Dr. Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Mazed

Today Sunday is International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2023. The 32nd International Day of Persons with Disabilities is going to be celebrated with a pledge to improve and protect the lives of people with physical and mental disabilities around the world. Bangladesh will celebrate the 25th National Disabled Day this yearThis year's theme is "Participating with people with disabilities, will ensure the achievement of SDGs "The negative impact that the global pandemic of Covid-19 has had on human life for nearly 4 years has naturally affected the lives of people with disabilitiesAccording to the latest statistics of the Department of Social Services, the total number of disabled people in Bangladesh, including women, men and transgenders, is now 3 million people with special needs registered by the government. At present, 23 lakh 850 of them get an allowance of Rs. The allowance has not been increased in the new budget. However, it is proposed to increase the beneficiaries and give allowance to 29 lakhs in the budget. However, Iftekhar Mahmud, member secretary of the "Aggravated Handicapped Citizens Society", said, "10 percent of people in a country are disabled. It is an international account. In fact, the number of people with disabilities in the country is several times higher than the official estimate. "In his words, "The price of everything has increased, but our allowance is only 850 rupees. So we have demanded to increase both the amount and range of allowance." It is not possible to make it from 850 taka to 5000 taka. We will increase it step by stepThis time the education stipend has been increased.

Every year we celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3rd December with great enthusiasm and enthusiasm. But the time has come to assess how much progress has been made in the human rights of the disabled. But like all other ordinary citizens they also have the right to equal opportunities.

The word disability is an echo of discrimination. The inner meaning of the word indicates the name of the word. Therefore, even if another word is used, perhaps a negative view will make that word negative as well. Discrimination originates from negative attitudes and alienation from discrimination. The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated every year to create awareness and take effective steps so that citizens with disabilities can live with equal rights and dignity like all other citizens in the society. And the day was started with the purpose of showing sympathy and cooperation towards physically imperfect people and respecting their activities. And all kinds of physical, mental and intellectual disabilities are part of human diversity. Therefore, it is very important to include disabled persons in the mainstream of development to ensure their empowerment. This integral part of the society needs to be empowered through proper training and information technology knowledge with all citizen facilities. Only then will disabled people also be able to contribute to national development.

There are different types of people with disabilities.Physically handicapped, visually impaired, hearing impaired, speech impaired, intellectually impaired, such as suffering from multi-dimensional disabilities, these people are facing various problems according to age, gender, race, culture or social status and are managing life as a frontal battle in the war of lifeIt is a sad fact that there are obstacles in the lives of people with disabilities. They are far away from the world's luxuriant circle of colors, forms and juices. Like normal human beings, they are always unable to enjoy this beautiful life properly. They are constantly neglected and subjected to various kinds of obstacles in joining the various activities that are going on daily. As a result, depression gradually comes in their lives. It is as if the hands are bound by invisible chains without knowing. Everything is immersed in the darkness of uncertainty.

Three signs of intellectual disability First, their intelligence is significantly lower. According to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, they have an IQ of 70 or less.

Second, these children have considerable deficits in coping skills.

Third, the person's mental retardation is visible before the age of 18. Most children with intellectual disabilities do not realize at first glance that they have a problem. Development of children with intellectual disabilities is slightly delayed. They learn to speak late, have poor memory, poor attention span and patience, and poor ability to learn anything. For example, other children may be coming out clean after going to the toilet.

Average human IQ is between 90-100. The measurement levels of the disabled are quite low. People with mild intellectual disabilities have an intelligence unit or IQ score between 50 and 69. They can study up to seventh or eighth standard. But they often do poorly in exams. People with moderate intellectual disabilities have an IQ of 35-49. Children with this level of intellectual disability are understood at a very young age. Their language development is late, they need a lot of support in education and in society. Good results are obtained if they learn under the supervision of special education teachers in schools with intellectual disabilitiesAnd in 2001 Bangladesh Disability Welfare Act 2001 was enacted. Later this Act was repealed and 'Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act 2013' was introduced. The Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act 2013 is a unique document to protect the rights and protection of persons with disabilitiesMoreover, Articles 15, 17, 20 and 29 of the Bangladesh Constitution provide equal opportunities and rights to persons with disabilities with other citizens. But in a practical sense, the question remains whether the rights and opportunities of disabled people with other citizens have been guaranteedAccording to the latest information of the Department of Social Services of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, as part of Article 15(d) of the Constitution, the Insolvent Disability Allowance Program was introduced from the financial year 2005-06. Initially, 1,04,166 disabled persons were brought under the allowance at the rate of Tk 200 per person per month. In the financial year 2008-09, the number of beneficiaries was 2 lakh and the annual allocation was Tk 60.00 crore at the rate of Tk 250 per person per monthIn the financial year 2009-10 the number of beneficiaries was increased to 2 lakh 60 thousand, the monthly allowance rate was increased to Tk 300 and the annual allocation was increased to Tk 93.60 crores. The annual allocation is increased to Tk 102.96 crore as RsIn the current financial year 2020-21, 18 lakh disabled persons are being paid 1620 crores as 750 rupees per month.

In this year's (2023-24) proposed budget, the total allocation for the disability sector is Tk 3,710 crore, which is 2.94 percent of the social security sector. .41 percent of the total budget.

