Barishal observed World White Cane Safety Day 2026 on Thursday, with speakers calling for expanded education, skills training and employment opportunities for people with visual impairments.
The event was organised jointly by the Barishal district administration and the District Social Services Office at the conference room of the Social Services Office in Rupatali, Barishal city, on October 15.
The programme included a discussion meeting and the distribution of white canes under the theme “Where Vision Is Limited, Possibilities Are Unlimited”.
Shah Md Rafiq-ul Islam, director of the Divisional Social Services Office, chaired the event.
In his address, Rafiq-ul Islam stressed the need to increase training and employment opportunities to help people with visual impairments become part of mainstream society. He said their other sensory abilities, including hearing, could be developed through appropriate training to help them acquire professional skills.
He also suggested creating more employment opportunities for visually impaired people and considering their recruitment in different positions under the Department of Social Services. He emphasised the need to address teacher shortages at educational institutions established for children with disabilities, including by appointing trained teachers with visual impairments.
Highlighting the prevention of disabilities, he said maternal awareness, adequate nutrition and proper healthcare during pregnancy were essential. Doctors, families and communities must work together to reduce the risk of childhood disabilities, he added.
He also stressed the importance of ensuring long-term care and support for children with disabilities, particularly when their parents are no longer able to look after them. Effective government initiatives and support systems are needed to safeguard their future, he said.
Rafiq-ul Islam further called for quality education, access to university-level studies and employment opportunities for children with visual impairments so they could become self-reliant and participate in society on an equal footing.
Deputy Director of the Barishal District Social Services Office Md Iqbal Kabir, Deputy Director of Local Government Md Nakib Hasan Tarafdar, and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Disability Development Organisation Md Badiul Alam addressed the event as special guests.
Officials from different government departments, representatives of non-governmental organisations, people with visual impairments and journalists attended the programme.
White canes were distributed among people with visual impairments at the end of the discussion.
