Challenged people deprived of jobs despite quota

Guests at a discussion titled “Inclusion of disability in development: Role of development organisations and media” at LGED auditorium in the city, organised by Handicap International, Bangladesh. Photo: STAR

Speakers at a discussion yesterday expressed concern that people with disabilities are being deprived of jobs as 10 percent reserved quota for them in government jobs is not utilised accordingly.
Admitting the fact, a ruling party lawmaker Asaduzzaman Noor said lawmakers are conscious about it and he will put the issue before the parliament in future.
Noor, an eminent media personality, said the government is keen to resolve problems of people with disabilities and plans special allocation in next fiscal year's budget for their development.
Handicap International, Bangladesh organised the discussion titled “Inclusion of disability in development: Role of development organisations and media” at LGED auditorium in the city. Representatives from different organisations of people with disabilities and officials of non-government organisations (NGO) attended.
Media should play the role of a watchdog, ensuring whether rights of people with disabilities are established. The media through its contents could also create mass awareness about the rights and problems faced by such people, said discussants.
Speakers demanded participation of representatives of such people in all development plans for them and implementation processes.
They also stressed on effective development plans to ensure facilities required by people with disabilities during natural disasters.
They also demanded an initiative to count the exact number of people with disabilities in Bangladesh in order to adopt effective projects for their development.
Thomas Balivet, country director of Handicap International, Bangladesh; journalist Suvash Saha; and Founder Coordinator of Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed Ms Valerie Taylor; also spoke at the discussion, moderated by Dr Nafis-ur-Rahman of National Forum of Organisations Work with the Disabled.
Meanwhile, National Alliance of Disabled People's Organisations (NADPO), at a press conference yesterday, demanded allotment of 10 percent of the national budget for the development of people with different forms of disabilities.
Speakers at the conference, held at Jatiya Press Club, said there are barely any opportunities for development, training or empowerment activities for the 16 million people with disability in the country.
There is no national brail printing press, institute to teach sign languages or authority to ensure that people with disability receive appropriate tools for assistance, they said.
“These requirements would not be fulfilled without a proper allotment in the budget, and moreover, the budget's proper utilisation must be ensured,” said Abdus Sattar Dulal, president of NADPO.
Around five percent of the budget allotted for the disabled should be used to build capacity and infrastructure for different NGOs working for these people, he said.
“People with disability consist of some 10 percent of the country's whole population. If developed and empowered, these people would prove valuable to both society and national economy,” he said.