UNCRPD in Braille

There is a government school for visually impaired children at Muradpur in Chittagong.

Some 80 visually impaired children, who study in this school, have very insignificant number of Braille books and find it difficult to complete even the primary level education.

But from now on these children will be able to know much about their rights as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) has been published in Braille.

Chittagong Computerised Braille Production Centre (BCBPC) has published the UNCRPD in Bangla under Braille system to ensure the right to information of visually impaired people.

The Braille version of the UNCRPD was formally launched at the National Press Club in the city yesterday.

State Minister for Science and ICT Yeafesh Osman launched the book

at a function organised jointly by Unite Theatre for Social Action (UTSA) and ActionAid Bangladesh.

Like Muradnagar, the government is running some 36 primary schools for visually impaired children and more than 1500 children are studying in these institutions.

Besides them, there are around 40 lakh visually impaired people in the country and through this Braille version of the UNCRPD they will also be benefited as it would help increase their awareness about their rights and responsibilities, said the speakers.

While delivering his speech, the state minister said very insignificant amount of money has been allocated in the national budget for the technological development of physically challenged people.

He assured that he would raise in parliament soon the issue of broadcasting news in Bangladesh television through sign language.

Former director of National Forum of Organisations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD) Monsur Ahmed Chowdhuy, Chairman Khandaker Zahurul Alam, Chairperson of Chittagong Society for the Disabled Arifur Rahman, President of Bangladesh Visually Impaired Peoples' Society Advocate Mosharraf Hossain and Rabeya Sultana of ActionAid also spoke as special guests.

A display of the Braille book and its components was also held at the National Press Club in association with the CCBPC and The Bangladesh Braille Library.