Few facilities for disabled students

Y&I desk

Md Rezahan Sharker, 19, lost one of his hands in a bus accident. He wants to be a successful businessman and is pursuing higher studies in Finance and Banking at Jahangirnagar University (JU).
“I want to be a businessman and want to dedicate myself for the good of mankind. I get motivation from my parents and inspiration from the great scientist, Stephen Hawking,” said Sharker, who got admitted to the university under a quota system for disabled students.
Md Hasan, 21, is also a student at JU. One of his arms is so thin that he is unable to do any work with it.
“My physical disability is the main motivation to become successful. I always think that as society sees me as a disabled person, I want to prove myself through my work. I am not different to others, and I can do everything like any other able-bodied person. I want to contribute to the society just like those who don’t have any disabilities,” said Hasan, who is studying Archaeology.
“After admission here through the quota facility, I don’t get any extra facilities from the university. I am struggling to be a good citizen,” he added.
At the university, with its sprawling campus in Savar near the capital, there are around 60 physically challenged students in different departments, which lack appropriate facilities for them. However, the university authorities hope to provide all out services soon in accordance with the needs of disabled students.
“The university administration is cordial to special needs students,” said Prof Abul Hossen, pro vice-chancellor of JU.
A distinct quota to admit disabled students is ensured and every year, a good numbers of students are being admitted under this facility, Prof Hossen said.
Rubaiya Sultana, 21, a student at the university’s Public Health and Informatics department, also got admitted under the quota system.
“Except that, I’m not getting anything else. I struggle to get around in my daily life. As I use an artificial limb, it gives me much pain. I use my left hand for writing, because my right hand has only one finger. I have a weak immune system, so I fall ill often. I want to be self-dependent. My parents are my inspiration,” said Sultana.
The country’s ‘Persons with Disabilities Rights and Protection Act’ stipulates that equal education opportunities, or inclusive education, must be provided to every student with disabilities in every school, college or university in Bangladesh. No institution can deny admission to any student with special needs for any reason.
According to our National Education Policy, facilities for smooth movement, such as ramps for wheelchairs and specially designed toilets, must be constructed at educational institutions to serve the needs of physically challenged students.
However, physically challenged students find it hard when they enroll for higher education as there are hardly any special facilities for them, particularly in private institutions.
“Although the government has created laws, quotas and several rules for persons with disabilities, very little is implemented,” said M Mamunur Rashid, vice-president or Physically-challenged Development Foundation (PDF), an organisation which is working to change the lives of disabled people.
Though some private universities provide financial aid to some students, for example, those from poor or ethnic backgrounds, there is no special arrangement for disabled students.
On the other hand, under the public university admission policy, there are some facilities for physically challenged students. For example, there is an admission quota for them, they get extra time in examinations and a few other facilities.  
“One thing about disabled students is that each of them has crossed large obstacles to reach a certain point in their lives. And if that point is university education, that surely is a great success. They receive very little support starting from the administrative procedures to the classroom. Thus, they feel less confident about themselves,” said Mamunur Rashid of PDF. “People should concentrate more on the abilities of a disabled person, rather than the disabilities and stop thinking judgmentally,” he added.
According to University of Dhaka (DU) website, there is a resource centre for visually impaired students. The centre at the DU Central Library contains modern library facilities for the visually impaired. It was set up in collaboration with Sightsavers, a UK-based charity.
At Jahangirnagar University, the administration is committed to providing academic advisors to support students who are physically challenged, hearing or visually impaired, or suffer from attention deficit or hyperactivity syndromes. Some academic buildings already have wheelchair accessible ramps, and the authorities are also planning separate dormitories and specially equipped bathrooms and toilets for disabled students.
A special needs student gets 30 minutes extra during an exam, he or she can take the exam with an instructor’s help or use an alternative writer. A stipend has already been launched to help their academic expenses, the pro-VC said.
Meanwhile, the government’s ‘Inclusive Primary Education’ programme is meant to ensure all children get quality primary education, with focus on reaching the disadvantaged, particularly those with disabilities. it says. According to UNESCO, inclusive education is a key strategy to achieve education for all.
Many non-governmental organisations, like PDF and Brac, have come forth to change things for children with special needs (CSN), with programmes giving special and preferential attention to their needs,”
“We hope for a better future ahead. PDF is providing three facilities: advocacy and policy creation for making campuses disable-friendly, providing development skills for disabled students and raising awareness among the public for inclusion of persons with disabilities in the mainstream society,” said Mamunur Rashid.
Brac’s CSN unit, for example, has been providing education to children with mild to moderate degrees of disabilities since 2003. The unit first identifies children with special needs, who then get priority admission to its pre-primary & primary schools. CSN classroom policies include building ramps for easy access, sitting in the front, studying in pairs and awareness-building among classmates and teachers. It also provides stipends, corrective surgeries, along with devices like wheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids and glasses.