But the question remains, is this money enough for a disabled person? Certainly not enough.

Article 19 (1) of the Constitution of Bangladesh guarantees equality of opportunity to all citizens of the country, including persons with disabilities. Therefore, for the overall development of the disabled people of the country, the government as well as the people of all levels of the society, all related voluntary organizations and local and foreign organizations must work together. Therefore, a disabled person should not only be given grace as a disabled person, but should be given due respect as a human beingIf the disabled people can be guaranteed due respect and equal rights and opportunities, then they can bring unimaginable potential achievements for the country and the nation. Many of them have hidden talents. It is possible to develop their latent talent through proper planning and implementation and care. However, if treated on time, intellectually disabled people can get better and even if not completely better, they can live in the society as earners. About 12 types of disabilities have been identified in humans according to type. These are autism or autism spectrum disorders, physical, mental, visual, speech, intellectual and hearing disabilities, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, multidimensional and other disabilities.

> Cause: In one-third of cases, the cause of intellectual disability is unknown. Different diseases can cause intellectual disability. Down's syndrome, velokaryofacial syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome are the most common causes of congenital intellectual disability. Sometimes abnormal genes inherited from parents act as a cause of intellectual disability.

Pregnancy problems can cause intellectual disability. Also, birth defects can cause intellectual disability. Some diseases and toxic effects can cause intellectual disability. For example, whooping cough, measles, meningitis can lead to mental retardation if not treated at the right time. Exposure to lead, mercury etc. poisoning can also cause mental retardation. Iodine deficiency

Reasons can be intellectually impaired. It can also be caused by malnutrition. Diseases and infections that are responsible for mental retardation are especially important to control.

> In order to solve the problems of disabled people, government and private institutions should take the following steps:

* Formulating various programs aimed at increasing social awareness;

* To provide special facilities to the disabled in the field of education;

* Providing technical special education and training to persons with disabilities, so that they can earn through outsourcing;

* Separate industries should be set up for employment of disabled persons. For this they can be given special training;

* Sports should be provided to the disabled to increase their awareness.

* Social workers should play a role in the development of disabled people. In this case, social work techniques can be applied.

Such as (a) Social awareness creation strategy (b) People mobilization strategy (c) Mass communication and engagement strategy (d) Problem identification and analysis strategy (e) Resource acquisition and utilization strategy (f) Capacity and adaptability acquisition strategy ( g) Human resource development strategy etc.;

* The quota of disabled people should be increased in jobs and other fields.

* Research and development activities on disability should be increased;

> Suggestion:- It is the urgent duty of parents to notice whether the child is getting hampered in normal growth. Early detection of children who are likely to develop disabilities allows early intervention. Parents usually take a long time to understand such problems. 1. Every moment of the child's growth should be carefully observed. Delay in normal development is the biggest symptom of a child with a disability. So try to understand the child's emotional, social and other common sense activities. If it seems that he is not developing mentally according to his age, consult a doctor immediately. 2. Many people notice slow mental development in a child and think it will get better. They are in favor of waiting a few more days. But this decision can bring great harm. Taking action as soon as such symptoms appear can bring the child back to normal. Therefore, disabled children should be taken to the doctor in the initial stage. 3. Parents are the first to understand every child's slightest problemTherefore, if there is any doubt about the child's behavior and mental development, it must be taken to the doctor> Homeopathy:- Parents of disabled children are urged to get their child under the treatment of a homeo specialist without delay, homeopathy is a popular treatment method, in this method, medicine is selected based on individual characteristics and complete symptoms. AllIt is the only way to get back to full health by removing the signs and symptoms. It is the aim of homeopathy to cure the disabled patient by addressing the underlying cause and personal sensitivity, the cause of the disease is individualized and the medicine is selected based on the reduction and growth, and to select the right medicineIf possible, by God's grace, it is possible to treat disabled patients with homeopathy.Finally, women are already discriminated against in our society. Disabled women are affected by double discrimination in that regard. They are also at greater risk of physical, mental, sexual abuse and neglect. Disabled children, women and the elderly need special protection in that regard. Disability has already been mentioned separately in education policy and health policy. As a social responsibility we have to be sincere towards disabled children. People with disabilities should be made skilled in a particular job and interested in work-oriented careers so that no one thinks of them as a burden on the society. Children with disabilities may also have many latent talents. Therefore, the participation of children with disabilities in sports and recreation should be ensured; If disabled children have skills in painting, music, sports or any other subject, they should be given the opportunity to apply them properly. If disabled children can be cared for properly, they can give a lot to the society. Let's all of us along with the government extend a hand of compassion to disabled children. Then the path of disabled children will be smooth as well as the suffering of the parents will be reduced to a great extent. The right of disabled citizens to live in society with equal rights and dignity as other citizens is a human right recognized by the Constitution. Implementation of CRPD is essential to eliminate all discrimination against them. In this regard, it is necessary to extend the hand of cooperation of society, state and people. If this large population can be involved in the mainstream of development, they can contribute to national developmentOn the occasion of this day, various programs including public and private meetings are taken every year. So let us all fulfill our social responsibility towards the disabled people in view of the World Dayf Disabled Persons-2023 and at the same time build a happy and prosperous Bangladesh.