Career Opportunity for Disabled People!

BanglaLink, a leading Mobile Phone Company in Bangladesh invites applications from deserving candidates for the position of "Careline Officer" for its customer support/call center division.

This position is open exclusively for men and women with hearing and physical disability.

Job Responsibility:
To provide highest quality of service to the customers over the phone; keep abreast with the latest information w.r.t the products, policies and procedures of the company in order to handle customer queries and complaints effectively and efficiently; to provide feedback to the Team Leader on issues and challenges w.r.t his/her job and suggest solutions; Perform other duties as assigned.

Educational Requirement:
Graduate from any Government and UGC approved University with good academic records.

Additional Requirement and Competencies:
· Team Work: Display a good-natured, cooperative and positive personality;
· Decision Making/Problem Solving: Assess options and implications in order to identify solutions. Help the team to achieve win-win situation by demonstrate effective negotiation skill;
· Drive and Initiative: Do things proactively under minimal supervision and take result-oriented actions;
· Flexibility and Adaptability: Open to modify behavior and decisions according to changed circumstances;
· Planning and Organizing: Develop project plan and implement them successfully, under supervision. Act as an efficient multitasked professional and a competent time manager;
· Effective Communication: Convey messages clearly to others, verbally, and in writing to meet different business needs;
· Customer Focus: Understand and help the team meet clients’ needs;
· Cooperation: Be pleasant with others on the job;
· Reliability: Be responsible and fulfill obligations;
· Service Orientation: Be sensitive to others` needs;
· Self Control: Maintain composure in very difficult situations.

Job Location: Dhaka

Apply Instructions:
Applicants should send their CVs to recruitment@banglalinkgsm.com mentioning the type of their disability. Or to: Banglalink, Tigers` Den, Plo 4, SW (H) Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh

Application Deadline is February 12, 2009

Human Rights Training for Young Leaders

The UNESCO Chair & Institute of Comparative Human Rights at the University of Connecticut invites applications for the fifth annual International Leadership Programme: A Global Intergenerational Forum, to be held August 1 - 9, 2009 in Storrs, Connecticut.

The Forum seeks to empower young leaders by involving them in finding solutions to emerging human rights problems, and nurturing individuals to be effective leaders in the field of human rights.

Young people between the ages of 18-30, with community service experience, and with demonstrated ability to work on solutions to human rights problems, should apply.

Conference will be held in English only. Fluency in English is required. Applicants will be selected based on the strength of their application essay, demonstrated commitment to human rights (practical/hands-on experience), potential impact on the individual and their potential contribution to the Forum, regional and gender representation.

Application Requirements for 2009: Fluency in English is required. forum will be held in English only. In order to be considered for admission to the International Leadership Programme, please submit the following:
1. A completed and signed application form
(Aavailable at: http://www.unescochair.uconn.edu/regformfored4.htm)
2. Letter of intent (please attach as word, pdf, or text document)
3. Curriculum Vita/Resume (please attach as word, pdf, or text document)
4. Names and contact information for three professional references

Incomplete applications will not be accepted. ALL applications must be submitted electronically or via facsimile to unescochair@uconn.edu /fax: 860.486.2545

For Additional Information regarding the application deadline/registration, program content, special needs requirements, or housing, please call the UNESCO Chair Office at 860-486-0647 or email to unescochair@uconn.edu.

Hope for Viewers with Hearing & Speech Disability

The government of Bnagladesh has decided to bridge information gap with people with Hearing & Speech Impairment by the promotion of sign language interpretation through Bangladesh Television and other private TV channels in the country. It has created a big hope for Viewers with Hearing & Speech Impairment to be brought under National Electonic Media coverage as other citizens of the country.

The honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina Wazed has signed this decision on 25 January 2009 and has publicly declared while inaugurating the month long Ekushe Book fair at Bangla Academy court yard, at Dhaka on 1 February 2009.

A long held urge of the viewers with hearing & Speech impairment is expected to be met through this declaration of the honorable Prime Minister. In this regard, Disability Section of the Ministry of Social Welfare has circulated a letter dated 27.01.2009, to the Ministry of Information and other relevant stakeholders for execution of this decision.

Association for the Welfare of the Disabled People (AWDP)-Bangladesh congratulates the honorable Prime Minister for this decision, Ministry of Social Welfare and other relevant governmental authorities, Disability Activists and other Civil Society representatives who have made it done through their relentless advocacy and motivation.

AWDP draws kind attention of all concerns to the letter of the Ministry of Social Welfare where it mentions for sign language interpretation of important news. We think If selection of important news is done the full benefit of this decision may not go in favour of viewers with Hearing and Speech disability. Because, we have observed fortnightly special news bulletin with sign language interpretation in BTV which given important information to viewers with Hearing and Speech disability but couldn't make them update with day to day information and issues. Thus, our earnest request to the relevant authorities to telecast at least one National News daily through sign language interpretation without making any selection of importance.

