It sparked a light of hope for twenty-two years old Shihab Hossain when he recently got the opportunity to work as a store assistant and help the store supervisor with storekeeping activities, looking after the store when the supervisor is not around.
Shihab said: “I love working here. I will try to complete the task that is given to me.”
Fahim Hasan, another youth with down syndrome, organizes CVs of various candidates and keeps the place tidy alongside carrying hot tea for staffers.
Both of them have been undergoing job training at Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital in Dhaka for a month now.
In Gazaria, Munshiganj, a number of people with down syndrome are working as security guards for various establishments.
Why would someone hire people with down syndrome?
Efficiency at a job for people with down syndrome depends on the task they are assigned but they are suitable for soft tasks. People with down syndrome can also learn quickly if they get support from their surroundings.
“They are very attentive and sincere towards their work. For example, when a person with down syndrome serves tea, he waits eagerly for the drinker to empty his cup so that he can return with the empty cup to the kitchen,” said Sarder Abdur Razzak, chairman of Down Syndrome Society of Bangladesh.
Down Syndrome Society of Bangladesh has helped people with down syndrome with minimum educational qualifications to develop life skills and self-advocacy so that they can do their own work and speak for their rights. The organization has a self-advocate group of adults who are now eligible for employment.
Terming people with down syndrome as very sincere towards work, Murad Hossain Khan, general manager (operations) of Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital said: “So far, Shihab and Fahim have completed the tasks assigned to them with utmost attentiveness. But what is noticeable is that they are not multitaskers.”
Is the private sector ready to employ persons with down syndrome?
One of the functions of the Neuro-Developmental Disability Protection Trust is to give financial and technical support to persons with neurodevelopmental disability, for their employment or self-employment, identifying suitable work, and helping them to be involved in such work.
Asked about the quota for employment of people with down syndrome, Professor Salma Begum, director of Neuro-Developmental Disability Protection Trust, said: "There were different quotas in different areas."
Salma Begum said she personally believes the private sector is not ready to appoint persons with down syndrome. Creating mass awareness is needed before employing these people in the job market. People around them must be made aware of these people's limitations and capabilities.”
As of now the percentage of skilled manpower from people with down syndrome is not a significant one. “A maximum number of children with down syndrome are not ready to work. Maybe a small fraction is being trained up for employment. If we want to empower these people through employment then we have to train them,” Salma Begum said.
“Early intervention is immensely important for people with down syndrome to be able to cope with societal behaviour,” said Sarder Abdur Razzak, chairman of Down Syndrome Society of Bangladesh.
If anyone wants to hire them, in that case a friendly environment must be created because people with down syndrome can speak very little and can only do light work. They are relatively more stable than people with autism and cerebral palsy, the expert noted.
What needs to be done
Organizations need to be ready beforehand for hiring a person with down syndrome.
“For example, a normal person will try to get out of the site when there is a fire but people with down syndrome do not understand such urgencies. They are not very efficient at looking after their safety and security,” Sarder Abdur Razzak added.
“Shihab and Fahim can create examples for others that they are capable of working and completing tasks with complete attention if the necessary environment is given,” said Razzak.
