Beyond our vision, Shilpi's journey gives us hope

"Aapu, want to check your weight? Need a pen?" This familiar voice breaks the quiet at Ruqayyah Hall of the University of Dhaka. Some people stop by to buy something, some chat for a bit, and some quietly walk away. 

Behind that simple question is the story of a visually impaired young woman, Shiuli Akter Shilpi, who refuses to let her visual condition define her. Shilpi is a student of the Institute of Education and Research (IER) at the same university. 

She was born blind. She knew from an early age that her path would be 'different' from others. Though she lost her eyesight, she never lost her confidence. As she grew older, she began her studies at the University of Dhaka and made a firm decision to bear her own expenses through her own efforts.

Every evening, Shilpi can be found in the ground-floor corridor of Shapla Building at Ruqayyah Hall, or nearby. Since November 2024, she has been running her small business. In a suitcase, she neatly arranges pens, pencils, headphones, chargers, a weighing scale, and various other items. Students stop by to check their weight, and others to buy whatever they need.

"While other students get opportunities for tutoring, we are deprived of those chances. In this situation, starting a small business in my own hall with various items felt like the right decision to me," said Shilpi.

She added, "At first, I struggled with insecurity, but later I realised that starting with small steps can eventually lead to something bigger."

Recently, job-seeking graduates with 'disabilities' have been staging a sit-in at the base of the Raju Memorial Sculpture, demanding five key points, including the reinstatement of quotas in government jobs.

Under the banner of the Job Seeking Disabled Graduate Council, around 60 job-seeking individuals with 'disabilities' have been continuing this program since October 19.

They have demanded a separate 2 per cent quota in first and second class government jobs and a 5 per cent quota for persons with 'disabilities' in third and fourth class jobs.

Their other demands include special recruitment through executive orders, amendment of the existing unified national guideline for scribes, special recruitment of visually impaired candidates in vacant posts at PHT centers, and raising the age limit for government jobs to 35.

Shilpi has been at the forefront of the movement from the very beginning. She hopes their movement will succeed. Already, Dhaka University Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed and DUCSU Vice President Sadiq Kayem have assured them of support.

Like Shilpi, many people with special abilities have shown through this movement that it is not a weakness, but rather another name for courage.

Shilpi's small business also comes with its own set of challenges. She has to rely on others to take her to Dhaka Chawkbazar to buy supplies, and it's not always possible to go whenever she needs, as she depends on someone else's availability.

On top of that, handling change during daily sales is one of her most significant difficulties. "Not everyone pays with small notes", she said with a smile. "Sometimes it's hard to recognise who gave how much."

Though she cannot see, she conducts every transaction honestly. Yet she has to face these small, persistent challenges every single day. Shilpi's presence is teaching the residents of Ruqayyah Hall not sympathy but a mindset of cooperation and respect.

She has shown that with such a 'condition', both work and dignity are possible. Examples like hers at institutions such as Dhaka University remind society that development is impossible without inclusion. She cannot see yet, a quiet, satisfied smile always rests on the faces of people like Sheila. A smile that seems to say "Blindness is not in the eyes, but in the vision."

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