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Published : 09 Sep 2025, 01:54 AM
Md Tafsirullah, a student of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University, was born visually impaired.
He is contesting the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election as a member candidate from the left-leaning “Protirodh Parishad” panel.
Entering the electoral field, he has had to overcome multiple challenges and consider how to protect his “freedom and privacy” when casting his vote.
At least three visually impaired students, including Tafsirullah, are running in the election. The number of visually impaired voters is 30.
Considering these candidates and voters, Dhaka University authorities have arranged braille ballot papers for the first time. They claim this initiative is the first of its kind in Bangladesh's history.
The candidates and voters welcomed the move and suggested taking more initiatives to increase accessibility for students with visual impairment and other disabilities.
Another such candidate, Raisul Islam, is contesting for the same post as Tafsirullah from the Chhatra Shibir-affiliated panel “Oikkoboddho Shikkharthi Jote”.
Sharmin Kabir, the DUCSU election returning officer, was responsible for creating the braille ballots for visually impaired students.
Explaining the purpose of introducing braille ballots, the associate professor from the university's Institute of Education and Research said: "The novelty is that separate ballots have been arranged for DUCSU and each hall.
"Up until now, they would bring an assistant with them, and the assistant would whisper in their ear. Their freedom was curtailed, and they didn't have the right to vote in secret. That's why we're introducing braille now."
She added the students had anticipated that this was a pivotal moment for such a change, believing that if the university did not act now, it would never happen. As a result, the university administration proceeded with the initiative, hoping it might also inspire a similar effort by the Bangladesh Election Commission.
She said, "We do not know of this ever happening in the history of Bangladesh. If the Election Commission wants, we can share our experience with them and show them the ballot papers."
Sharmin said that all ballot papers for the DUCSU and hall union elections have already been printed in braille. "We have received a list of 30 visually impaired voters from seven residential halls. In some places, the candidates are also visually impaired.
The returning officer also mentioned that if anyone does not want to or is unable to vote in braille, they can vote on an Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) ballot.
Welcoming the university's initiative, Tafsirullah said: "They are arranging braille for the visually impaired and talking about making travel easier for those who use wheelchairs.
"The initiative is good. But if you ask if it's enough, I would say it is not."
Raisul said, "In response to our demands, the Election Commission has taken the initiative to print ballot papers. We are receiving support from them so far."
WHAT BRAILLE BALLOTS ARE AND HOW VOTING WORKS
Voting for the DUCSU and hall unions will still be conducted on OMR sheets. The DUCSU ballot is 6 pages, and the hall union's is 1 page.
Returning Officer Sharmin said, "The Braille ballot for DUCSU will be 30 pages. And the ballot for the hall union will be 3-4 pages, depending on the number of candidates. It will be on light paper, like braille books."
She said the first page of the braille booklet would have an index and page numbers. The index would allow visually impaired voters to easily find a specific page.
"And the page number is given in the way they are supposed to be."
She said visually impaired students are divided into two groups. One is a person who is visually impaired and knows how to read braille.
"The other group used to know braille and have now forgotten it; or they have low vision. They can see a little but read with a magnifying glass."
She said they would vote however they want. "If they want to vote in braille, freely and with privacy, they will take the sheet into the booth.
"If they don’t know how to read braille, they will cast ballots in the previous method."
HOW BRAILLE COUNTING WORKS
Sharmin said that even though braille ballots have been made, they faced a challenge in finding people to count the votes.
She said, "We don't know how to read braille. Only one teacher on the entire Dhaka University campus knows how to read it, but they expressed their inability to help. We did not want to take support from the students in this case."
She said that even after trying to get teachers from a school for the visually impaired associated with the university, they couldn't. "We brought a person from outside Dhaka University in the last stage for a 2-step checking process."
Explaining the process, she said, "First, we will bring it to a normal reading as best we can. There will be no coding and student identification on that braille. It will just be stapled to the OMR with the braille.
"The external will check if the person who ticked it, matching the braille, has done so correctly."
