects and existing laws relating to the disabled people.

“We have to make our footpaths accessible to the persons with disabilities. We have to build disabled-friendly mind-set too,” Nasima added.

Nasima also pointed out the need for providing vocational training to the people with disabilities.

Director of National Foundation for Development of Disabled Persons Sheikh Hamim Hasan said there is a lack of qualified manpower to work with the people with disabilities.

Executive director of Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) AHM Noman Khan said the authorities now have enough information about people with disability but there is still a lot to be done to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

He underscored the need for monitoring to ensure implementation of projects.

CDD’s director Nazmul Bari in his keynote paper said, people with disabilities are excluded from development initiatives which incur a 1.74 per cent loss of GDP.

“Mainstreaming of people with disabilities is a key prerequisite to poverty alleviation within 2041,” he said.

He recommended ensuring accessibility of people with disabilities, constructing disabled-friendly infrastructures, extending training facilities to enable them to earn and providing incentive to them so that they can join the workforce.

Executive director of Centre for Services and Information on Disability Khandaker Jahurul Alam Khan criticised social welfare ministry saying they do not have any concern over people with disabilities.

HelpAge International country director Rabeya Sultana urged the authorities to think about age related disability as they are often neglected in policymaking level.

Also voice should be raised about women with disabilities, she added.

Country programme representative of Leonard Cheshire Zahir-Bin-Siddique said teachers should be trained to teach the students with disability and curriculum should be made keeping their need in mind.

ADD International country director Md Shafiqul Islam said policies should be more decentralised so that rural ones are not left behind.

SWID Bangladesh’s Tajkera Khanam said disabled persons are suffering most in rural areas. There should be training facilities for the parents of disabled persons too.

Acting country director of CBM Country Coordination office Muhammad Mushfiqul Wara, Sightsavers Bangladesh’s senior programme officer Syeda Asma Rashida, executive director of CRP Md Shafiq-ul Islam, among others, spoke at the roundtable.

Prothom Alo associate editor Abdul Quayyum delivered the opening speech while special affairs coordinator Firoz Choudhury moderated the roundtable.