Publication on Disability and Human Rights

Action on Disability and Development (ADD) has launched a publication 'Disability and Human Rights in Bangladesh' at Dhaka Reporters Unity Auditorium on 21 January 2009 through a publication ceremony. People with disabilities, prominent activists on disability & development, human rights activists, civil society representatives, authors and contributors of the publication were present on the occasion.
The Publication Ceremony was presided over by Justice Amirul Kabir Chowdhury, Chairman, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Bangladesh.

Renowned Human Rights Activist Rev. Fr. R.W. Timm CSC has edited this publication. It includes ten chapters on : UNCRPD a vehicle for social transformation; A review on education of the disabled; Rights to social security; Rights to social security of the persons with disabilities; Disability inclusive Information Technology; Sexual Violence against women with disability: risks and rights; Proposals to amend disability laws; Towards better laws on disability issues: a short examination of the suggestions and recommendations made by the stakeholder; Re-visiting Disability Welfare Act 2001 towards rights based approach and effective institutional mechanism; Towards political participation of persons with disabilities.

Justice Amirul Kabir Chowdhury, in his speech, mentioned that such publication would assist in opening a new horizon in the field of human rights of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh. He added this book would serve interest of persons with disabilities, their organizations and other concerned sectors working for the rights of people with disabilities in Bangladesh.

AWDP-Bangladesh has appraised this very important, need worthy and timely publication by ADD despite some issues are mentioned by the speakers to be reviewed. AWDP believes this publication will light the way of choosing our course of actions towards establishing rights of people with disabilities in the country and a Bangla version of this document would be more useful for a wider audience.

Disability Publication by CAMPE

Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) has published a disability orientation booklet on disability 'Karuna Noi Odhikar' in simple Bangla language under Continuing Education (CE) program.

In order to improve the literacy situation in Bangladesh, government and non-government agencies have adopted large-scale program interventions. As a result, literacy rates have been increasing. However, due to lack of opportunities to utilize the newly acquired skills, people often relapse into illiteracy. The Directorate of Non-formal Education (DNFE) and NGOs are launching continuing education program to face this challenge.

Publication of this booklet will contribute for a disability inclusive society from very grassroots level. This publication includes general introduction to disability, types and causes, challenges and potentials of people with disabilities, socio-cultural and political participation, issues of people with disabilities at workplace, roles and responsibilities of the family and society. It also includes some success stories of people with disabilities as well as some highlights of Disability Welfare Act 2001.

This booklet was developed by Hasnain Sabih Nayek & Shirina Khatun and edited by Md. Mahbubul Ashraf jointly with Tapan Kumar Das.

AWDP-Bangladesh always supports such initiatives of promoting information and knowledge on disability and development. It believes that information and knowledge promotes empowerment of people with disabilities at all levels. http://awdpbd.org/Koruna%20Noi%20Odhikar.pdf

Self-Help Initiatives: A key to empowerment of People With Disabilities in Bangladesh

Introduction:
Self-help initiative is one of the most important means of empowerment of People With Disabilities (PWDs). It’s an effort of changing situation by utilizing own resources and potentials. PWDs’ self-help initiative is a group solidarity which enables them to support each other and to overcome common difficulties through the exchange of experiences, information, insight and knowledge. That solidarity and mutual support serve as a basis for collective action to improve the existing situation of PWDs in the community.

In Bangladesh, we have got experiences of implementing self-help initiatives in diverse modalities. It has been taken at different levels by different stakeholders including PWDs and parents. Though the modalities of such initiatives are little bit different from one another based on the needs and circumstances, but the objective is common: empowerment of PWDs through establishing their rights.

Importance of Self-help initiatives:
It is an established fact that PWDs have their equal rights, similar human needs and potentials as others living in the community. But they had been increasingly continued to be marginalized because of their lack of wider participation in the mainstream development and decision making process. As a result issues of self-help initiatives of PWDs have come forward and getting stronger day by day. As PWDs are the expert of their own issues they are most appropriate and equipped to help each other for the fulfillment of their rights and development needs, as well as making others to listen to their voices and concerns.

In recognition of this fact the United Nations General Assembly, in 1982, in its World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, stressed on the establishment and growth of organizations of disabled persons as well as facilitating participation of PWDs and their organizations in the decision making.

In 1987, a regional expert seminar called upon the ESCAP secretariat, ESCAP members and associate members and other concerned agencies and organizations in the Asian and Pacific region to provide assistance in establishing and strengthening self-help organizations of disabled persons in order to enhance the participation of disabled persons at all levels of society.

