PROFESSOR EMERITUS SULTANA SARWATARA ZAMAN
PROFESSOR EMERITUS SULTANA SARWATARA ZAMAN,
Founder General Secretary and present Chairperson of BPF.
Professor, Department of Psychology, Dhaka University; Founder Chairman, Department of Special Education, Institute of Education & Research (IER), Dhaka University; Founder and General Secretaryof the Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation (BPF).
Professor Zaman is the Founder President of the Parents organization “Society for the Care and Education of Mentally Retarded, Bangladesh”(SCEMRB) established in 1977 (and renamed Society for the Welfare of the Intellectually Disabled or SWID, Bangladesh) which was then the first non government organization (NGO) for Children with Disabilities (CWDs) in Bangladesh. During her tenure as president of SCEMRB she affiliated the organization with Asian Federation for Mental Retardation (AFMR) (renamed Asian Federation for Intellectual Disability or AFID) in 1981 and with International League of Societies for the Mentally Handicapped (ILSMH) In 1982 . In 1984 Professor Zaman relinquished her responsibilities with the SCEMRB and established the Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation. In 1993 she started the Department of Special Education in the Institute of Education & Research, Dhaka University for training teachers of the Mentally Handicapped, the Blind and the Deaf through B.Ed. and M.Ed. courses which were also the first academic degrees of there kind in Bangladesh. In 1996 she established a network of professionals in the South Asian Region known as South Asian Regional Centre for Disability (SARCD).
Professor Zaman is an outstanding professional and a dedicated social worker, who has contributed to the development of services for the disabled in Bangladesh, conducted high quality research in the area of disability, collaborated internationally in research projects, and developed tools (Ten Questions), scales (Independent Behavior Scales), procedures and training programs for community workers, teachers and therapists from grass root levels (Community Based Rehabilitation or CBR) to regional and international levels. She has devotedly worked for the last 30 years in the field of disability. She is a well known personality in Bangladesh as well as abroad in the area of disability.
Professor Zaman has received the “Henry H. Kessler Award” from “Rehabilitation International” given during the 18th Congress held in September 1996 in New Zealand in recognition of her outstanding leadership and significant contribution to the area of disability.”Rehabilitation International” (RI) is a worldwide network of people with disabilities and service providers based in New York. The above mentioned award is presented every four years at a RI World Congress to honor and recognize an individual whose achievements have contributed significantly to mankind’s ability to overcome the occurrence and disadvantages of physical, mental or sensory disability. Professor Zaman received the “Annanya” Award in 1996, and the “Rokeya Padak” in 1996 from the Government of Bangladesh. She was the National Commissioner of “Girls in Scouting” through the Bangladesh Scouts since 1996.