CSocD55 Photo Exhibition – Disabilities

Sale Ahmad (wearing green shirt) owns a small, curbside tea stall tucked along a busy street in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Now a happy man with a wife and daughter, he was not always so fortunate. He contracted poliomyelitis at the age of seven, and when he turned ten, his father dragged him to a bus terminal to beg for a living. He spent years living off of the charity of others and being harassed by the criminals who preyed on the vulnerable. With the help of the Access Bangladesh Foundation, a local disabled people's organization and grantee of the Boston-based Disability Rights Fund, Mr. Ahmad learned of his rights and gained skills to manage his teashop as well as other street vendors. As president of the Disabled Hawker’s Association, he became an inspiration to other disabled hawkers who wanted to raise their own living standards. These men and women street hawkers meet regularly in a park in Dhaka to support one another, forming a camaraderie that they had not experienced in the streets. Mr. Ahmad says, “Even if I may not make as much money as I did when I would beg in the streets, I have more self-respect and am able to support myself and my family.” In October 2013, a bill was passed by Parliament of Bangladesh to protect the dignity of persons with disabilities and ensure their equal access to services such as education and health, and full participation in society. Photo by Andy Isaacson | Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh