Vashkar Bhattacharjee
Access to Information (a2i) Program,
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister’s Office;
Young Power Social Action (YPSA);
GAATES
Bangladesh
As National Consultant for Accessibility in the Access to Information (a2i) Programme of the Prime Minister’s Office in Bangladesh, Vashkar Bhattacharjee is dedicated to innovating digital accessibility for people with disabilities. Born with a visual disability himself, he currently strives to make accessible ICT a priority at the University of Chittagong, one of the largest and most prominent universities in Bangladesh.
Vashkar also serves as Program Manager at Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), a social development organization. Before joining a2i, he worked with YPSA to develop a WSIS award-winning project for students with visual impairments called Multimedia Talking Book, and spearheaded the development of Bangladesh’s first Accessible Dictionary. Vashkar is also the focal person for DAISY, (Digital Accessible Information System), Accessible Books consortium, Federation of DPO’s Sitakund in Bangladesh, and the second Vice President of GAATES. He has completed Duskin Leadership Training in Japan and earned his MA from the University of Chittagong.
“It’s a big honor as a citizen of Bangladesh to receive a Henry Viscardi Achievement Award for my work to promote accessible books and information that empower people with disabilities through innovation.”
-Vashkar Bhattacharjee