A plan on support for persons with disabilities (PWDs) between 2012 and 2020 (Plan 1019) has gained certain encouraging outcomes, helping to improve the group’s living standards and access to equal opportunities, heard a recent conference in Ninh Binh province.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Tan Dung
speaks at the conference

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Tan Dung, who is also vice chairman of the national committee for PWDs, said Plan 1019, a major programme showing the Party and State’s attention to the disabled, has helped raise sectors and authorities’ awareness of and sense of responsibility towards PWDs, improve the group’s material and spiritual lives, and remove social barriers, thus creating equal chances for them to access basic social services, tap into their ability, and integrate into society.

Chairman of the Vietnam Social Security Fund Ta Viet Anh noted outcomes in the early detection, early intervention, orthopaedic surgery, and provision of supporting tools for PWDs between 2012 and 2020.

Each year, there are about 90% of pregnant women receiving prenatal disability screenings, 60% of children under 6 accessing postnatal screenings, and about 2,000 orthopaedic and supporting tools supplied for PWDs.

Over the last eight years, the Ministry of Education and Training has promoted inclusive education and carried out priority policies for disabled students as well as teachers engaged in inclusive education.

The number of students with disabilities going to school has increased 10-fold compared to the 2000-2010 period with improved quality. About 2,000-2,500 teachers have received training in inclusive education every year while 1,500 free braille boards and books been given to disabled students.

During the period, 17,000-20,000 PWDs received vocational training, 20,000 got job suggestions, and over 38,500 got loans from the national employment fund each year. Nearly 28,800 PWDs with financial problems were provided with legal assistance, and 400,000-500,000 families of PWDs and disabled persons received training in caring for PWDs, statistics show.

The plan on support for PWDs for 2021-2030 is set to remain in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of PWDs, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and relevant commitments of ASEAN. It will push ahead with programmes on assisting PWDs and encourage them to overcome difficulties, integrate into society, contribute to socio-economic development, and help their peers.

There are about 6.2 million PWDs in Vietnam at present, accounting for 7.06% of the population aged 2 and above. About 58% of them are female, and 28.3% are children.