The 13th national parliament election was held on Thursday with the participation of more than three million voters with disabilities across the country. While many exercised their constitutional right to vote in Dhaka and elsewhere, the day also exposed persistent accessibility barriers at polling centres, most of which were set up in educational institutions.
At several polling centres in the capital, voters with disabilities faced significant challenges in casting their ballots.
At Mohammadpur Government College in the morning, two wheelchair users and one voter using crutches arrived to vote. Entering the polling station, however, was not as straightforward as it was for other voters. In the absence of ramps and accessible entryways, the wheelchair users were unable to enter the centre independently and had to rely on assistance from others to access the voting area.
Similar scenes were reported at multiple polling stations housed in schools and colleges across Dhaka. Wheelchair users, in particular, struggled with stair-only entrances, uneven surfaces and the lack of designated accessible pathways.
Although voting takes place once every five years, the accessibility shortcomings observed during the election point to a broader, long-standing issue. The majority of polling centres in Bangladesh are located in educational institutions—spaces that are expected to be inclusive learning environments.
Rights advocates say the inaccessibility of these institutions during elections raises deeper concerns about everyday access for students with disabilities.
Salma Mahbub, general secretary of the Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (B-SCAN), said the situation observed on Election Day reflects a structural gap. “If a student with a physical disability wants to enrol in one of these institutions, how will their access be ensured?” she asked, referring to the inaccessibility of many polling centres in educational institutions.
She added that accessibility should not be treated as a temporary arrangement for elections, but as a permanent feature of public infrastructure.
Bangladesh has committed to ensuring equal rights and participation for persons with disabilities under national laws and international conventions. However, conditions on the ground suggest that physical infrastructure in many public institutions continues to fall short of universal accessibility standards.