Media in the country lags behind in covering issues related to specially challenged population (or people with disabilities) with due attention despite the technological shift to make the media friendly for them.
Making the above observation, visually impaired Vashkar Battacharjee in a consultation on disability equality in media said people with disabilities can now read, participate, contribute or support all kinds of media with the help of technology, including artificial intelligence.
"But not a single media in the country has given any accessibility to the people having disabilities like hearing, seeing to help them be inclusive," Vashkar, also consultant, accessibility a2i, lamented while sharing views.
UNESCO and SoMaSHTe organised the consultation titled 'Bengali Adaptation of the Practical Manual on Disability Equality in Media' in the city on Wednesday to foster inclusive and accurate media representation of persons with disabilities by addressing systemic barriers, biases, and stereotypes.
Representatives from Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), media professionals, journalists, editors, journalism educators, and experts attended it.
Sector lead of Communication and Information at UNESCO, Dhaka Noore Jannat Proma and Executive Director SoMaSHTe Mir Attaqui Masruruzzaman moderated the session.
Among others, Head of Digital of The Business Standard Zahid Newaz Khan, Farjana Reza of ILO, Executive Editor of Dhaka Tribune Reaz Ahmed, Senior News Editor of Bangla Vision Salma Yasmin and Senior Programme Manager Channel I Jamal Reza spoke on the occasion.
Research Director of SoMaSHTe Rezaul Haque presented a research finding on inclusion in media content and organisational practices and senior journalist Shahnaz Munni shared draft Bengali adaptation of practical manual produced by UNESCO on the occasion.
The director highlighted that only 0.14per cent contents in the studied media have contents on disabilities and 63 per cent of those focus on hard or event news.
Done by studying six-seven print and online media and four television channels, it also disclosed that over 90 per cent news was carried in inner pages in the print media showing lower importance on the topics and issues.
The research recommends developing supportive policies and providing workplace accommodations to ensure long term success and retention of employees with disabilities and training of media professionals and personnel for better understanding and awareness on related issue.
smunima@yahoo.com