FR Khan and Joni Alam contributed to this report.
File photos

 

Few facilities for disabled students

YI desk Md Rezahan Sharker, 19, lost one of his hands in a bus accident. He wants to be a successful businessman and is pursuing higher studies in Finance and Banking at Jahangirnagar University (JU). I want to be a businessman and want to dedicate myself for the good of mankind. I get motivation from my parents and inspiration from the great scientist, Stephen Hawking, said Sharker, who got admitted to the university under a quota system for disabled students. Md Hasan, 21, is also a student at JU. One of his arms is so thin that he is unable to do any work with it. My physical disability is the main motivation to become successful. I always think that as society sees me as a disabled person, I want to prove myself through my work. I am not different to others, and I can do everything like any other able-bodied person. I want to contribute to the society just like those who dont have any disabilities, said Hasan, who is studying Archaeology. After admission here through the quota facility, I dont get any extra facilities from the university. I am struggling to be a good citizen, he added. At the university, with its sprawling campus in Savar near the capital, there are around 60 physically challenged students in different departments, which lack appropriate facilities for them. However, the university authorities hope to provide all out services soon in accordance with the needs of disabled students. The university administration is cordial to special needs students, said Prof Abul Hossen, pro vice-chancellor of JU. A distinct quota to admit disabled students is ensured and every year, a good numbers of students are being admitted under this facility, Prof Hossen said. Rubaiya Sultana, 21, a student at the universitys Public Health and Informatics department, also got admitted under the quota system. Except that, Im not getting anything else. I struggle to get around in my daily life. As I use an artificial limb, it gives me much pain. I use my left hand for writing, because my right hand has only one finger. I have a weak immune system, so I fall ill often. I want to be self-dependent. My parents are my inspiration, said Sultana. The countrys Persons with Disabilities Rights and Protection Act stipulates that equal education opportunities, or inclusive education, must be provided to every student with disabilities in every school, college or university in Bangladesh. No institution can deny admission to any student with special needs for any reason. According to our National Education Policy, facilities for smooth movement, such as ramps for wheelchairs and specially designed toilets, must be constructed at educational institutions to serve the needs of physically challenged students. However, physically challenged students find it hard when they enroll for higher education as there are hardly any special facilities for them, particularly in private institutions. Although the government has created laws, quotas and several rules for persons with disabilities, very little is implemented, said M Mamunur Rashid, vice-president or Physically-challenged Development Foundation (PDF), an organisation which is working to change the lives of disabled people. Though some private universities provide financial aid to some students, for example, those from poor or ethnic backgrounds, there is no special arrangement for disabled students. On the other hand, under the public university admission policy, there are some facilities for physically challenged students. For example, there is an admission quota for them, they get extra time in examinations and a few other facilities. One thing about disabled students is that each of them has crossed large obstacles to reach a certain point in their lives. And if that point is university education, that surely is a great success. They receive very little support starting from the administrative procedures to the classroom. Thus, they feel less confident about themselves, said Mamunur Rashid of PDF. People should concentrate more on the abilities of a disabled person, rather than the disabilities and stop thinking judgmentally, he added. According to University of Dhaka (DU) website, there is a resource centre for visually impaired students. The centre at the DU Central Library contains modern library facilities for the visually impaired. It was set up in collaboration with Sightsavers, a UK-based charity. At Jahangirnagar University, the administration is committed to providing academic advisors to support students who are physically challenged, hearing or visually impaired, or suffer from attention deficit or hyperactivity syndromes. Some academic buildings already have wheelchair accessible ramps, and the authorities are also planning separate dormitories and specially equipped bathrooms and toilets for disabled students. A special needs student gets 30 minutes extra during an exam, he or she can take the exam with an instructors help or use an alternative writer. A stipend has already been launched to help their academic expenses, the pro-VC said. Meanwhile, the governments Inclusive Primary Education programme is meant to ensure all children get quality primary education, with focus on reaching the disadvantaged, particularly those with disabilities. it says. According to UNESCO, inclusive education is a key strategy to achieve education for all. Many non-governmental organisations, like PDF and Brac, have come forth to change things for children with special needs (CSN), with programmes giving special and preferential attention to their needs, We hope for a better future ahead. PDF is providing three facilities: advocacy and policy creation for making campuses disable-friendly, providing development skills for disabled students and raising awareness among the public for inclusion of persons with disabilities in the mainstream society, said Mamunur Rashid. Bracs CSN unit, for example, has been providing education to children with mild to moderate degrees of disabilities since 2003. The unit first identifies children with special needs, who then get priority admission to its pre-primary primary schools. CSN classroom policies include building ramps for easy access, sitting in the front, studying in pairs and awareness-building among classmates and teachers. It also provides stipends, corrective surgeries, along with devices like wheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids and glasses. FR Khan and Joni Alam contributed to this report. File photos