A major focus of this day is awareness raising through practical action. Activities are aimed at sensitising people about international norms and standards relating to the improvement of the quality of life of people with disabilities. These standards assist nations in helping disabled people to participate fully in the social, economic and political life of the country.

Situation of children with disabilities in Bangladesh is pathetic. Poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, superstition and low allocation of budget to education play a major role in the low enrollment of students at each level of education.

With such a depressing picture of children in general, it is not surprising that the situation of children with disabilities in Bangladesh is pathetic. They are the worst sufferers, and the most neglected and uncared for among children.

In 1995 Bangladesh Policy on Disability was framed by the Social Welfare Ministry. Then Bangladesh Welfare Disability Act 2001 was passed in the Parliament. The act provides the following issues: Prevalence of disability, identification of disability, curative treatment of disability, education, rehabilitation and employment of persons with disability, barrier free movement at all places etc. But sadly very little has been implemented of this Act.

Disability is a crucial problem in Bangladesh but government and non-government programmes are limited only to urban children and adults with disability. Government has set up "Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation" with an objective to help and accelerate the programmes of non-government organisations by giving monetary assistance. Although compared to the gigantic problem the assistance is too meagre. However the NGOs are trying their best to develop programmes for the disabled in the country. The National Forum of Organizations Working for the Disabled (NFOWD) tries to co-ordinate the activities of the NGOs, provide help to them in some ways, conduct research and organise conference for awareness building of the public.

In fact the NGOs are trying their utmost to develop and provide services to the disabled in country who are totally ignored and neglected. Many NGOs have established programmes for the disabled. Today the NGOs rather than the Government are taking the disability movement forward in Bangladesh. There are few hundred NGOs who are working for the disabled. However only a handful of them are active, mainly due to lack of finance and knowledge about treatment and care of the disabled.

Bangladesh Government runs a handful of organisations for the disabled girls and boys and adults, along with a vocational training centre in Tongi. Government has established schools for the blind and deaf, one in each district. Each school has a hostel for the blind. Employment Rehabilitation Centre in Tongi has vocational training for both blind and deaf adults. In addition there is a "Hearing Centre" in Tongi catering for various types of services for the hearing impaired individuals. Audiologists and speech therapists from Sweden have trained Bangladeshi technicians to do all work at the "Hearing Centre" which has all modern equipment for this purpose.

Rehabilitation Institute and Hospital for the Disabled (RIHD) was started in Dhaka by Professor R J Gurst, orthopedic surgeon in June 1972 to treat the freedom fighters injured during Liberation War on private capacity. In 1973 RIHD was taken over by the government. It is however very sad that all the government programmes at present are totally neglected as the funding has been gradually decreased.

Few hundred non-government programmes have been developed by organisations working for the blind, deaf, orthopedically and physically disabled, intellectually disabled, cerebral palsied and others. Some of the programmes have been running very well under the guidance of dedicated individuals. Worth mentioning are Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP), Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation (BPF), HI-CARE, Bangladesh National Society for the Blind (BNSB), Bangladesh Association for the Deaf, SARPV (Social Assistance for Rehabilitation of the Physically Vulnerable), Shishu Bikash Kendro in Dhaka Shishu Hospital are doing commendable job. They are also involved in research.

Some organisations are involved with advocacy and awareness campaign such as ADD (Action in Development and Disability), CDD (Centre for Disability and Development) and Bangladesh Protibondhi Kalyan Samity (BPKS). Most of these organisations are funded by foreign donors. However the non-government organisations are doing far better in assisting the disabled then the government organisations. NFOWD (National Forum for Organisations Working for the Disabled) co-ordinates and financially helps the NGOs. Inspite of so many government and non-government organisations working for the disabled thousands of poor disabled children and adults are left out. Due to poverty and malnutrition the disabled infant mortality rate is very high.

Today is the International Disability Day and we need to observe it by upholding the cause of disability and by trying to reach all the disabled who remain so far untouched.

Dr Sultana S Zaman is Prof of Psychology and Special Education (Retd), Dhaka University.