Data gap stalls disability inclusion: Experts call for unified numbers to drive employment

Discrepancies in national disability data and the lack of a synchronised digital database are acting as major hurdles in formulating effective policies for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the workforce, experts and policymakers said at a roundtable yesterday (20 May).

The policy discussion titled "Data matters: Numbers and evidence are key to disability inclusive society", was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Business & Disability Network (BBDN) and BRAC Bank in collaboration with The Business Standard. The session was moderated by TBS Senior Executive Editor Sharier Khan.

Disability inclusion expert Rejaul Karim Siddiquee pointed out the stark contrast in disability prevalence rates reported by various government agencies.

He said only 1.43% of the population has a disability according to the Population and Housing Census 2022, whereas the National Survey on Persons with Disabilities (NSPD) 2021 placed the figure at 7.14%.

"The failure to establish a consistent population size – with government figures fluctuating between 1.4% and 7% – is a critical barrier to effective resource allocation."

He argued that the nation must shift its perspective. "We must move from a medical model of impairment to a social model that focuses on removing the systemic barriers that exclude 7% of our nation from the workforce," he added.

Shah Mohammad Mahboob, director general of the Department of Social Services, said discrepancies between datasets used by different government agencies highlight the need for better coordination and methodological alignment in data collection. 

Citing the example of Korail slum, where authorities initially prepared for around 33,000 households based on BBS estimates while collecting data for the family card programme, but eventually identified nearly 44,000 households, roughly 25% higher than expected.

He added that similar mismatches have been observed in multiple areas, forcing authorities to add an additional 20-25% to BBS figures during implementation. 

However, he stressed that this should not be interpreted as a failure of BBS, noting that different institutions collect data using different parameters and criteria, making stronger communication and coordination among agencies essential.

Aziza Rahman, deputy director of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), acknowledged the technical challenges in bridging these gaps. 

"There is a realistic scope for integrating household income and expenditure survey, labor force survey and administrative datasets, but it requires a unified technical approach and rigorous synchronization process."

Albert Mollah, executive director of Access Bangladesh Foundation said the Disability Identification System (DIS) under the Ministry of Social Welfare can generate 28 different types of reports, including employment-related reports for persons with disabilities.

However, he said DIS, BBS databases, and other administrative datasets remain disconnected from one another, limiting the ability of agencies to share and use disability-related information effectively.

Mollah also criticised the absence of disability indicators in the government employee management system under the Ministry of Public Administration, saying the government currently cannot determine how many persons with disabilities are employed in public service despite having a digital database of over 1.45 million government employees.

Society for the welfare of the intellectually disabled (SWID) Bangladesh secretary general Md Mahbubul Munir pointed to serious weaknesses in identifying neurodevelopmental disabilities, saying even medical professionals sometimes misclassify conditions such as autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy due to limited awareness and training. 

He cautioned that weak and unreliable disability data prevent organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) from presenting evidence-based demands before policymakers.

To fix these discrepancies, the International Labour Organization (ILO) representative Syed Atikul Alam recommends adopting global methodologies. 

He said, "Adopting the Washington Group Questions is vital for Bangladesh to meet international standards and capture the true reality of disability in our labor market." adding that international best practices show that linking disability and employment data is the key to unlocking better livelihood outcomes.

Anika Rahman Lipy, assistant director at the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), echoed these concerns, noting that current statistics fail to capture the full picture.

"Our field experience shows that disability-disaggregated socio-economic data is currently the most lacking component in evidence-based planning," she said. 

Responding to concerns about workplace productivity, BRAC Bank MD and CEO Tareq Refat Ullah Khan said the bank's experience employing persons with disabilities has been 'very surprising and amazing,' adding that employees with disabilities performed exceptionally well when given proper opportunities. 

"Every person is unique, and if given the opportunity, they can flourish," he said, arguing that disability inclusion has made his organisation more empathetic and collaborative internally.

The dialogue was also attended by central bank's additional director Qazi Mutmainna Tahmida, BRAC Bank Senior Executive Vice President Ekram Kabir and concluded with a vote of thanks from Bangladesh Business & Disability Network director Aziza Ahmed.