Jun 3, 2008 12:23 PM

Bangladesh Reviews `National ICT Policy'

Review of National ICT Policy 2002 is going on. It will be continued till 13 June 2008. In this regard Ministry of Science and ICT , Government of Bangladesh solicits opinion from all people.
AWDP-Bangladesh is pleased to draw the attention of all concerns, especially the organizations working for promoting the rights of people with disabilities to go through the existing "National ICT Policy 2002" reviewing and making valuable contribution to make it more comprehensive, universal with special focus on disability so that the nation can have an accessible ICT legislation for all people including people disabilities of all categories.
For National "ICT Policy 2002" please visit: http://www.sdnbd.org/sdi/issues/IT-computer/itpolicy-bd-2002.htm
Your opinion can be sent directly through the address mentioned on this circular. mailto:ictpolicybd@yahoogroups.com,
AWDP-Bangladesh facilitates all relevant assistance in this regard.
For assistance please contact through awdpbd@gmail.com
Md. Mahbubul Ashraf Coordinator, AWDP-Bangladesh Member, ICT Thematic Group, National Disability Forum-NFOWD, Bangladesh

Happy Birthday to Mohammad Atif!

Participants of the South Asian Regional Training workshop on "Capacity Building Training the Trainers programme" celebrated a Happy Birthday of Mohammad Atif Sheikh from East Anglia University, UK on 20th February 2008. It was the 32nd Birth Anniversary of Mohammad Atif Sheikh celebrated in Bangladesh and ever first celebration outside his own residence. It was a grand celebration by the participation of the people from six countries.

AWDP-Bangladesh wishes Mr. Atif a very warm Birthday and many many happy returns of the day.


Coordinator
AWDP- Bangladesh

A great achievement in Bangladesh!
Finally the issues of disability have been included in the School Text Books under National Curriculum in Bangladesh. It’s a most delightful reward of the New Year to our untiring advocacy of the last couple of decades. Year 2008 has started with a great achievement in the mainstreaming of disability; a collective effort of disability and development activists, parents, teachers, educationalists and individual advocates of the governmental and non-governmental sectors. As a result articles on disability issue have been included in the School Text Books of primary and secondary levels under national curriculum for the first time in the country. From January 2008, under national curriculum all students of class eight have to study an article ‘PratibandhitaO tar Protikar’on basic information of disability, types, causes and intervention; students of class nine and class ten have to study an article ‘OtheyrJonnyoBhalobasha’on love, affiliation, dignity, inclusion and psycho-social aspects of disability. It will remain as a milestone achievement of disability movementin Bangladesh. Association for the Welfare of the Disabled People (AWDP) is proud to be a part of this movement since 1997. It congratulatesall relevant parties, agencies, activists, individuals as well as authoritiesof the government of Bangladesh for this inclusion. Detailed of this inclusion has been elaborated in the current issue of AWDP disability newsletter ‘Spondon’.

Remarks on this achievement

Congratulation.
I am for disabled and inclusion.
Sami ul Haq Sami
National Disability Advisor-Rights and Advocacy
UNDP/NPAD
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Dear Br. Ashraf:
First of all, thanks to Allah, the Almighty who by His infinite mercy enabled us the new chapter on disability in the school class room of Bangladesh. W…..o…….w! Warmest congratulations! Words cannot express my appreciation for the endless efforts of all of you.

It is not only a great achievement also will wipe out the plight of the people with disabilities and nation will learn how to treat with them. It is the victory of humanism. I am very proud of you and all.

You all did struggle for the last flower of peace and happiness, Allah, the Most Merciful, granted you all a valuable reward that will change accessible environment soon.

Greeting you all from the heartland of America.

Iftu Bhai
(A person with hearing impairment, Bangladeshi national, staying at US for about twenty years)
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Good achievement, it'll help in building the inclusive society.
M Akram Danish
founder & Chairman
DANISHKADAH
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Dear Mr.Ashraf,
Greetings from Svayam!!!

