Speakers at a seminar yesterday stressed the need for transforming the persons with disabilities as human resources aiming to bring them in the mainstream of society, reports UNB. Citing data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank, they said about 15 percent of the country’s population is the persons with disabilities.
Disabled Child Foundation and the Nation Council of Disabled Women (NCDW) jointly arranged the seminar, titled ‘Ensure Employment Rights and Disabled Friendly Working Environment for Persons
with Disabilities’, at BGMEA Complex in the capital.
“There’re very limited job opportunities for women with disabilities in our society. Very few disabled women are entering the job market but they cannot survive due to environmental barriers,” said NCDW President Nasima Akter.
She underscored the need for taking a comprehensive plan for ensuring employment rights of disabled women.
President of Dhaka Women Chamber of Commerce Naaz Farhana Ahmed said active participation of women in business is supplementing the government’s support to the physically-challenged people.
She said Dhaka Women Chamber will take necessary steps towards the empowerment of the physically-challenged women along with the government.
“We’ve a big scope to work for persons with disabilities by using CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds. Encourage all to provide CSR funds for the development of education, health and employment of the physically-challenged people.
 It’s our moral duty to work for persons with disabilities for their inclusive development,” Farhana said.