The right to self determination is essential for empowering the physically challenged, said Saidul Huq, adding that he became the self-sufficient man despite his blindness because he has always been allowed to make his own decisions.
Saidul, who lost eyesight at six from typhoid, is now the executive director of Bangladesh Visually Impaired Peoples’ Society (BVIPS), president of the Blind Education and Rehabilitation Development Organisation (Berdo) and the president of National Disability Forum, Bangladesh.
Born on May 10, 1976 at Bakerganj of Barisal, he is one of the 14 children of his parents. His father used to look after their landed properties that generated the bulk of their family income.
Around 1973-74, his elder sister took him to a school for blind children in Barisal. Before that a local doctor, whose name he cannot remember now, was the first to inspire him to pursue education.
“I passed out from school and college without a problem. Then Shahidul Haque Bhai, my senior from college, encouraged me to try for Dhaka University,” Saidul said.
“I am grateful to the people who had given me the inspiration that I needed in those days. But, I had to decide and take the next big step. That is exactly what I did and most importantly, I was allowed to do so,” he said.
He passed SSC examination in 1983 from that school for blind children and HSC in 1985 from Barisal BM College.
Then he obtained bachelor and master degrees in Philosophy from Dhaka University. Later he got another bachelor degree in Education.
He began his career as a lecturer at the Motijheel T&T College. Having taught there for four years, he joined the government’s National Council for Special Education (NCSE) as a teacher of the educators for the disabled.
Saidul achieved the Ashoka fellowship in 1994 and Robert S Maknamara fellowship in 2000 from the World Bank. JAICA regards him as a leader of the persons with disability.
He now has a family of two daughters, one of whom has recently passed higher secondary examination.
At the Dhaka office of Berdo in Mirpur, he leads the activities for the visually impaired children. The organisation provides education with accommodation for free.
There is a computer training centre, a Braille library and a Braille production centre for university and college students. The services are provided at free of cost.
“Through out job placement centre, we have managed jobs for a total of 112 people in various sectors such as banking, school, colleges, and so on. We do it through partnership, lobbying and advocacy,” Saidul said.
There would be no development unless the people with disabilities could not be brought to the mainstream, he said.
