Int'l Day of Persons with Disabilities today

Staff Correspondent: International Day of Persons with Disabilities and National Disabled Day-2018 is being observed in the country as elsewhere in the world today (Monday) aiming to create mass awareness to extend supports and provide adequate facilities for the people with disabilities.

A total 15,93,070 people with disabilities have been registered so far in Bangladesh, according to the National Taskforce on Disabilities-friendly Disaster Management Affairs. Of them, 4,33,000 are from 19 storm-prone districts across the country.

On the eve of the day, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages, urging local and foreign organisations and the affluent section of society to extend their helping hands for the welfare of the people with disabilities.

They wished success of all programmes of the day and greeted all people with disabilities, their families and organisations working for them. Both appreciated the theme of the day, "Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equity", saying it was important to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

President Hamid said it is imperative to integrate people with disabilities with the mainstream of development to ensure their empowerment. "People with disabilities are inseparable part of society.

They would have to be developed as worthy citizens providing them with all facilities," he said and appreciated various government programmes taken for their development.

The premier, on the other hand, said all sorts of physical and mental disabilities are part of the human diversity.

She said the present government implemented various programmes since 2009 to link the disabled people with the mainstream of the development. "We have already enacted Persons with Disabilities Rights and Protection Act 2013, Neuro Developmental Disability Protection Trust Act, 2013 and established service centers to support the disabled person in our country," the premier added.

She urged all not to treat persons with disability as burden of society as "we are working relentlessly to make them as human resources through providing all necessary facilities, including education, healthcare and employment opportunities." Around 3,105 officials and teachers have been trained to deliver training to the disabled people living across the country, sources said.


risingbd/Dhaka/Dec 3, 2018/Mukul