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Nineteen year old Md. Jahanggir Alam participating in BCC training. Sightsavers

Nineteen year old Md. Jahanggir Alam participating in BCC training. Sightsavers

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Joining the digital age

Being computer literate and IT savvy is a huge advantage wherever you are in the world. That's why we're delighted that the Bangladesh Computer Council has committed to providing IT training to blind students. This shows that putting pressure on governments does work - as this is the result of a year of lobbying by Sightsavers' partner the Centre for Services and Information on Disability (CSID).

CSID is an organisation that has capitalised on the technology that is part and parcel of our current digital age. Its online Disability Information Dissemination Network is bringing people with disabilities together so they are no longer isolated and uninformed. The network now has 4,000 subscribers throughout Bangladesh and further afield.

They also run a disability resource centre and have launched an internet café project, to make six existing internet cafés in different parts of the country accessible to people who are blind or have low vision.

'I think this training will help me for getting a job in future.'

This new commitment from the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) is a major step towards making information technology fully accessible to visually impaired people in Bangladesh. Computer skills help unlock information and improve job prospects, and the first batch of students are excited about the chance to access the same opportunities as everyone else.

"I am very happy to be participating!" said Mohammad Ali, one of the students. "I think this training will help me for getting a job in future."

The training lasts up to six weeks, and upon completion students receive a certificate from BCC to demonstrate they have participated on a government accredited course. CSID will then help the students find paid work.

"I have heard of the computer training course from BCC for a long time and but thought it was only for non-disabled people," said Md. Jahanggir Alam, another of the students (pictured above). So when I was offered to participate I was very enthusiastic. The training venue was accessible for us and the trainer was nice. Each student had their own computer which was very supportive to learn."