Meet Shojib: Defying limits despite hearing and speech impairments

In the low-income neighbourhood of Kamrangirchar of the capital, there is a shopping bag factory named "Mecca Plastic and Rubber Industries." On a usual day, we visited the factory and saw the workers quietly toil away at their tasks. 

There was barely any noise, other than the sound of machines, from which layers of coloured tissue shopping bags were coming out of the machine. 

Among the four machines in the factory, one of them is managed by a young man, Mohammed Shojib. He was fully absorbed in his work. He was waving his hands occasionally to instruct his junior on how to work the machine. 

Sign language is Shojib's primary mode of communication, as he has been deaf due to hearing loss since childhood. But looking at his work, you would not know that he has any disability.

The 20-year-old Shojib works as a machine operator at this factory. He was promoted by the end of his first year of service due to his impressive performance.  

A tragic childhood

At the age of three, Shojib had a high fever with convulsions for eleven long days, after which he lost his hearing and speech. Shojib's mother Reshma Begum, and father, Abdul Qader, a rickshaw puller, were at a total loss. 

A doctor advised them to admit Shojib to a specialised school for special needs children in Mohakhali, which is located 13 kilometres away from Kamrangirchar. They couldn't commute daily. It was an impossible feat. 

Later, they admitted Shojib to a neighbourhood Madrasa, but he could not cope there because of his speech impediment. 

In 2012, a neighbour advised Shojib's parents to take him to SEID - Summit Community Therapy Centre. They got Shojib enrolled there. At SEID, Shojib was taught foundation-level communication skills, personal hygiene and cleanliness, threat response etc.

SEID, a non-government organisation (NGO), operates two specialised centres for underprivileged individuals with a neuro-developmental disability (NDD), in Mohammadpur and Kamrangirchar of Dhaka city. 

Dilara Sattar Mitu, SEID's founder, said, "As a professional educationist and social worker I have utilised my knowledge and experience to mainstream underprivileged differently abled children to the mainstream. I am thankful to Aziz Bhai [Muhammed Aziz Khan, Chairman of Summit Group] for his unwavering support over 12 years. We are inspired to continue our work seeing children like Shojib."

Mitu, a well-known educationist and social worker, established the centre in 2003. In the past 15 years, Summit Group has supported SEID to provide this service. 

Presently, children are given preschool education as well as therapy, technical training and life skills. To date, the organisation has 400 registered children who need special care.

"After joining that Centre, Shojib became attentive to his studies. He started interacting with children his age," recounted Reshma, Shojib's mother.  

After three years of schooling and technical training at SEID-Summit Community Therapy Centre, Shojib joined a mainstream school, Kamrangirchar Model School. Till grade three, he did moderately well, but he could not match up to other students. Soon he lost interest in continuing school. 

In 2019, Shojib got a job, through his own efforts, at the bag manufacturing factory.

Coping with the work environment

Initially, when Shojib joined, his colleagues needed help to understand him. But with time, they have come around.

After getting into the job, Shojib was enrolled in SEID again at its "Customised Employment" batch. This training session is to further enhance their communication and other life skills.

"In this phase, we are training them how to communicate with peers at work job etiquettes, how to report work harassment or sexual harassment, basic survival skills like what to do during earthquakes or other dangers etc," said Naz-E-Jahan, Assistant Director of Community Therapy Center.

According to Milon Biswas, the Production Manager at Mecca Plastic and Rubber Industries, Shojib's performance has been exemplary. Despite his inability to speak, Shojib consistently delivers an outstanding work ethic and efficiency, ranking among the top five workers in the factory.

"Shojib is not lagging in any way though he cannot speak. His co-workers also help him here. We had such a good experience with Shojib that we have now recruited two other differently-abled workers," he added.

Shojib's remarkable achievements have not only left a lasting impression on his employer and colleagues, but have also helped reshape perceptions about differently-abled individuals in the workplace.

"SEID taught me the alphabet, the digits. I can write my name and mobile phone number because of them, and I will be forever grateful for that. Earning financial freedom is the best thing that happened to me. I can buy my favourite things now, on my own, and contribute to my family, and it feels wonderful. In future, I want to set up my own company," shared Shojib through an interpreter.

Now Shojib contributes Tk10,000 ($90) monthly to his mother. He has also purchased a blender and an iron from his savings for the family. Shojib also enjoys shopping for himself and is fashion-conscious. 

The founder Chairman of Summit Group, Muhammed Aziz Khan said, "SEID Community Therapy Centre has been working with children who were born with disabilities in ultra-poor families. All children are deserving of a beautiful world. Our duty is to pass on that world to them. Thanks to SEID. In my opinion, the investment in children is the most urgent investment."