Congratulations!!! It is indeed a great achievement for the community and AWDP. We wish you all the best in your endeavors for the inclusion of disability in the mainstream.
Best regards,

Kavita Agrawal
Asst Manager
*Svayam*
Jindal SAW Ltd, Jindal Centre, 12, Bhikaiji Cama Place,
New Delhi-110066
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Dear Mahbubul Ashraf,
Thank you very much for forwarding the information with necessary documents on Inclusion of the disability issue in the text book under National Curriculum in Bangladesh. Undoubtedly it is a great achievement. I congratulate them those who were involved in to this journey.

Thanks & regard

Mosih Uddin Ahmed
Country Coordinator
CBM Country Office, Bangladesh
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Congratulations!

you may add those pieces in your further email circulation so that some of us can easily get it and comment on own capacities.

however, grateful thanks for incorporating them in your 'spondon'.
It 'spondon's (to make people feel) the life.
S. M. Mayeen Ahmed"
Country Representative, Bangladesh
PANOS South Asia
***********************
Heartiest Congratulations. May your efforts and those
of others succeed in creating more and more awareness in Bangladesh.
C M Shafi Sami
Former Advisor of the Care Taker Government
Peoples' Republic of Bangladesh
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Dear Ashraf,
This is a great news!
Congratulations to all of you who toiled for this achievement! At last a dream came true!
This shows how a consistent advocacy brings success to one's efforts if that is well motivated and based on a sound logic!
Take the pride of being one who had contributed to the process and I feel proud of your work since I was also some one who initiated the effort, though it is a forgotten history!!
Best wishes,
Dr. Nasir Uddin
Advisor, NATAB and former Executive Director, VHSS

***************************************
Congratulations!

Obviously, it's a great achievement of disability movement having inclusion
the disability issue in text books for the first time under national
curriculum of Bangladesh and it will indeed pace boosting the movement with
strengthening mettle's of all tireless activists who have been fighting for
long to establish a right based society for the PWDs. Best wishes.

Md. Aktar Uddin
Communication and Documentation Officer
ADD-Bangladesh
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Hope, it will inspire greater achievements and inclusion in near future for which we are yearning for.

Thanks for the great message.

Affably,
Jibon William Gomes
Abilis Facilitator, Handicap International - Bangladesh Office
Plot - CES (D) 4, Road - 125, Gulshan-1
Dhaka -1212, Bangladesh
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Dear Asharaf Bhai,
Thanks. Really it is a great achivement for all of us.
I pray to Allah for you that he give you the energy to disseminate such good news.
Md. Moniruzzaman Khan
(An emerging leader with physical challenge from Bangladesh)
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Dear Md. Mahbubul Ashraf,
Congratulation! I I had forward this news to our members and among email list. They are excited especially Thai.
We will use your countries as a model for this issues. May we can talk more in Bangledesh.

Best regards,

Saowalak Thongkuay
Regional Development Officer (RDO)
Disabled Peoples' International Asia Pacific Region (DPI-AP)
Email: saowalak@dpiap.org thongkuay@yahoo.com
*******************************************

Warm felicitation to the Caretaker Government of Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh!

The Council of Advisers of the Caretaker Government, Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh has decided to ratify New UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Association for the Welfare of the Disabled People (AWDP) warmly felicitates the Honorable Chief Adviser as well as his Council of Advisers for this remarkable decision.
Bangladesh has already signed this Convention on May 9, 2007 as 91st signatory country.
Now it is expected that Bangladesh will ratify this Convention as 8th country of the world.
So far 118 countries have signed on and 7 countries have ratified this Convention.
Jamaica has played a pioneer role by ratifying this Convention as the first country of the world. AWDP also felicitates the Government of Jamaica, for its invaluable contribution to this Convention by ratifying first.
AWDP congratulates all relevant organizations, DPOs, SHOs, fora and the Ministry of Social Welfare of Bangladesh who have extended their all out efforts for influencing the government to ratify this Convention.

Coordinator
AWDP, Bangladesh