Change attitude towards people with disability
Speakers urge drivers, transport workers
Staff Correspondent
People with disability face immense difficulties in availing transport facilities, which is one of the main obstacles to their involvement in the country's mainstream development, said the speakers at a meeting yesterday.They said both physically and mentally challenged people are not able to enter buildings, cross busy roads, get on or off the buses or trains, and enjoy other public facilities due to poor infrastructure and lack of awareness. The view-exchanging meeting titled 'The role of transport sector in ensuring movement facilities for disabled people' was organised by Action on Disability and Development (ADD) at the National Press Club in the capital. The speakers said awareness programme should be organised for drivers, bus helpers and transport workers regularly for changing their attitudes towards the people with disability. Major General (retd) AMSA Amin, senior vice-president of Dhaka Road Transport Association, said both physically and mentally challenged people have no freedom of movement as they are denied access to transports. "If a person with disability cannot enter a health complex he or she is denied healthcare, if they cannot enter educational institutions, they are denied education, and if they cannot enter a workplace they are denied livelihood," he said while addressing as chief guest. M Shafiqul Islam, deputy director of social service department, said both physically and mentally challenged people are being marginalised and excluded from the mainstream society as they cannot move easily and freely. "Everyone has the right to equal access to public utility services in his country. But the people with disability in our country are being deprived of their right," he lamented. Mosharraf Hossain, country representative of ADD, said around 13 million people in Bangladesh representing about 10 per cent of the country's total population, have become disabled due to different causes including road accident. He said the development of the country is not possible ignoring this vast number of population. Dhaka Road Transport Association General Secretary Abul Hashem Dewan, Joint Secretary of establishment ministry Lokman Hakim, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority Deputy General Manager (Operation) Suvashish Saha, Daily Mymensingh Chief Editor Jasim Uddin, Journalist Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Suvash Chandra Saha and many people with disability took part in the discussion.
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