IT equipment to be provided for physically challenged persons

State Minister for Science and ICT Yeafesh Osman yesterday said his ministry would provide computer and other necessary equipment for the persons with disabilities for developing their skills in order to turn them into human resources.
They should be provided with maximum facilities and care to help develop their talents, as they are the most underprivileged and neglected section of society, he said as the chief guest at a workshop on the rights of physically challenged persons to education.
The Bangladesh Visually Impaired People's Society in association with the Sightsavers International organised the seminar at the National Press Club in the city.
The state minister urged the well-off section to come forward to help protect the rights of the persons with disabilities.
He also urged all to change their attitude towards the physically challenged persons. They should be treated as human beings, not as a burden on society, he added.
Addressing the workshop, Visually Impaired People's Society general secretary Mosharraf Hossain Mazumder called on the government to take initiatives to ensure access to education for the persons with disabilities, especially the visually impaired people.
He also demanded introduction of inclusive education system for the visually impaired people.
Jowaherul Islam Mamun, secretary general of the National Forum of Organisations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD), laid emphasis on development of disabled-friendly infrastructure at each educational institution across the country to ensure their education.
Presenting the keynote paper, executive committee member of Visually Impaired People's Society Nazma Ara Begum said there are 1.6 million children with disabilities in the country. But the enrolment rate is less than 20 percent, even somewhere less than 5 percent.
She also placed some recommendations including arranging training for schoolteachers and providing Braille equipment to visually impaired people.
Visually Impaired People's Society president Golam Mostafa presided over the session while Sightsavers International Country Director Dr Wahidul Haque and a number of visually impaired people from across the country took part in the workshop.