Creating employment opportunities for disabled persons

Employers aren't looking for people with disabilities. According to a recent study, the mean employment rate of persons with disabilities is less than a quarter of those without a disability, and 87 per cent of disabled persons leave full-time employment within the first year of becoming disabled. These findings illustrate the limited employment opportunities and inadequate work environment for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
Bangladesh has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Pursuant to constitutional guarantees of equality and non-discrimination, specific laws have been passed to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) such as the Disability Welfare Act 2001. In addition, the National Policy on Disability 1995 and the National Action Plan on Disability 2006 have also been adopted.
However, PWDs continue to face legal and practical barriers to equality including unjust treatment, discrimination in access to voting rights, lack of free access to educational opportunities, health services and job opportunities without discrimination. Their right to free movement remains restricted and many PWDs are still victims of violence and abuse without remedy. In an important legal challenge to disability-based discrimination in public employment, the High Court directed the Government to show cause why the denial of appointment in a government post to a physically challenged engineer on health grounds should not be held to be in violation of Sections 5 and 7 of Schedule "Cha" of the Disabled Welfare Act, 2001.
More positively, the Department of Social Welfare's credit supports facilitated self-employment for PWDs, and the private sector also took some laudable initiatives to provide employment opportunities. Many employers are now "proactive" about hiring people with disabilities. They understand that disability, in and of itself, may have little impact on the talent and productivity of an individual. They understand that there are capable people with disabilities who can be productive and valuable employee and they are keenly interested in hiring them.
Out of many NGOs, the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) has a special place in the country. This scribe, who was Chief of Administration of the CRP, is an witness to the ability of the physical challenged persons (disable persons) to work with efficiency. Many of the Rana Plaza victims were trained there under skills development programme (computer training, electronic repairing, tailoring and shop management) of CRP to get rehabilitated in the job or business market.
A H Aslam Sunny, managing director of Crony Group and vice-president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) acknowledged in an interview the problems of PWDs and committed to make RMG factories accessible for PWDs.
Much has been talked about the fate of the PWDs but very little has been done. The first step should be the change in the mindset of the employers. Accessibility should be ensured for persons with disabilities in companies/organisations/offices, shops, etc. Thus disabled people can develop their productivity and contribute to the country's economy. Here are three success stories:
Mohoram's Wheels: Mohoram is a 27-year-old young man. He is a wheelchair user and an employee of CRP since 2002. He was affected by polio at only 18 months of age. He uses a manual wheelchair to move around and perform his daily work.
He took vocational training at CRP on computer literacy. After the completion of his training he joined CRP as receptionist and worked successfully from 2002. He left CRP in the beginning of this year and established  United Actions in Natore.
One of his greatest achievement is, in a wheelchair he travelled long 25,728 Kms. He used buses and trains to travel this distance through many countries - Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Belgium, England and Unites States of America. This travel was titled "Mohoram's Wheels", which started on June 25, 2011.
A sewing machine operator: Sonia is physically  disabled (right hand burn) who came from Mymensingh to CRP to get job-oriented training. She took two months' training on 'Industrial Sewing Machine Operator Training' under Marks & Start Project in CRP. At present she is working as 'Sewing Machine Operator' at Viyellatex Garments Limited,Tongi, Gazipur..
Doli's small shop:  Doli Akther, a 50-year-old woman with spinal injury, lives in Giland under Manikgonj district. She got herself admitted to CRP. After completing her institution-based rehabilitation and treatment here she went back to her own community. Soon after, Doli bounced back into active social life by establishing a grocery shop in her homestead, where she sells tea, rice, sugar, edible oil, candy, etc. Her husband helps her in every way possible. There is a friendly atmosphere in her grocery shop and she gets support from everybody. It has turned into a community meeting place where people can sit and talk. Doli is much valued and respected in the community.

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