In 1988, the General Assembly, through its resolution 43/98, requested the Secretary-General to, inter-alia, promote and support the establishment of strong national organizations of disabled persons. The UN Standard Rules, articulated, ‘States should recognize the rights of organizations of persons with disabilities to represent persons with disabilities at national, regional and local levels. States should also recognize the advisory role of organizations of persons with disabilities in decision-making on disability matters’.

In 2002, self-help organizations of persons with disabilities and related family and parent associations came up as the topmost among seven priority areas of actions in BMF, intended for the decade 2003-2012 in the Asian and Pacific region.

And in September 2006, at a mid point review meeting on BMF this priority kept with same importance for the rest years of the decade, in Biwako plus five. Therefore, implementation of self-help initiatives of PWDs has got utmost importance for empowerment of people with disabilities globally and regionally.

Emergence and approaches:
If we look through the emergence of PWDs’ self-help initiatives in Bangladesh we will find a history of more than four decades. Since 1963 we have been experiencing self-help initiatives in different modalities and approaches that include Disabled Peoples’ (self-help) Organizations (DPOs), parent associations and self-help group/peer group activities. PWDs’ self-help initiatives in Bangladesh were pioneered by some dedicated leaders with hearing and visual disability, professionals and parents. In the course of time a large number of people with disabilities from different levels and categories have come forward towards strengthening this movement.Self-help initiatives have been taken up by PWDs’ Self-help Organizaitons in different communities on different perspectives. Therefore approaches and modalities were sometimes different from one another though the purpose was same, strengthening self-representation, participation and integration of PWDs in the mainstream. There remains some variation in defining DPOs from organization to organization in terms of composition (percentage/ratio of PWD members), combination and representation (representatives of CWDs, PWIDs and PWH&SDs).

Trend and Practices:
PWDs’ Self-help endeavors were initiated in the country in early sixties through the formation of Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf (BNFD) in 1963 and National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in 1964. Those organizations were mainly comprised of deaf and blind people respectively.

Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf (BNFD) comprised of majority number of deaf men and women. It is governed by an elected body. Deaf People tend to practice a democratic culture within this organization. Major activities of this organization include promotion of education and vocational training for deaf people and to promote their sports and cultural activities. Deaf members of this organization have got their strong feelings of affiliation and belongingness to this organization because they have got their united voice on their own issues of awareness, advocacy, rights, dignity and empowerment through it. They feel much comfortable and friendly within the environment of this DPO.

National Federation of the Blind-NFB, as a pioneer Disabled Peoples’ Organization of the country has significant contribution towards consolidating disability movement through the promotion of rights, participation, education and other concerns of PWDs of the country. NFB comprised of blind members and sighted associates. In its Central Executive Committee (CEC) four sighted associates including the Treasurer contributes in an inclusive approach.

In 1985 Bangladesh Protibandhi Kallyan Samity (BPKS) emerged as a cross disability self-help organization in the country. It promotes disabled peoples’ organizations (DPOs) at grassroots level through an approach `Persons with disabilities’ Self-initiatives to Development (PSID)’. Through this approach BPKS organizes people with disabilities at grassroots levels and contributes for the promotion of accessibility, participation, capacity building and issues of the rights of PWDs. Through the efforts of this organization DPOs have been promoted in 29 districts of the county. This organization comprised of PWDs of all categories and governed by a participatory process.

Action on Disability and Development ADD, a UK based organization started working in Bangladesh In 1995-96 to bringing people with disabilities in to development work who are rarely included. ADD promotes an action oriented, and rights based approach in the country through the promotion of socio-cultural and political rights, accessibility and participation. It organizes and promotes Grassroots Disabled Peoples’ Organizations. Now it has been working in 23 districts of the country.

Despite all these there remains a good number of organizations working for people with disabilities in the country those have been organizing self-help groups/peer groups of people with disabilities, parents, children and women with disabilities. These groups have also been playing significant roles in the promotion of rights and dignity of people with disabilities in Bangladesh. These organizations have been playing a catalytic role in the promotion of PWDs’ self-help organizations in the country. Among such organizations Center for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed-CRP has played an encouraging roles to empower PWDs by their own organizations. CRP is the largest Center for treatment and rehabilitation of persons with physical (spinal injured) disability. CRPs effort was to organize those PWDs who have got treatment from this center and living in the community. Initially it organized peer groups (local action groups) of people with disabilities and after that they were organized under their own self-help organizations so that they can have their own legal entity and organized strength.

