Disability no bar to journalism

In such a backdrop a media company -- Media Professionals Group (MPG) -- has come forward with an initiative to translate a dream of a section of disabled people into reality. It is the dream of bringing out their own mouthpiece, the dream of setting up their own platform for realising their rights from the rulers and policy makers. Only a physically impaired section of population having education can represent the other disabled sections (both physically and mentally impaired) of the country. MPG's journalism training for the disabled persons has lit that hope and Bangladesh chapter of a concerned international organisation, Action on Disability and Development (ADD), is supporting the initiative to give it a concrete shape.

We usually hear about training programs or workshops on news media/journalists. But it is an innovative idea of MPG to empower one of the disadvantage sections struggling for right with the capacity to make heard their voice and establish representation through news media. It is the capacity of doing journalism.

To inform and to motivate people are two important purposes of journalism or any mass medium communication. They want to convey how many of them with physical limitations either with blindness or other forms of disabilities can work or perform like a normal person.

Disabled people may not eat or write or walk smoothly like a normal human being. But he/she can independently write a report, can do his/her work differently than other normal human beings.

Seema, an MA student of Rajshahi College and an office assistant of Rajshahi City Corporation, participated in the three-day (July 28-30,2005) workshop on Journalism at the ADD training centre in Rajshahi, took notes of the training, wrote a hard news report and a feature in excellent writing although she is without both of her upper limbs.

Despite being a woman and physically disabled, Deena of Dhaka wants to become a journalist. She wants to write news of sufferings and problems of the disabled in the society.

As many as 25 disabled persons of 13 districts of the country participated in the training workshop. Most of them have passed SSC and HSC. Of them majority were female. Some of them have either completed post graduation or are pursuing graduation or post graduation in colleges. There was also a physically impaired lecturer of a college in Jessore -- Md. Abdul Khaleq. Apart from techniques and theories of reporting and feature writing, they were given hands on training on information gathering and news report writing.

One of the findings of the workshop about participants' ability is, most of them can catch the main point of any issue or event. News sense is a very important factor in journalism. In that context, their ability to identify main point of the event or intro is very significant. Though they have some problems of language in writing feature or organising facts in a news report, they showed their potentiality. They were even prompt in understanding the difference between news and feature. In newspaper offices, we also find similar mistakes among newcomers or novice reporters.

The initiative did not end with the three-day workshop in July. Participants were given four assignments, both news reporting and features, in one month interval. There will be another training session early September when assignments of participants will be evaluated and their weaknesses addressed. Objective of the MPG is to bring the disabled participants at a stage where they can start working for newspapers, news agencies and broadcasting media.

The trainees were eager to learn more about journalism after the end of three-day training session. They asked the trainers about reading references to quench their thirst for knowing further.

Their deep interest was exposed through inquisitiveness and willingness about different aspects of news reporting. They kept trainers busy in clarifying and explaining different queries on news reporting.

Resource persons of MPG understood the knowledge level of participants and conducted the training sessions in communicative way, as the workshop topic was very new to the participants.

True, if such training workshop had not been conducted, potentialities of disabled persons would not be identified or discovered. The training workshop revealed that it is not impossible for a girl without both of her upper limbs to carry out her study upto MA level and work as an office assistant in Rajshahi City Corporation.

When they were asked to select issues relating to disabled persons, they came up with lots of topics. They said that they no longer wanted to take degrees under social welfare department. They want to be integrated with mainstream educational system. They want end of discrimination. They mentioned their problems in movement and described some horrific incidents of physical harassment on disabled women in different parts of the country. They are more interested to write on those issues. For this, they possess a desperate attitude to learn pros and cons of journalism.

The disabled persons have remained one of the neglected and uncared sections of the society. Even within a family, a disabled son/daughter is undermined. Perception of most of the people of our society is almost same about the disability of disabled people. They cannot think that disabled people can be differently able. All the people do not know or can do every thing. They are also dependant on others for overcoming their limitations.

It is true that physically disabled people need to struggle more than the physically sound persons. But it is also a matter of fact that disabled persons' performance often can be better than normal persons.

There are lots of success stories among disabled persons. For instance, a blind person of an educated family in Rajshahi city is now earning highest amount among five brothers.

It is also a good sign that conscientious people of the administration have started to recognise the ability of educated and skilled disabled persons. If such people with physical limitations can be imparted capacity building or skill development training, they can also contribute a lot.

Masudul Karim Biswas is lecturer, University of Liberal Arts