The New Nation - Internet Edition

Aktar Shameer

About one core and forty lac persons with disability lies in the country i.e. as per the prevalence rate of disability in Bangladesh 10%, (WHO), but persons with disability runs their lives facing unbearable sufferings as per grueling conditions from the aspect of the psychosocial and Human Rights situation. As the big portion of the society, the PWDs (Persons with disability) are one of the major social and economic phenomenons in the country but the issue of development issue has still been crying in latent and negligible chronicle.

Hazards in accessibility to PWDs are most arduous obstacle which impairs the PWDs bringing them in mainstream. In fact, they face challenges in everywhere as there doesn't lie any room for their convenience. So, they are being deprived of pulling off their normal activity abreast of meeting the needs of emergency or recreation irrespectively. As a fundamental right, accessibility to PWDs is ensured clearly in UN convention and also in constitution of Bangladesh, and Disability act 2001, for every citizen, but the opportunity and system is indeed far away from PWDs in everywhere in terms of transport, recreation, emergency , health facilities, ICT, education, employment etc.

Defining accessibility UN Convention on Rights to Persons with Disability stated as, 'To enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas. These measures, which shall include the identification and elimination of obstacles and barriers to accessibility, shall apply to, (inter alia'):

a) Buildings, roads, transportation and other indoor and outdoor facilities, including schools, housing, medical facilities and workplaces;

b) Information, communications and other services, including electronic services and emergency services.

2. States Parties shall also take appropriate measures:

a) To develop, promulgate and monitor the implementation of minimum standards and guidelines for the accessibility of facilities and services open or provided to the public;

b) To ensure that private entities that offer facilities and services which are open or provided to the public take into account all aspects of accessibility for persons with disabilities;

c) To provide training for stakeholders on accessibility issues facing persons with disabilities;

d) To provide in buildings and other facilities open to the public signage in Braille and in easy to read and understand forms;

e) To provide forms of live assistance and intermediaries, including guides, readers and professional sign language interpreters, to facilitate accessibility to buildings and other facilities open to the public;

f) To promote other appropriate forms of assistance and support to persons with disabilities to ensure their access to information;

g) To promote access for persons with disabilities to new information and communications technologies and systems, including the Internet;

h) To promote the design, development, production and distribution of accessible information and communications technologies and systems at an early stage, so that these technologies and systems become accessible at minimum cost.

But as per the above convention there doesn't have single reflection in our country getting free accessibility for the persons with disabilities. Variety of disabilities needed specialized and categorical mechanism and arrangements for ushering accessibility. Data base lies very limited in narrating the types of disability in Bangladesh. As per the data of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS, 1998), based on health and medical perspective, proportional prevalence of disability/impairment of different categories at all ages are visual 31.3%, physical (including leprosy and goiter) 35.8%, hearing and speech 28% and Mental Retardation 4.9%.

Causes of disability in our country are yet devised through scientifically study but lack of awareness, malnutrition, industrial and traffic accidents, poverty, lack of health care are major concerns so far.

There is in fact no reflection of the concern of disability in the process of developing strategies in our country. From transportation to every aspect of lives, PWDs are neglected and overlooked in the cycle of planning and implementation. Though there is an act but it doesn't reflect any significance to boost the meeting the rights of disability.

But government still has not taken initiatives to enact amendment of laws or drafting a new law covering traffic and industrial/labor laws for promoting health and safety net in the workplace and public places, in transport, home, as well as setting safety standards for equipments and mechanical chronicles used in industry, domestic and personal use, giving particular attention to the needs of the users with disabilities. Absence of these provisions keeps the PWDs away from getting accessibility from all compartments of lives as mentioned below:

Transportation: The structure of transport system is absolutely unfriendly for PWDs. The counters, stations, platforms are indeed inaccessible to PWDs. River and air transportation are also shaped with such manner. So, person with disability can't afford easily getting service like other non-disabled people. These problems are lying every vehicles like bus, train, launch, boats, ships, rickshaws etc. There doesn't lie even any safety measure and the people related to transportation dealt with the PWDs almost in negligence as they are not oriented. On the other hand, PWDs are prohibited getting driving license even after having ability. A private transport company declared to have introduced three accessible buses in the capital city IN 2003 but it didn't get the light of reality. The footpaths, passage are not accessible to PWDs as there is no friendly mechanism as having with ramps, slops etc.

Buildings: Buildings setting in the country, not accessible to PWDs in terms of in and out set up as there doesn't have ramp, lifts. Interior set up is far from the facility to PWDs i.e. toilets, sitting arrangements, entrance, exit etc. Though recently, govt. has incorporated disability facility incurred building code, but the materialization is not found with very few inceptions.

ICT: PWDs are deprived of having the facilities of ICT in the country as they don't have access. The set up of current tools viz. computer, multimedia, TV, and other things are away from them resulting they are lagged behind the time and progress day by day.

Health services: Persons with disabilities are seriously affected not to get general health services as they are barred from accessibility. Ignorance of the health professionals regarding disability aggravates the sufferings as they are not oriented with this specialized issue. Rooms of accessibility is entirely neglected in the thinking process in structuring buildings in exterior or interior set up, development budget, research activities etc.

Education: Worst situation looms in educational accessibility to PWDs in terms of policy, system, materials, delivery, building pattern etc. The students with disability can't get access to unfriendly buildings. Not that, discrimination, psychological hypocrisy, ridicules are very common to PWDs in our country. From the every corners, the children with disability are being discouraged not to continue and enroll in education process even from the family as they think it unnecessary.

Employment: There is crisp connection between poverty and disability. Disability is both cause and effect of poverty. But there is no flexible and open opportunity for PWDs even after possessing ability, skill and adeptness. After 36 years of independence, they are not entitled to participate in BCS examination though the constitution (chapter 29) ushers the options taking all opportunity for well being of PWDs.

There are many examples in the world as 3 to 5% persons with disabilities are serving in civil service in UK, 5% even in India, but in our country, there doesn't have single quota for disabled persons. Even there is no materialization of government announced 10% reserved quota for PWDs in the section of 3rd and 4th class employees. The employers seem to think that the PWDs can't serve as the non-disabled persons and the investment would be worthless with them. But in fact, denying this misconception, PWDs are contributing a lot with aptness in many sectors, nevertheless, there doesn't bring out positive mind set deploying them through judging capability and skill. So, they are lagging behind day by day from every particle of development process and being goaded to be marginalized.

As a big representation of the country, government and NGOs, donors, business sectors, corporate bodies should come forward to stand beside the PWDs setting friendly atmosphere for them. Time cries putting them in mainstream trends to cope the entire development process for the country as well as their upliftment. The above obstacles could easily be minimized if government takes initiatives with committed mindset through adopting a new law considering disability issue as a right not charity with having a comprehensive implementation strategy.

It will encourage the non-government agencies and other sectors to engage working with disability. Expectations are high to the present government as it has taken some magnificent initiatives in various sectors, so the issues of accessibility of PWDs should be urgently prioritized for the betterment of these hapless and distress groups who are representing one tenth part of our entire population.