Students with disabilities at Dhaka University have urged for greater representation and equal opportunities in Ducsu and beyond, stressing that their struggles may differ, but their aspirations remain the same.
"Our struggles and experiences may be different, but our goal is the same: ensuring equal opportunities for all,” said Tafsirullah, a student of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University.
He was speaking at a discussion titled “Thoughts of Students with Disabilities on Ducsu.”
The discussion was held on Sunday afternoon in front of the Madhur Canteen premises at Dhaka University.
Students with visual, physical, and other disabilities joined the program. They discussed issues such as their education at the university, mobility, classroom accessibility, equal participation, and involvement in decision-making processes. Several students with disabilities spoke at the event.
Siam Ahmed, a student of the department of Bangla, said: “Around 70 to 80 students with disabilities are studying at Dhaka University, but we don’t have any representative to raise our issues.”
“Therefore, in this Ducsu election, at least one candidate from among us should be elected, so that they can represent us properly and bring our problems to the attention of the concerned authorities,” he added.
Saifuddin Rafi, a student of the Department of English, said: “If we can elect the students with disabilities who are contesting in this Ducsu election, then in the future we will also be able to elect our representatives at the national level.”
Aiyubullah Riad, a student of the Department of Sociology, said: “In Bangladesh’s National Parliament, all communities have representation, except for the community of people with disabilities.”
“Not a single representative with disabilities has ever made it to Parliament,” he added.
He remarked: "Yet about 10% of our country’s total population lives with some form of disability. We want to see representation for people with disabilities in Parliament in the future as well."
Mohammad Robiul Islam, a student of Sociology, said: “In major universities around the world, there are separate disability cells where students with disabilities get their problems addressed.”
He demanded that a disability cell be established in the Registrar’s Building of Dhaka University.
According to the organizers, the main objective of the event was to directly highlight the experiences, problems, needs, and expectations of students with disabilities.
The event also aimed to highlight the experiences and demands of students with disabilities and present them in the context of student politics at Dhaka University.