Parents’ Initiatives:
Initiatives by the parents are still insignificant in the country in comparison to others. In 1977, some parents who were having a lot of trouble and agony with their children with unusual behavior, initiated a parents’ organization ‘Society for the Care and Education of the Mentally Retarded Children (SCEMRC)’ with the view to contribute for establishing equal rights of the intellectually disabled and to create provision for education training and rehabilitation of their intellectually disabled children; and to develop skilled manpower for working with the intellectually disabled.. The name of this society was later on changed to SCEMRB and now Society for the Welfare of the Intellectually Disabled (SWID) Bangladesh. This organization pioneered inclusive education for students with intellectual disability and working through 44 branches over 37 districts of the country.In 1985 there was another parents’ initiative through which `Bangladesh Parents’ Club of the Deaf (BPCD)’ was established, in order to extend mutual support and cooperation for the development and welfare of their deaf children. BPCD promotes education and vocational training for deaf children. It is also carrying out marriage counseling for deaf boys and girls to bring them into their own (conjugal) family life. Nowadays there are some other initiatives by the parents of autistic children and organizing mothers’ club is in the process.

Some impact in the country context:
Disability movement in this country was based on charity approach until mid fifties. This charity approach was changed to welfare approach in late fifties (1956-57). At that time there were only few organizations of disabled people (DPOs) in this country and a very small number of people with disabilities had their scopes to talk about disability and disabled people. Thus the then PWD leaders had brought this movement forward and led it towards a rights based approach that we talking about today. The then leaders with disability through their self-help initiatives contributed towards organizing worldwide advocacy campaign for disability movement. As an impact of the activities of DPOs a large number of development NGOs have given attention to this issue and were motivated to contribute to this issue simultaneously with other disability organizations and DPOs and this issue got an impetus for mainstream development.

As the most significant impact of self-help movement in this country we have got our National Policy and legislative tools and instruments for the rights of PWDs.

Future Challenges and Consolidation:
Self-help organizations were established here by a spontaneous process even under restricted conditions in terms of resource availability, common understanding and proper coordination. Apart from National Disability Forum, NFOWD, spontaneous emergence of `National Alliance of Disabled Peoples’ Organizations (NADPO)’ having 66 members and National Grassroots Disabled’ Organization (NGDO)’ having 92 member organizations clearly indicates that coordinated efforts of DPOs/self-help organizations is a burning need towards empowerment of people with disabilities in Bangladesh.In this situation there have been observed a mixed impression and keen interest among PWDs and others working on disability. Strong enthusiasm as well as distortion of understanding has also been observed among them. As the self-help organizations of people with disabilities has got utmost importance to promote rights, dignity and an inclusive society for all there remains a strong need for proper information, communication and consolidation of all self-help endeavors. At the same time there remains a good number of organizations that have been making their worthy contributions to promote self-help groups and organizations. consolidation of each and every such initiative through sharing of experiences, exchange of resources and information and establishing a coordination mechanism at local, national and regional level will strengthen PWDs’ self-help initiatives within this region by many times.

Author: Md. Mahbubul Ashraf
Secretary @ Coordinator, AWDP-Bangladesh
Convenor, Self-help Initiatives Thematic Group, National Disability Forum, Bangladesh

Weekly Holiday Publishes on 20 June 2008 at:
http://www.weeklyholiday.net/2008/200608/env.html

Eid Reunion and National Victory Day celebrated by People With Disabilities in Dhaka, Bangladesh

On December 16, people with disabilities' gathered together at Ramna Park in Dhaka, Bangladesh to celebrate Eid re-union and the National Victory Day of the Country. People with disabilities of all categories spontaneously participated in this get-together to share their joy and emotions in a very friendly and free environment.

People with disabilities working in 19 GO, NGO, Bank, business enterprise, students of university and colleges, parents and family members participated in this unusual event and created a festive environment with difference for the first time in the city.

This get together was held at a most pleasant accessible, easy to reach place with green and natural view to ensure participation of all categories of PWDs.

During this get together people with disability friends got such a homely environment where they could share their own issues and unveiled many exciting incidents and stories among them. They also celebrated the Birthday Anniversary of Antora (physically challenged) and wished to the marriage of two couples Joly & Shohel (both late blind) and Animesh & Dolly (physically disabled and
non-disabled). Both the marriages were the outcome of their exciting and divine love affairs. PWDs in the gathering also congratulated Sarower (complete blind) for being able to get his M Phil Degree from Dhaka University as the first PWD in the country.

"Spondon Friends' Circle" organized this exceptional event to create an avenue for free sharing of information, experiences, views and opinion on the issues of their own and to strengthen their relation and friendship at very individual level.

This get-together created strong enthusiasm and confidence among all people with disabilities irrespective of their type, age, sex, social strata and workplaces. All participants expressed their joy and happiness with the warmth of friendship and committed to strengthen this bonding for their own.