Blind boy's dream of an inclusive society

People with disabilities often face invisible social prejudices, but blind man Hoang Nhat Minh from Ho Chi Minh City has overcome them all.

His journey is not only a story of academic success, but also a mission to build an inclusive society where people with disabilities not only receive support but also create value for the community.

Hoang Nhat Minh graduated from RMIT University. (Photo: NVCC)

Born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Hoang Nhat Minh studied at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Special School for the visually impaired. The person who always supported him every step of the way was his mother.

She instilled in him the belief that a collegeeducation was always within his reach.

At this special school, Minh was inspired by two friends, Nguyen Tuan Tu and Nguyen Thanh Vinh, who had won prestigious international school scholarships. Their success ignited in him the dream of winning his own scholarship.

Overcoming social prejudice

After graduating from high school, Minh applied to five universities, but was rejected by four. These schools believed that a blind student would have difficulty succeeding in creative fields such as languages ​​or communications.

RMIT University Vietnam saw Minh's potential and decided to award him a full scholarship to study Professional Communication.

Minh shared emotionally: “The moment I received the RMIT ‘Wings of Dreams’ scholarship was the biggest turning point in my life.” This scholarship not only helped him access international standard education, but also gave him the opportunity to prove that people with disabilities can absolutely succeed in a university education environment.

The major Minh chose to study at RMIT is one that requires practical skills such as filming and photography, skills that many people might think a blind person cannot perform.

But with encouragement from teachers and friends, and support from the Equity and Accessibility Department at RMIT, he turned his self-doubt into confidence.

While studying was challenging, overcoming social prejudice was even harder. When he won the scholarship, no one but his mother believed he could do it. It was his mother's belief that became a beacon of light, helping him overcome all difficulties.

Hoang Nhat Minh shares at the Australian Government Scholarship Award Ceremony. (Source: Aus4Skills – Australia Awards Vietnam)

After graduating from RMIT, Minh took on the role of Child Development and Special Education Specialist at Saigon Children's Charity, where he was in charge of cyber safety projects and managed the Special Education program's communications channels.

In addition to his work at Saigon Children's Charity, Minh also serves as a mentor for students at Nhat Tam Unison, which specializes in vocational training for autistic youth, and teaches Aikido to students with Down syndrome at PEAWIL.

Minh will continue to maintain close ties with RMIT University as a guest speaker for Global Careers courses and as an advisor for RMIT’s Accessibility Design Competition from 2022 to 2024.

With strong support from his family, he believes that work is not only a way to earn a living but also a way for him to give back to society.

Open up the horizon of big dreams

Determined to overcome his own limits, Hoang Nhat Minh applied for the Australian Government Scholarship - one of the most prestigious and competitive scholarships.

The journey to win the scholarship lasted 3 years, with 2 rejections, but Minh did not give up. Instead, Minh constantly improved his profile, learned from his failures and came back stronger after each attempt.

On his third attempt, Minh succeeded and officially became the recipient of the Australian Government Scholarship. He was particularly impressed by the program’s person-centered approach, which allows students with disabilities to bring a support person with them throughout their studies.

“The Australian Government Scholarship is not only an opportunity to study, but also an opportunity to become a global citizen,” Minh shared.

This year, Minh will start the Master of Education program at Flinders University (Australia), focusing on 3 main areas: Special Education and Inclusion, School Counselling and Educational Management.

He hopes to use this knowledge to promote inclusive education policy reform in Vietnam. After completing his Master's program, he plans to spend 2 to 4 years working in Singapore or Malaysia, countries known for their advanced inclusive education systems.

The blind boy also hopes to learn from modern inclusive education models and build relationships with global experts in the field.

Minh dreams of building a more inclusive society where everyone is empowered to reach their full potential. (Photo: NVCC)

Minh's long-term vision is to return to Vietnam and establish a "Circle of Support" for people with disabilities, focusing on support resources from family, community and society.

The goal is to develop inclusive education programs and implement the "Individual Learning Plan" model for students with disabilities at Vietnamese universities.

For him, this scholarship is not only financial support, but also a door that opens up the horizon of great dreams that he never thought of.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/uoc-mo-ve-mot-xa-hoi-hoa-nhap-cua-chang-trai-khiem-thi-299475.html