ActionAid Partner SEID Trust organized a conference of the Caregivers of persons with intellectual and multiple disabilities on the last 31st of December 2007 at the BIAM Foundation Auditorium. This was a unique event where the caregivers got the chance to speak out about their challenges faced from society and recommendations were made by them on how to improve the situation and gain acceptance in society.
"I am the mother of an intellectually and physically disabled child Riyaz. At first I was blamed for my childs disability, he is a human being but society did not count him as such. I went through much troubles to raise this child and had to go away to my fathers house even. Schools did not accept him either because of his disability. And society is not willing to give him any place. I request you to give some space to these children please as we need to finda way for them to live in society as a proper human being." .-Shefali Begum, mother of child Riyaz, who addressed the conference for caregivers.
The conference was organised by SEID Trust in association with Actionaid and Steps Towards Development at Biam auditorium.
" many women who have to suffer repression from the husband's family only for giving birth to physically or mentally challenged children.
" It is time to change the attitude of the society towards the people with disability. At the same time, the government should formulate policy to establish the rights of children with disability and quota system in every school for them," said Taleya Rehman, executive director of DemocracyWatch.
"If we want to bring the children with disabilities into mainstream, we will have to incorporate them in mainstream education," said Ranjan Karmakar of Steps Towards Development.
Speaking as chief guest Secretary to social welfare ministry MA Hai Hawladar said the government is working with non-government organisations for the development of people with disabilities.
Mahbub Kabir of Actionaid, Khondoker Zahurul Alam of Jatiya Protibondhi Forum, Journalist Mahfuj Ullah, Dr Mohammad Shahnewaj of Grameenphone and Monsur Ahmed Chowdhury of Impact Foundation also spoke in the ceremony.
Detailed recommendation was designed from the day long conference by the caregivers and participants which included focus on issues that was related to caring for people with multiple and intellectual disabilities. The issues included: awareness raising in society for the disabled, education opportunities, forum or organizations working for the rights of multiple and intellectually disabled persons, identify and take proper measures for counseling and caring for intellectually disabled, integrating them into workplace and creating opportunities for skill and vocational training as well as encourage corporate organizations to come forward in assisting them, citizenship rights, recreation and sports opportunities, rights to inheritance, stop violence and injustice against these disabled and creating space for them to acquire justice,
poverty alleviation, training and empowering the caregivers amongst others.
The declaration from the conference taken jointly by the participants: the recommendations from the conference would be implemented unitedly and everyone would be involved in the process. The care givers and guardians of intellectually and multiple disabled persons would create a forum and to implement it, discussion and exchange of views on this would be held in every district.
