• Refreshing folk songs and nursery rhymes with rap lyrics
  • Lighting up dreams for young talents in Ca Mau

- Hi NomNom, what led a disabled TikToker like you to participate in some of the quite famous art projects recently?

TikToker NomNom: All the work opportunities came to me quite easily. I modeled for the graduation project of Nguyen Chau Phuong, a fashion design student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, because she knew me through the channel I built on social media platforms. Chau Phuong turned her personal experiences into a meaningful project: a collection of clothes for disabled women aged 18-25. I felt happy to showcase Chau Phuong's designs to people in the disabled community.

As for the role of singer Cao Thai Son's younger sister in the music video "Just Cry It All Out," it was a fortunate coincidence that I had been working on for a long time. A member of Cao Thai Son's team knew me, so when he read the script and saw a suitable role, he called and invited me to participate.

NomNom at the launch of singer Cao Thai Son's music video "Just Cry It All Out, My Dear".

- Do you feel that job opportunities and greater openness are opening up for people with disabilities?

TikToker NomNom: Nowadays, society offers many opportunities for people with disabilities like me. For example, many fashion shows are recruiting models for people with disabilities; or the Miss Crescent Moon pageant for people with disabilities that I'm participating in has given me and the disabled community more confidence. A few years ago, I viewed life through a pessimistic lens. Because I didn't see a bright future for people with disabilities like me, but now everything has changed for me.

Previously, I thought I would just do odd jobs to make ends meet, as long as it provided enough money to support myself and help my family. I never dared to dream of having many opportunities to collaborate in the arts, nor did I think that people would give many opportunities to people with disabilities. But now, I see more and more individuals showing concern for the disabled community. It's important to emphasize that this positive change is due to the spread of social media, starting with one individual and then spreading strongly to many others, subsequently developing throughout the entire community.

NomNom aims to build an optimistic and positive image of people with disabilities in the eyes of the community.

- Is life in a big city easier or more challenging for people with disabilities like you?

TikToker NomNom: I'm lucky to have many people reach out to me, so I can use my personal images to work more easily. But somewhere in my community, many people are still facing difficulties.

- What do you currently wish for yourself and for others in similar situations?

TikToker NomNom: I wish I had more health so I could do more for myself and have a more positive impact on the disabled community. Whenever I participate in any art program or social activity, I share it on social media, and the community members are very happy and motivated to try harder. For example, when they learned I was in a music video with singer Cao Thai Son, everyone was very excited and said, "It's something to be very proud of that someone from our community is in a music video with a famous singer."

NomNom (second from the left) and her disabled friends model for a fashion collection.

- Has your approach to making TikTok videos changed since you started having a more positive outlook on life?

TikToker NomNom: There have been many changes. Back when I first started as a TikToker, I thought I had to create content that would make people like me and have a positive attitude towards people with disabilities. But now, I don't prioritize views on TikTok anymore. I realize that people click the follow button because they want to follow my journey, to see what my daily life is like. This means people love me and want me to be happy with life, wanting me to overcome my insecurities and find better things for myself. Therefore, the topics on my channel are more diverse.

- What topics are you currently interested in and sharing about?

TikToker NomNom: I usually create content on personal topics that have an impact on my community and can help others like me. I want to build a positive image of people with disabilities, showing that even with physical impairments, they still have the skills and knowledge to develop and shine like other people.

However, for us to be recognized, I and other people with disabilities want to be empowered. For example, when I enter a workplace, the recruiter assumes that because I use a wheelchair, I can only do certain jobs. I once interviewed for a leadership position that required a lot of mobility. But because I use a wheelchair, they didn't hire me. I hope they can give me a chance to prove my capabilities.

Despite being in a wheelchair, NomNom still strives to perform well in her role as a model.

- How have you and other people with disabilities worked harder than before to achieve your dreams?

TikToker NomNom: What's different from before is the change in the mindset of people with disabilities. There are people who are paralyzed, even though they are confined to bed, they still try to livestream to sell goods and earn income, so as not to become a burden to their families and society. They don't use their physical disabilities to make money by exploiting people's pity and sympathy like in the past. They try to take advantage of trending social media trends to earn money using their own intelligence. This is a very commendable effort.

Thank you, NomNom!

Performed by Lam Khanh

Source: https://baocamau.vn/toi-mong-muan-nguoi-khuyet-tat-duoc-trao-co-hoi-de-phat-trien-va-toa-sang-a121160.html