Accepting Diversity and

Disability
Team name: PinikMen
Team members:
Kazi Abdullah Al Fuad ZR-74
Shahbaz Amin Bhuiyan ZR-101
Syed Ahmad Nafisul Abrar ZR-89
Sheejab Hossain Bhuiyan ZR-72
M. Tamjid Hasan ZR-64

Course Code: W202

Course Title: Organizational Behaviour
Prepared For: Homayara L. Ahmed
Institute of Business Administration
University of Dhaka

In today's multicultural workplace, it pays to be familiar with the culture of fellow employees,
supervisors, clients or customers who may come from a different background from you. This
includes people with various disabilities. This group is heavily underrepresented in the job
markets. According to a recent survey in UK 46.3% of working-age disabled people are in
employment compared to 76.4% of working-age non-disabled people. People with disabilities
from culturally diverse backgrounds also experience twice the discrimination experienced by
non-disabled people in the minority community.
The main reason for this is that disabled people are socially less accepted as efficient and
productive workers. But development in technology has increased the representation of disabled
workers in the job market compared to 10 years ago. Emergence of computers, adaptive
technology and electronic communication has allowed many such individuals who aspire to be
independent and self sustaining. One shining example would be young talented visually impaired
Computer Science Student Florian Beijers from Netherlands, who thanks to a congenial
environment, defied the odds to go into the field of computer programming.
Samsung is developing an ultrasonic Smartphone cover that can act as a cane to inform the
blind of objects in the surrounding. Another tool being developed is the Optical Scan Stand
which reads any text placed on top of it. Finally, Smart labels having recorded notes will be
developed that can be placed on any object and read using a Smartphone to help identify objects.
Development of technologies such as these will help disabled people to do what was previously
thought to be impossible for them.
Technologies aside there are institutions that are dedicated to bringing about a change in the
livelihoods of disabled people. Center for disability development, a program supported by
Bangladesh Government, European Union and UKAID, here disabled people are taught work
and trade skills training, self employment training and are also given loans, loan grants and
savings schemes.
Governments have also taken steps to ensure that disabled people are treated fairly. Bangladesh
labor law 2010 says every employer will pay increased compensation for work related injury and
disability. In Bangladesh people with disabilities have access to the public sector employment as
10 percent quota for third and fourth grade and 1 percent quota for first and second grade jobs
are reserved for them. In addition, there is a constitutional and legal obligation to ensure equal
opportunities and participation in health education and employment for persons with disabilities.
However, disability remains a neglected issue in the policy process of the country. In
Bangladesh, the number of employed persons with disabilities is less than 1 per cent of the total
employed persons.
This shows that even though disabled people are becoming a part of the workforce and
increasing diversity the change is very slow. The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance
and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our
individual differences. And it seems that we are close to breaking the barriers and understanding
the differences even though it is at a slow pace.

Goals: To learn more about diversity and to understand and respect it.

Roles:
Kazi Abdullah Al Fuad Team worker and specialist
Shahbaz Amin Bhuiyan Shaper and co-ordinator
Syed Ahmad Nafisul Abrar Plant and resource investigator
Sheejab Hossain Bhuiyan Implementer and completer
M. Tamjid Hasan Monitor and specialist

Norms:
1. Mutual and self respect
2. Punctuality
3. Consistency
4. Shared responsibility
5. Belief in each other's capabilities
6. Mutual trust
7. Shared work load
8. Goal oriented
9. Transparent communication
10. Originality

Challenges:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Location
Data overflow
Time
Inconsistency
Strong personalities
Diversity in the group
Procrastination