ICON Eye Hospital Limited installs braille wall tiles to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in collaboration with Akij Ceramics and CarrotComm Limited.
As you read these very words, your eyes travel through every letter and help you envision the thought behind it. Pay heed, and you will hear the world speak to you through its many sound sources. You beautifully experience your world through your senses. But little is done to let those who are disabled experience their world to the fullest.
Now is a time of progress as the world races through time to new horizons. And during these times, those who are challenged strive to make an impact despite the lack of infrastructural support they require. Bangladesh is also a part of this race, with a population of 167 million dreamers who aim to change the world with their positive impact. While many see the light at the end of the tunnel, around 800,000 blind people see nothing; yet they don’t fail to visualize their dream.
Disability is not a shackle to these differently abled, but an anchor weighing their sure but slow progress. Their wish for independence is profound but poorly supported by the country’s basic infrastructure, which still needs to evolve to become an all-inclusive society. Bus-train stations, educational institutes, markets, and hospitals – basic necessities pose a navigational challenge to the people who are visually impaired.
These individuals seeking to change the world needed a way to navigate through their lives with ease and self-sufficiently, and so, to help them communicate with the world around them, CarrotComm Limited, in collaboration with Akij Ceramics, designed and produced braille wall tiles and launched it on International Mother Language Day 2022. This day was chosen because language should not be a luxury but a fundamental right for everyone. Through a campaign titled ‘Let The Walls Be Language Friendly’, Akij Ceramics and CarrotComm Limited worked to create tiles that would have braille messages imprinted on them. These tiles would be installed on the walls of institutions all over Bangladesh to speak the language of the blind people and help them navigate through their everyday activities with ease.
Architects, specialists for the visually impaired, braille experts, and other relevant parties helped these tiles take form. Among others, the team worked closely with Md. Torikul Islam Najim, an HSC Student and Freelance Voice Actor, who is blind since birth. He shared his stories of struggle and helped bring perspective to the project. He worked alongside to perfect the designs, which led to their correct implementation.
“I personally believe that, of all the disabled groups, those who have visual impairment need more attention now. Especially places like UCD Office, Health Clinics, Banks, DC Office, and other administrative organizations should make the lives of those with visual imparity easier by installing braille tiles,” shared Najim when asked about his thoughts on the product innovation.
December 03 marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and to recognize this event’s message, braille tiles were installed in Bosila’s ICON Eye Hospital Limited by its Director, Riasat Zaman, in collaboration with Akij Ceramics as a step towards aiding the disabled.
“I believe that this day was perfect for installing the braille tiles as we wanted to create an atmosphere where visitors who are visually impaired would have an easier time navigating throughout our hospital,” explained Riasat Zaman. “I thank Akij Ceramics and CarrotComm for such a great initiative”.
The stakeholders involved hope this will serve as an invitation to other institutions, so they also install customizable braille tiles and help build a country which can be navigated by all with ease.
