Opening the door to employment for people with disabilities

Vocational training and job creation help people with disabilities have a stable income, open up opportunities to integrate into the community, and affirm their self-worth. However, to truly open the door to employment for them, there are still many barriers that need to be removed.

Binh Giang Disabled Women's Cooperative is creating jobs for 20 disabled workers.

Striving to rise

Born with disabilities, Ms. Vu Thi Que (born in 1964), in Nhuan Dong village (Duong An commune) persevered in learning sewing, then opened a workshop, teaching the profession for free to people in the same situation. In 2020, she founded the Binh Giang Disabled Women's Cooperative, creating jobs for 20 disabled workers in the locality and some neighboring places, with an income of 2 - 5 million VND/person/month. In addition to teaching the profession, Ms. Que also takes care of accommodation, introduces and helps some disabled students to work at some garment enterprises in the area.

With the desire to support people with disabilities to have stable jobs, in 2015, Mr. Mac Van Hat, in Ai Quoc ward, established TH Tien Manh One Member Co., Ltd., specializing in sewing office wear, school uniforms, and protective clothing. People with disabilities are trained by him for free, hired to work at the company or introduced to work at a number of garment and leather shoe export enterprises.

However, the company faced many difficulties in market competition and unstable orders. There were times when the company had to temporarily suspend operations, affecting the employment of people with disabilities. Mr. Hat proposed to be recognized as an enterprise employing disabled workers to receive support for loans, improve production conditions, as well as have preferential policies to expand production and business lines, thereby increasing income for disabled workers.

The model of job creation for the disabled is widespread in Hai Phong . The blind production and service enterprise at 57 Hang Kenh Street (Le Chan Ward) and 21 Kien Thiet Street (Hong Bang Ward) has long been a support for 50 blind or visually impaired workers. With the acupressure massage profession, workers have a good income of 7-9 million VND/person/month, with guaranteed accommodation. The total revenue of the 2 establishments in the first 6 months of 2025 reached 3.72 billion VND. Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, in Le Ich Moc Ward, used to be a manager of a large enterprise. After an accident, he lost his eyesight. He regained his faith in life when he learned the acupressure massage profession and now becomes a highly skilled worker at the enterprise. Mr. Cuong said that with an income of more than 10 million VND/month, it helps him cover his living expenses and reduce his dependence on his family.

According to the Hai Phong Blind Association, there are currently more than 55 massage and acupressure facilities and traditional massage services established by the association and its members, operating stably, creating jobs for nearly 500 disabled workers. The association is helping 68 members borrow capital from the National Employment Fund of more than 1.56 billion VND; supporting 17 members to access capital from the Social Policy Bank with a loan of 1.34 billion VND for economic development. This result partly reflects the continuous efforts of people with disabilities in finding job opportunities, rising out of poverty, reducing the burden on families and society.

The City Association of the Blind opened a massage and acupressure training class for the disabled.

Give a chance

Despite many positive changes, creating jobs for people with disabilities still faces many challenges. Ms. Vu Thi Que, Head of the Binh Duong Disabled Women's Cooperative

Giang said the current sewing workshop is cramped, lacking equipment and is in disrepair, while many disabled people want to learn a trade. She hopes to receive financial support to expand the workshop and create more job opportunities.

In addition, the source of loans for people with disabilities is still limited, and the level of support has not met the needs of expanding production. Many people have difficulty accessing capital due to lack of collateral or complicated procedures. According to Dr. Dang Quang Trung (University of Labor and Social Affairs), social prejudice is still a major barrier, causing many businesses to hesitate to recruit workers with disabilities. While in reality, they are completely capable of working effectively, it is just that the opportunities to demonstrate are too few.

Chairman of the City Blind Association Hoang Van Son said that it is necessary to expand and encourage the model of cooperatives and social enterprises of people with disabilities to develop sustainably with occupations suitable to the level and health of people with disabilities. In the coming time, the association will coordinate to organize training, improve information technology skills, and digital transformation associated with market needs for workers with disabilities. The association proposed that the city allow the use of borrowing or renting the old headquarters of the Hai Duong Province Blind Association (old) as a place to train workers with disabilities in the West.

NGUYEN NGUYEN

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/mo-canh-cua-viec-lam-cho-nguoi-khuet-tat-521283.html