As the nation mourns the death of three-time former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, persons with disabilities across Bangladesh are remembering her as a political leader who laid the foundation for state-led social protection and employment initiatives for the disability community.
Disability rights activists say Khaleda Zia’s tenure marked an important shift in how persons with disabilities were recognized by the state—gradually moving away from a charity-based outlook toward institutional responsibility and inclusion.
One of her most significant contributions came during her third term in office, when the government introduced the country’s first monthly allowance for persons with disabilities in the 2005–06 fiscal year.
Launched under her leadership, the program—formally known as the Allowance Program for Insolvent Persons with Disabilities—initially provided Tk200 per month to beneficiaries, laying the foundation for Bangladesh’s disability-focused social protection system.
“This was the first formal recognition by the state that persons with disabilities require targeted social protection,” said Salma Mahbub, general secretary of Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (BSCAN). “Though modest at the start, the allowance carried enormous symbolic importance.”
Mahbub added that the initiative reflected a broader transformation in policy thinking. “During her tenure, disability issues began moving away from a welfare-based approach toward a rights-based framework, particularly as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted in 2006,” she said.
Beyond social protection, Khaleda Zia’s governments also took early steps to expand access to education, skills development, and employment for persons with disabilities, at a time when disability inclusion remained largely absent from mainstream policy discussions.
Advocate Zahirul Islam, a visually impaired disability rights activist, said Khaleda Zia initiated several measures that helped strengthen institutional support for persons with disabilities. “After assuming office in 1991, she inaugurated the Physical Handicap Training Centre (PHTC) in Mirpur-14 for students with disabilities, which played an important role in expanding opportunities for education and skills training,” he said.
Zahirul Islam further noted that during her first term as prime minister, a number of persons with disabilities were recruited into government service based on merit and qualifications, challenging entrenched discriminatory practices.
Highlighting a particularly notable decision, he said: “After returning to power for the third time in 2001, her government appointed four visually impaired individuals to government jobs in 2003 through viva voce examinations only, recognizing competence rather than relying solely on written tests.”
Disability advocates say these initiatives contributed not only to improved access to income, education, and employment, but also to a gradual shift in institutional attitudes toward disability.
“Placing disability issues on the national development agenda was itself a major achievement,” said a representative of a disability-focused organization. “Many of today’s policies and protections have their roots in decisions taken during that period.”
Several activists also pointed out that these steps were taken at a time when Bangladesh lacked a comprehensive legal framework on disability rights, underscoring the political significance of those initiatives.
As discussions continue around Begum Khaleda Zia’s broader political legacy, disability rights advocates agree that her role in initiating state responsibility toward persons with disabilities remains one of her most enduring contributions to Bangladesh’s social development.
