Ensuring equal access to digital services for persons with disabilities is one of the government’s key priorities, Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Faqir Mahbub Anam said on Thursday, stressing that future digital platforms and services will be designed with accessibility and inclusion in mind.
Marking Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2026, Aspire to Innovate (a2i) organized an event at the BIDA Auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka, with Friendship and Sightsavers as co-organizers.
State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin, MP, attended as special guest alongside Sightsavers Country Director Amrita Regina Rosario and Friendship Senior Director and Head of Inclusive Citizenship Sector Ayesha Taasin Khan. Valerie Ann Taylor, founder of Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed, attended as guest of honor.
The event was chaired by ICT Division Secretary Quazi Anowar Hossain, while a2i Project Director (Additional Secretary) Md. Abdur Rofiq delivered the welcome remarks. Abdullah Al Fahim, Head of Program Management, moderated the event, and accessibility consultant and disability rights advocate Vashkar Bhattacharjee also spoke.
Faqir Mahbub Anam said websites and apps are being developed under the principle that no one should be left behind.
“From now on, all digital services will be designed considering the needs of persons with disabilities. This is not a matter of charity; we see it as their right. Technology must align with people’s needs, abilities, and diversity,” he said.
The minister said the government wants to use emerging technologies to better integrate persons with disabilities into mainstream society and help children with disabilities realize their full potential.
“The ICT Division will take all necessary initiatives to ensure a dignified position for persons with disabilities in society through technology,” he added.
Farzana Sharmin said the government would provide full support for the growth of public and private institutions and innovative initiatives contributing to digital accessibility.
“Ensuring universal accessibility is essential to building a Bangladesh for all,” she said, adding that the government is working to ensure all citizens, including persons with disabilities, can easily access digital services.
Quazi Anowar Hossain said Bangladesh’s digital progress would only be complete when every citizen can use digital services with dignity, independence, and equality.
“To achieve this, government institutions, development partners, civil society, organizations of persons with disabilities, technology innovators, and the private sector must work together in a coordinated manner,” he said.
In his welcome remarks, Md. Abdur Rofiq said many people living with disabilities in Bangladesh still do not fully benefit from digital services in several sectors.
To ensure digital inclusion, he said, a2i is gradually making government digital services more accessible. He also highlighted plans to develop AI-based sign language tools, make e-commerce and e-learning platforms more inclusive, and establish a Disability Innovation Knowledge Platform for knowledge sharing.
Vashkar Bhattacharjee said, “Bangladesh first—if everyone has digital access. This is not charity; it is our constitutional right.”
He said a2i’s Disability Innovation Lab is working to advance digital accessibility through inclusive innovation in government services, educational materials, skills development, employment, entrepreneurship, and awareness building.
He added that initiatives including Accessibility Level A standards for government websites, multimedia talking books, accessible dictionaries, and MuktoPaath have created new opportunities for students and citizens with disabilities.
Amrita Regina Rosario said Sightsavers has long been working in Bangladesh to eliminate avoidable blindness, promote the rights of persons with disabilities, and support the implementation of inclusive policies.
She said the organization’s “Equal Bangladesh” campaign is bringing together organizations of persons with disabilities and civil society groups to advocate for rights-based inclusion.
Ayesha Taasin Khan said true inclusion can only be achieved when technology, services, and opportunities are equally accessible and usable for everyone.
She said Friendship is working to ensure equality, accessibility, and meaningful participation for all, including persons with disabilities living in climate-vulnerable and hard-to-reach areas.
Five initiatives were recognized at the event: the Ministry of Social Welfare’s Therapy Service Management for Persons with Disabilities and Disability Information System; Bangladesh Police’s Online Police Clearance Certificate Service; the Gram Adalat Mobile App developed by the Local Government Division and UNDP; and Eastern Bank’s EBL Skybanking initiative.
During the event, Faqir Mahbub Anam visited stalls showcasing disability-friendly innovations, while Rehan Asif Asad, adviser to the prime minister on posts, telecommunications and information technology, visited the stalls later in the day.
After visiting the exhibits, they praised the innovations and reiterated the government’s commitment to building an inclusive Bangladesh. Senior officials from relevant organizations were also present.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day is observed worldwide every year on the third Thursday of May to promote easier and more accessible use of websites, mobile apps, software, and digital services for persons with disabilities.
As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Marrakesh Treaty, Bangladesh has committed to ensuring digital inclusion. Digital accessibility is also being prioritized under the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act and broader government policy initiatives.
