Career aspirations of people with disabilities - Part 1: "Opening the way" for people with disabilities

Having a stable job to support themselves and their families is the desire of many people with disabilities. In Quang Binh , the journey to realize that dream is being written every day with the support of the government, social organizations and most of all, the determination of the people involved. That "resonance" has gradually opened the way for the disadvantaged to rise up with their own hands and determination.

Policies on vocational training and livelihood support for people with disabilities have been realized through specific classes.

Rise by willpower

In an old level 4 house in Bau Soi village, Van Hoa commune (Tuyen Hoa), Mr. Tran Duc Duong (born in 1976), a man who has gone through many difficult days, still quietly overcomes his fate. A work accident in 2004 left him with no intact hands, completely losing the ability to work like a normal person. But in his thin figure and thoughtful eyes, there is hidden an unyielding will that nothing can defeat.

The whole family depends on a few fields of rice and his wife's job of repairing old clothes, but Mr. Duong has never stopped cherishing the dream of building a model of breeding pigs to improve income, so that his children can fully study, and family life will be less difficult. Hope was lit up in May 2023, when the People's Committee of the commune connected him with the Association for the Development of People with Disabilities (AEPD) of Quang Binh. Thanks to the livelihood support project sponsored by the EDEN Social Welfare Fund (Taiwan), Mr. Duong was granted capital to buy breeding pigs, realizing his dream of many years. The pigs grew well, helping his family increase a stable source of income. Not stopping at the first litter, he continued to breed mother pigs for the second litter. "Thanks to this breeding model, my family has more income, life is much less difficult," Mr. Duong shared.

With capital support, Mr. Tran Duc Duong invested in livestock development, increased income, and stabilized family life.

The story of Mr. Tran Duc Duong is not only a beautiful story of perseverance to overcome fate, but also a clear demonstration of positive changes in vocational training and livelihood support for PWDs in Quang Binh. Over the years, thanks to the coordination between social organizations, sponsors and local authorities, hundreds of PWDs like Mr. Duong have received vocational training, capital support, and business start-up advice to earn a living and live a meaningful and valuable life, and to continue on their own journey of faith and hope.

For many people, disability is not only a physical defect but also an invisible barrier to accessto education , employment and community integration. Monthly allowances are not enough for them to live as valuable people. And that is what creates an urgent need: to give them a job to live, to be independent, to reduce their inferiority complex. However, teaching a job to normal people is difficult, teaching a job to PWDs is an even greater challenge, because not all jobs are suitable, not all localities have enough facilities and teachers to start. Therefore, the efforts of the province in recent years are truly remarkable, because it is a transformation from "giving fish" to "giving fishing rods", from "humanitarian assistance" to "empowering autonomy".

Join hands to support

Policies on vocational training and livelihood support are no longer just on paper, but are being realized through specific classes and livelihood models that meet the needs. What is more valuable is that these efforts are always accompanied by silent but strong support from social organizations, which deeply understand that a pair of scissors, a needle, a small job... can also save a life.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Hao, Program Manager (AEPD Quang Binh) said: From 2021-2024, the association has opened vocational training classes for 210 PWDs, with occupations such as: Sewing, electronics, refrigeration, mechanics, motorbike repair, weaving, making rice paintings...; training on livestock and farming for 1,175 people; training on business administration for 1,250 people; building 2,615 livelihood support models with a total amount of more than 23 billion VND... At the same time, connecting with local businesses to create jobs after training or supporting students to access start-up capital, thereby helping PWDs to be partly independent in their lives.

In the period 2008-2023, the Provincial Association for the Blind coordinated to open 19 vocational training classes for more than 365 members, with 80% of them having jobs after vocational training. From 2007 to now, the association has established 213 projects with a turnover of more than 7.5 billion VND for 817 blind people to borrow capital to create jobs and attract more family workers to participate. Thanks to diligence, creativity, and hard work, many blind people have promoted their loan capital, invested in legitimate jobs, contributing to sustainable poverty reduction...

Quang Binh currently has over 45,000 people with disabilities, accounting for 5% of the population, of which the majority of people with disabilities cannot live independently, mainly relying on family and relatives, and only about 15% of people with disabilities can generate their own income.

Not only stopping at vocational training, the associations also focus on equipping life skills, communication skills, supporting PWDs to overcome psychological barriers, overcome inferiority complex to proactively participate in social activities. Communication sessions, policy dialogues, and seminars on entrepreneurship for PWDs have been contributing to changing community awareness, gradually eliminating the prejudice that "PWDs can only live on subsidies".

It can be seen that the efforts in vocational training and job creation for PWDs do not only come from the state management level but also spread from the hearts of those who accompany, understand and persistently stick with the disadvantaged community. It is this perseverance that has helped PWDs become proactive individuals, live independently and be useful to their families and society.

Peace of Mind

>>>Lesson 2: The door is still not open

Source: https://baoquangbinh.vn/xa-hoi/202505/uoc-mong-nghe-nghiep-cua-nguoi-khuet-tat-bai-1-mo-loi-cho-nguoi-khuet-tat-2226285/