Making e-learning platforms accessible for persons with disabilities is no longer optional but a legal, moral and development imperative for Bangladesh’s digital future, speakers said at a national webinar on Monday, warning that inaccessible online education risks deepening inequality and excluding millions from skills development.
The webinar, titled Breaking Accessibility Barriers in Online Learning Platforms for Persons with Disabilities, was organized by the Access Bangladesh Foundation in collaboration with the Internet Society Foundation and leading media Dhaka Tribune.
The discussion focused on persistent barriers faced by learners with disabilities in online education and the urgent need for inclusive digital design.
Moderated by Albert Mollah, executive director of Access Bangladesh Foundation, the session highlighted how poorly designed digital platforms from accessibility perspective continue to marginalize learners with disabilities.
Drawing on more than 18 years of experience, Mollah said inaccessible platforms widen the skills gap and limit participation of young people with disabilities in the digital economy.
“Digital exclusion is not accidental, it is designed,” he said, stressing that accessibility must be integrated at the core of online learning systems rather than treated as an afterthought.
Evidence of widespread barriers
In his keynote presentation, Vaskar Bhattacharjee, accessibility consultant at Aspire to Innovate, presented findings from a rapid accessibility assessment conducted by Access Bangladesh Foundation of popular e-learning platforms in Bangladesh.
The review identified major shortcomings, including complex navigation, poor screen-reader compatibility, inaccessible video content, missing captions and weak interactive design.
Bhattacharjee said different disability groups face distinct but overlapping challenges.
Learners with visual disabilities struggle with inaccessible images, videos and navigation systems, while learners with hearing and speech impairments are excluded due to the absence of captions, sign language interpretation and transcripts.
Those with physical disabilities often find platforms unusable without full keyboard navigation, while people with neurodevelopmental and multiple disabilities face compounded barriers caused by complex language, rigid assessments and cluttered interfaces.
“Accessibility is not just a technical issue; it is a legal and moral obligation,” he said, noting that Bangladesh has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and enacted the Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2013.
Although the country has adopted WCAG 2.1 standards, he warned that most platforms fail to comply.
Lived experiences highlight exclusion
Nazma Ara Begum Poppy, national project support officer at UN Women, shared her personal experience as a learner with a disability, describing difficulties navigating mandatory online courses due to inaccessible layouts, lack of subtitles and inadequate audio descriptions.
“Inclusive design cannot be an add-on,” she said, urging developers and policymakers to embed accessibility from the outset.
Imtiajul Islam, a learner with visual disability and graduate of an Android app development course, said small design changes -- such as proper button tagging and audio descriptions -- could dramatically improve learning outcomes.
Nazmus Sakib of UNDP called on youth with disabilities to advocate for their rights and pressed for stronger collaboration among organizations, developers and policymakers.
From the private sector, Raihan Patwary of Learning Bangladesh highlighted accessibility as critical for inclusion, noting higher commitment among learners with disabilities and plans to add AI‑driven features.
Md A Hamid Khan, director at the Department of Youth Development, stressed that accessible e‑learning is vital to mainstream persons with disabilities and urged alignment of freelancing and AI projects with policy. We thank Access Bangladesh for bringing this emerging and important issue to attention, which needs to be addressed.
The webinar ended with a call for government, private sector and educational institutions to adopt global standards, conduct audits and invest in inclusive digital education.
Speakers warned that without reforms, Bangladesh’s digital transformation could exclude a large population, undermining equity and growth.