Learning beyond law: Inspiring action for disability inclusion

On October 13th and 14th, a two-day workshop titled “Understanding Disability Inclusion: Bespoke Legal Skills and Advocacy Training to Promote Inclusion Awareness” was held at Brac University. The event was organized by the Brac University Outreach team in collaboration with the BRAC University Law Society (BULS) and the Center for Peace and Justice (CPJ). Sabina Khan (LLB, BVC, MSc, Judge of the First-Tier Tribunal and Founder of The Women in Gowns (WiGs) Project), Kyriacoulla Degirmenci (LLB, BVC, Judge of the First-Tier Tribunal and WiGs Project Trainer), and Adv. Rezaul Karim Siddiquee (Disability Rights and Inclusion Expert and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh) was present at the workshop. Dr. David Dowland (Registrar, BracU) also attended and actively participated in the sessions.

The workshop aimed to raise awareness about disability inclusion and to enhance students’ advocacy and communication skills for promoting inclusivity within the justice system. Students from Brac University and other universities, like North South University, Southeast University, and Independent University participated along with six students with disabilities and two interpreters. The sessions included entertaining activities to engage in, like quizzes, group discussions, and a “disability race”, as well as useful advocacy exercises like analyzing cases, managing witnesses, and talking to people in court.

Nurshad Jahan Chayon (Junior, SoL), a participant reported, “The stories we heard during the sessions completely changed our minds. It was a strong reminder that being aware isn’t enough; you have to act on it.” Dr. Dowland concluded the ceremony by acknowledging Sakib Bin Quadeer (Assistant Manager, Outreach Team, BracU) and his team along with the BULS volunteers for making the event a success. The program was a successful one and showed that BracU is dedicated to advocating diversity, social awareness, and inclusion.