Stakeholders urged to ensure economic inclusion of persons with disabilities

FE Team | Published: May 17, 2026 22:17:35

FE DESK
Disability rights activists on Sunday called for coordinated efforts by public and private stakeholders to ensure social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh.
The call came at a project inception meeting held at Parjatan Bhaban in Dhaka, where speakers highlighted that persons with disabilities make up around 10 per cent of the country's population but continue to face widespread economic exclusion.
They stressed the need to improve access to education, vocational and technical training, and skills development to enable meaningful participation in the job market.
They noted that with proper employment opportunities and a supportive work environment, persons with disabilities could significantly contribute to the country's economic growth.
The event was organised under the Disability Inclusive Civic Engagement (DICE) project, jointly implemented by the Centre for Services and Information on Disability (DSID), Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) and Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (B-SCAN), says a press statement.
The DICE project is part of the Nagorikata: Civic Engagement Fund Programme, funded by Switzerland, Canada and the European Union.
The speakers said systemic changes are needed to address the barriers faced by persons with disabilities.
Noting that the job market remains largely inaccessible to them, they called for an enabling policy environment, supportive communities and inclusive workplaces.
AHM Noman Khan, executive adviser of CDD, chaired the event moderated by Khandaker Jahurul Alam, executive director of CSID.
Abul Khair Md. Akkas Ali, director general of the Directorate of Technical Education, attended the event as the chief guest and pledged support for advancing the rights of persons with disabilities.
Jules Seitz, programme officer for governance, civil society and human rights at the Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, reaffirmed the EU's longstanding commitment to disability inclusion, describing disability rights as a fundamental human rights issue.
Nazmul Bari, Executive Director of CDD; Salma Mahbub, Executive Director of B-SCAN; Dr Adi Walker, Team Leader, Nagorikata: Civic Engagement Fund; and Niher Ranjon Das, Principal, Narsingdi Polytechnic Institute; also spoke at the event.