Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits and presents gifts to children with disabilities at the Hanoi Centre for Disabled Children in Chuc Son town, Chuong My district on May 31, 2024. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam is one of the countries with a relatively high percentage of persons with disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

In addition to the various policies that support the group, enacted by the Party and State to create a legal framework for the care and protection of their rights, society also supports them through education and employment to help them become more self-reliant and improve the quality of life.

KymViet (Hanoi) brings about hope for workers with hearing impairments. (Photo: VNA)

Vun Art Cooperative (Ha Dong, Hanoi) is where people with disabilities turn scraps of silk into unique products such as decorations for shirts, bags, and collage artworks. (Photo: VNA)

Lighting the path to confidence

Happy moment of couples with disabilities at the “Dream Come True” mass wedding ceremony. (Photo: VNA)

Athlete Trinh Thi Bich Nhu (center) wins a Gold Medal and breaks the ASEAN Para Games record in the women’s 100m freestyle, S6 disability class, at the 12th ASEAN Para Games. (Photo: VNA)

According to Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs Nguyen Van Hoi, Vietnam currently has over 7 million persons with disabilities, accounting for 7.06% of the population aged 2 and older, with nearly 29% experiencing severe or particularly severe disabilities.

Born with congenital blindness, Duong Thi Mai Phuong (an 11th grader at Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted) has made great efforts to overcome difficulties, and integrate with her peers. In 2020, she excellently wins third prize in the History subject at the National Exam for Excellent Students. (Photo: VNA)

In 2014, the National Assembly ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In 2019, Vietnam ratified the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s Convention 159 on vocational rehabilitation and employment for people with disabilities. In 2022, it joined the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs Nguyen Van Hoi

“We continue to translate the conventions and international commitments into national law to take them to the next level, ensuring the achievement of sustainable development goals that are inclusive and leave no one, especially people with disabilities, behind”.

To realise the Constitution and international commitments, the Government submitted the Law on People with Disabilities to the National Assembly in 2010. In addition, the Prime Minister established the National Committee for Vietnamese Persons with Disabilities to assist in addressing relevant issues.

Currently, the social welfare system continues to expand its coverage and improve the quality of policies for the disabled. Over 1.6 million people with severe disabilities in the country receive monthly social allowances, and 96% of the disabled have health insurance cards.

Children with disabilities are assisted to receive inclusive education at educational institutions. For those who cannot participate in inclusive education, they are helped to attend specialised educational institutions.

Classes for children with disabilities at Khoai Chau Rehabilitation and Vocational Training School for People with Disabilities, Hung Yen province. (Photo: VNA)

The entire workforce of people with disabilities (nearly 4 million people) has been supported with vocational training, job creation, livelihoods, or access to loans with preferential interest rates to solve their own employment needs. They have also been given special attention and benefits when using transportation or visiting entertainment areas, cultural sites, and historical monuments, where they receive discounts or free entry.

Dang Van Thanh, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Federation on Disability, said the Party and State has provided the best support for them to integrate into life, thus creating equality in society. As a result, the life quality of the disabled has increasingly improved and their rights been ensured.

Rising to master technology

In order to leave no persons with disabilities behind, over the past years, the entire political system has engaged in assisting the group to integrate into the community, especially helping them access and use information technology (IT) so that they can assimilate into life more conveniently and fully.

Thanks to such support, IT has become the “hands” of physically disabled persons, the “ears” for the hearing impaired, and the “eyes” for those visually impaired. Digital technology has also helped bridge the gap between people with disabilities and those without.

Dang Van Thanh, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Federation on Disability (Photo: VNA)

“The development of science and technology has proved greatly useful for supporting people with disabilities, promoting their full integration and equality in society. Technology plays a significant role, helping to eliminate barriers and facilitate communication, information search, and job opportunities”.

To support them in accessing and mastering technology, the federation, along with 50 member organisations, has regularly organised IT training classes.

It has also collaborated with the Vietnam Institute of Software and Digital Content Industry under the Ministry of Information and Communications to develop software that provides statistics on the number of persons with disabilities, the types of disabilities, and their needs in areas like education, health care, and employment. Based on this data, the federation will propose and promote amendments to policies in order to best support vulnerable groups.

An overview of the seminar on global trends in employment for people with disabilities in IT sector, held in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)

According to Thanh, in the digital age, the disabled face many difficulties and challenges such as access and costs. Additionally, there are challenges related to resources and barriers linked with the perception towards them and their families.

People with disabilities in Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province, receive vocational support from “Hold My Hand” Project. (Photo: VNA)

An information technology vocational class for students with disabilities in Hung Yen province. (Photo: VNA)

Persons with disabilities working at a factory of Chilisin Vietnam Electronics Co., Ltd. (Photo: VNA)

In the coming time, the federation and its 50 member organisations will hold various activities to promote IT education and train online sales skills for persons with disabilities. At the same time, attention will be paid to assisting them to access information technology, thus helping improve their lives and reduce their dependency on society.

Over 10 years since the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was ratified and more than a decade since the Law on Persons with Disabilities came into effect, Vietnam has worked tirelessly to improve the accessibility for this vulnerable group.

Among these efforts, digital transformation in various fields has made significant progress, contributing to promoting the rights and assimilation of people with disabilities. It is a fact that more mechanisms and policies are still needed to help them to master technology earlier in life, leading to better job opportunities in the future and contributing more to society./.

Coaches and athletes with disabilities receive Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister in a programmme celebrating Vietnam Day for Persons with Disabilities (April 18) in 2024. (Photo: VNA)

Source: VNA