Mission Reports
Mission to Bangladesh
H.E. Ali Ahsan Mohammad Majuheed, Minister of the Ministry of Social Development
The Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) sent a mission team to Dhaka, Bangladesh from 1-5 July 2003. Through this mission, APCD met with both Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), which APCD successfully identified the Ministry of Social Welfare as APCD's Government focal point in Bangladesh. Prior to this, the APCD mission team met with H.E. Mr. Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, Minister of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh on 2 July 2003.
APCD's mission team visited the National Forum of Organizations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD), which is comprised of 144 NGOs, and were able to gain more knowledge and experience on disability-related concern organizations by meeting representatives of various membership organizations. The team also visited the Society for the Welfare of the Intellectually Disabled (SWID), the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), and Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf (BNFD), which are organizations for specific types of disability.
The Bangladesh Protibandhi Kallyan Somity (BPKS) is one of the largest organizations of persons with disabilities with approximately 7500 members. BPKS has been developing 15 community-based self-help initiative projects in 15 district areas and promoting more districts to be involved to cover the entire country. In addition to this, the APCD mission team made a field visit to one of the 15 BPKS projects at the Manikganj District, where they met with self-help groups under the Manikganj Disabled Peoples Organization to promote community-based self-help initiatives. The promotion of the community-based self-help initiatives does not only empower persons with disabilities on an independent living basis, but also in income generation of persons with disabilities in the district. Apart from this, BPKS is also training community leaders for other district areas to fulfill most of the district areas. The mission team also met the Deputy Commissioner of the Manikganj District.
Community-based self-help groups are highly promoted by many organizations in Bangladesh. For examples, the Action on Disability and Development (ADD), which trains capable leaders with disabilities for community-based development striving to have 100 projects implemented by the year 2010.
The APCD team also visited the Center for Disability in Development (CDD) which has effective community-based worker training programs for existing community-based development workers in the areas of women, children, aging,poverty, and economic development in order to empower persons with disabilities at the community level. It was very impressive to see how CDD has effectively developed teaching and awareness campaign materials, including picture and cartoon communication, which is effective for directing people who have not had educational opportunities.
Mission to Ratchasuda College
Bangkok, Thailand
Director and Professors from Ratchasuda College
An APCD team visited Ratchasuda College, Mahidol University on 17 July 2003. They met with Dr. Jitprapa Sri-on, Director of Ratchasuda College, including some professors and staff.
Ratchasuda College, Mahidol University in Nakornpathom, Thailand established by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn who is keenly interested in disability-related issues, is fully accessible to all students. It is her conviction that persons with disabilities with proper training and opportunities can lead full lives in "society as a whole" and with equality.
The College's goal is to provide a new way of conceiving and understanding the needs of persons with disabilities. Ratchasuda College is working to foster a tradition of service for persons with disabilities and aims to develop a wide range of consumer-oriented services that will assist people with disabilities in gaining access to rehabilitation, higher education and employment opportunities.
In the 2001 academic year, Ratchasuda College had a total of 177 students and 86 staff. It has a high potential in developing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for persons with disabilities, for example, providing Braille Code Training, Computer Training for Low Vision People, Educational Audiology, Southeast Asia Network of Access Technology for the Blind Overbrook University and the Nippon Foundation (SENAT), Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY), Computer CD-ROM for the Deaf, etc.
Ratchasuda College aims to provide educational and community services for persons with disabilities in Thailand and countries in the Asian Region. APCD plans to collaborate with Ratchasuda College in order to empower persons with disabilities through the programs of both institutes.
