Thrust on tourism to provide opportunities for disabled people

Tourism and hospitality sector can provide persons having neurodevelopmental disabilities with a wide range of employment opportunities.

Representatives from the hospitality and tourism sector of Bangladesh and India came up with the observation during a seminar at Dhaka Regency Hotel on Saturday.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon presided over the seminar titled, Employment for Persons with Neurodevelopment Disabilities in Tourism & Hospitality Sector, said a press release.

The Minister said the government is committed towards inclusion of people with neurodevelopmental disabilities into the workforce.

The International Labour Organisation’s Canadian funded BSEP project organised the seminar in collaboration with the Tourism & Hospitality Industry Skills Council and the PFDA-Vocational Training Centre Trust.

Secretary of Social Welfare Ministry Zillar Hossain highlighted the positive contribution of people with disabilities in any business.

“People with disabilities are loyal and hard working. They should be given every chance to prove their worth,” the Secretary said.

Chief Technical Advisor of ILO’s BSEP project Kishore Kumar Singh said the private sector becomes more aware of the potential of people with disabilities, their recruitment process and accommodation policies.

Sajida Rahman from PFDA-Vocational Training Centre Trust, Akhteruzzaman Kabir from the Parjatan Corporation, Shahabuddin of the Signature Club and R Hari General Manager of Lemon Tree Hotel India shared their experiences in recruiting people with disabilities.

Chairman of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Skills Council AHM Bari also addressed the seminar, among others.

According to a recent survey, about 255,000 people in Bangladesh have neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it said, is a group of complex neurobiological, developmental disorders including Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Intellectual Disability that are typically diagnosed in childhood with symptoms that often last throughout a person’s lifetime.

Characterised by varying degrees of symptom severity and impact ranging from mild to quite severe, the hallmark characteristics of ASD include deficits in social behaviour and communication as well as restricted and/or repetitive behaviours.