COVID 19, technology-based education and disability: the case of Bangladesh, emerging practices in inclusive digital learning for students with disabilities

This study sheds light on Bangladesh’s initiatives in the area of disability-inclusive education. The particular focus is on the role of its Accessible Reading Materials (ARM) initiative and how this has contributed to ensuring disability-inclusive and accessible education during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. ARM is a government-led initiative that was launched in 2014 by the then Access to Information (a2i) programme of the Prime Minister’s Office, now the Aspire to Innovate Programme of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division of the Government of Bangladesh. It was launched in recognition of the need for solutions to ensure virtual, as well as regular reading access for all students, including children and young people with barriers to reading. ARM is aimed at satisfying the educational needs of all students including students with print and learning disabilities. This study’s focus is on the ARM initiative and its effectiveness during the pandemic. It has also considered the additional complementary initiatives undertaken by the government during the pandemic to distribute materials among beneficiaries via its online, offline, and media platforms. These are included below after the section on the recommendations and conclusion of this study.