Background

•       The rights of persons with disabilities were not recognized and there were no legislative protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

•       The persons with disabilities were living with deprivation, neglect, discrimination, which resulted isolation and exclusion from mainstream society.

•       The Government was considering disability as welfare issue so disabled persons were totally excluded from any development initiative, plan and activities

•       A very few NGOs were working with the disabled persons but emphasizing on the medical perspective rather giving importance on the rights and entitlements. 

•       Experiencing the above situation in personal life, with the aim of mainstreaming disability issues through addressing the problems and issues of persons with disabilities Khandaker Jahurul Alam (present Executive Director & who himself is a person with physical disability) jointly with other two persons with disability and two likeminded social workers formed the Centre for Services and Information on Disability (CSID) as a Non-profit voluntary organization in December 1997. 

Legitimacy:

Primarily CSID formed and registered as Charity Trust under the Ministry of Law in December 1997. Later in February 2011 the organization has been registered with the Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Social Welfare. The registration number: Dha- 08858, dated- 20 February 2011.

It is also registered with the NGO Affaires Bureau of Government of Bangladesh under the Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Ordinance. Registration number: 1322, dated 15 December 1998.

Programmed Dimension:

• Information and Resource sharing and Networking including Promotion of access to information using digital technology and accessible formats for disadvantaged people including persons with disabilities.  

• Conducting Research/Study on Disability and Development Issues and dissemination.          

• Community-Based Support Services for development of Disadvantaged and Marginalized people including Persons with Disabilities.

• Promotion of Inclusive Education.

• Promotion of Livelihood opportunities for marginalized including persons with disabilities.

National and local level Advocacy.

  Participatory and Inclusive.

·       Community based with Rights approach.   

·       Advocacy and sensitization including promotion of self-advocacy.

·       Capacity building.

·       Partnership, Networking and Collaboration.

·       Flexibility

Working areas:

35 District and 248 Upazila

Programme Development Strategy:

01.  Accessible Information and Resource Sharing and Networking: 

Coverage: Mass People (Around 30,000 People)

Accessible Internet-based Disability Information Dissemination Network (DID-N) and Disability Resource Centre (DRC)

Major Objective: To improve Internet based DID Network in terms of its design, content, diversification of information, accessibility features, interactive features and coverage etc. and developed as more user friendly.

Funding by: CSID 

02.  Study/Research:

CSID as yet conducted 29 Researches including International Research on different issues which include – National Budget, working children, Education of disabled persons, Home based workers, Situation of Children and Women with Disabilities, Disaster & Disability, Employment situation of Disabled people etc.

03.  Community-Based Support Services:

The programme components include:

 a)  Rehabilitation

 Coverage: Around 6000 children and adult with disabilities

i.) Improving education and health for deaf blind people in Bangladesh

Project Location: Keranigonj, Dhaka

The broad objective is to Improve the lives of deaf blind children and include into the mainstream schools.

b)  Education

Coverage: Around 7000 children with disabilities

i) Promotion of Socio Emotional Learning and Resilience Building for Children with Disabilities.

Project location: Greater Mirpur of Dhaka City

Broad objective: To create an enabling environment for children with disabilities in primary schools.

Funding by: Porticus

4) ICT Based Training & Employment

Coverage: Around 900 youth and adult with disabilities

Funding by: Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), ICT Division

i) Project Title: Computer Training for Persons with Disabilities in BCC Head Quarters and 8 Regional Offices.

The main vision of CSID’s ICT activities is to ensuring better life for Persons with Disabilities through creating access to information and Mainstream ICT services. CSID is the only organization in Bangladesh formally works for Persons with Disabilities with ICT Division under Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information. CSID has the formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ICT Division, government of Bangladesh. In each year CSID and ICT Division have jointly organized Job Fair for Persons with Disabilities and National IT Competition for Youth with Disabilities. Under these initiative as yet 267 persons with disabilities has been employed in different sectors among total 451 persons with disabilities trained from Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) of ICT Division.

 Again CSID has formal agreement with some big umbrella Organization. It has Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh Association of Call Center & Outsourcing (BACCO), Cyber Café Association of Bangladesh (CCOAB). CSID has also MoU with private IT organization of My Outsourcing, Creative IT, MetroDesk, etc. 

Vocational Skill Development and Decent Work Placement

The major focus of the program is to creating an enabling environment for employment of persons with disabilities. The major activities includes- identifying the job seeker with disabilities, potential TVET institution, employers, micro-finance institutions and create database.

 The project developed formal partnership and collaboration with Bangladesh Garments Manufacturer and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to employ persons with disabilities signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and also with some Vocational Training Institutions for training. Leading Banks & Microfinance Institutions also have been sensitized to provide credit support to disabled persons for initiating self-employment.

ii) Project Title: Barrier Free Education and employment for the Persons with visual impaired women

Coverage: 25 visual impaired women

Funding by: MTB Foundation

Objectives: Inclusion of women with visual impaired in education and employment

Major Focus:

•       Provide market based training to 25 girls student with disabilities

•       Joint awareness activities with CSID

•       Ensure Job for 25 girls student with disabilities

iii) Project Title: Skill Development and creating employment opportunities using “EMPORIA” e-learning    and Job Portal

Funding by: Funded by: ICT Division

  Major Focus:

•      Skill Development of persons with disabilities using online EMPORIA e-Learning Portal

•     Creating employment opportunities for persons with disabilities through EMPORIA Job Portal

5) Capacity building on disability inclusion in communication project.

Coverage: All Hearing and Speech with dishabilles

Funding by: : Genweb2 Limited

Objectives: Inclusion of Bengali language in accessible communication through sign language for the persons with disabilities

Major Focus:

•       Identify the diverse types of sign language from all over the Bangladesh

•       Compile all the sign language and prepare a National Sign Language

6) Protection and GBV

Coverage: 10000 Children with disabilities and 500 women with disabilities

i.) Inclusive child protection systems at national and sub-national levels to protect children with disabilities

Project Location: 248 Upazila's under the 35 District of Bangladesh

Funding by: UNICEF

ii) Protection of children with disabilities through capacity building and advocacy at different levels.

Project Location: Kamrangir Char

Funding by: Ignite Philanthropy

iii) Prevention of violence against adolescent girls and women with disabilities through capacity building and awareness raising 

 Project location: Dhaka

Funding by: Manusher Jonno Foundation

Broad objective: Adolescent girls and women with disabilities in the project areas have skills and capacity to report and prevent all forms of violence against them.

7) Advocacy & Governance

Coverage: Mass People

CSID’s policy advocacy initiatives with the national government and civil society for an inclusive environment, and for mainstreaming the persons with disabilities have gained wide recognition in the development community in Bangladesh and beyond. One of the most successful initiative was to formation of parliamentary focus on Child Rights in collaboration with Save the Children. CSID has developed partnership with different public and private educational institutions.

i. Dialogue Works

Broad objective is:. Ensure that the views and suggestions of working children are heard.

Funded by: Kindernothilfe

ii. ICT training for youth with disabilities and participation in global competition.

Funded by: ICT Ministry   

iii. Kinship Care

Funded by: Family for Every child           

iii) Bangladesh association of employees with disabilities (BAED).

Funded by: CSID

This is the only network of employed persons with disabilities who are working jointly with CSID for ensuring the training and employment rights of persons with disabilities. There are 21 members in General Body and 7 Executive Members in the Executive Committee.