"Key" for disabled people in Quang Nam to integrate and develop

People with disabilities participate in the Quang Nam Job Fair for People with Disabilities in December 2024. Photo: TAM DAN

This year, the Vietnam Association of Persons with Disabilities (VPA) has chosen the theme of Vietnam Day for PWDs as “Digital technology and accessibility with PWDs in mind”. The application of technology will help many PWDs have better access to information to integrate into society.

Lack of support

In Quang Nam province, there are currently 61,132 people with disabilities; of which 15,343 are extremely severely disabled, 40,820 are severely disabled and 4,969 are mildly disabled. In recent times, the work of assisting people with disabilities has received attention from sectors and localities in the province and achieved many results, demonstrated in the fields of health, education, livelihood, culture, sports, tourism, etc. However, in the field of information technology (IT), digital technology, it seems that the attention is still modest.

As a PWD living in Tam Ky City, Mr. Nguyen Van Quang said: “PWDs are a vulnerable group in society. In the context of the current technology boom, PWDs hope to receive more help and support in digital technology to access information and find job opportunities, such as online sales,” Mr. Quang shared.

Mr. Hua Quoc Dung - Chairman of the Provincial Association of People with Disabilities said that currently only a very small percentage, about 5 - 7% of people with disabilities in the province, work in the IT field. Access to digital technology for people with disabilities is very limited and receives little attention; most people with disabilities explore it themselves but application is difficult due to many barriers.

“The province’s programs and plans have set out goals to support PWDs in accessing IT, but so far they have received little attention and implementation. Even projects from non-governmental organizations provide little support in this area. Perhaps they find it difficult, so this content is still left open,” Mr. Dung shared.

In Quang Nam, in the annual and phased plans for supporting PWDs, targets and support contents related to IT are set out. For example, Plan No. 564 dated January 17, 2025 of the Provincial People's Committee sets the target of "20% of PWDs receiving assistance in accessing and using IT and communication services".

The plan also outlines four implementation contents in the support group on access and use of IT for PWDs. In particular, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Information and Communications (now the Department of Science and Technology) to create the best conditions to support PWDs in accessing and using IT and communications.

Speaking with a reporter from Quang Nam Newspaper, a leader of the Department of Science and Technology admitted that he has not yet implemented specific activities according to the province's plan.

Meanwhile, a representative of the state management agency for people with disabilities said that the content of assistance in accessing and using IT has not been mentioned in the report on assistance for people with disabilities, because the specialized sector assigned to carry out the work has not provided implementation results.

To “leave no one behind”

The contents of supporting PWDs to access and use IT according to Plan 564 of the Provincial People's Committee include developing online education and training systems and solutions for PWDs; building portals and websites that meet the criteria for supporting PWDs; researching and developing technologies to support PWDs to integrate into the community... This year, the Vietnam Association for PWDs chose the theme of Vietnam's PWD Day as "Digital technology and accessibility with consideration for PWDs".

Mr. Hua Quoc Dung - Chairman of the Provincial Association of PWDs said that this topic is very appropriate in the context of digital transformation being promoted and taking place strongly. Because without attention and specific actions, PWDs can easily be "left behind" in the country's digital transformation journey.

Vietnam currently has about 7 million people with disabilities; of which, nearly 29% are severely and extremely severely disabled, who face many barriers in using digital technology. How to help people with disabilities access digital technology, digital transformation and take advantage of opportunities for development is becoming a problem that needs to be solved by all levels, sectors and the whole society to be able to eliminate the digital gap.

According to the Vietnam Association for PWDs, the theme “Digital technology and accessibility with PWDs in mind” aims to promote two goals: encouraging the application of technology to help PWDs access information, education and employment; and promoting the development of an accessible online environment and digital services.

The Union believes that digital technology not only brings convenience to life but is also the key to opening up opportunities for integration and development for people with disabilities. Creating an accessible digital environment not only empowers disadvantaged groups but also promotes sustainable and equitable development for the whole society.

This is the time for both the public and private sectors to join hands in applying technology to create a truly barrier-free digital world - where every individual can access knowledge, job opportunities and maximize their potential.

According to the 2023 National Survey on PWDs by the General Statistics Office, the rate of children with disabilities going to school is slower than that of children without disabilities. Therefore, technology in the education sector will open up better learning opportunities for children with disabilities through accessible platforms such as online learning, easy-to-read electronic documents instead of printed documents...

Nowadays, thanks to technology, PWDs can work remotely, use support software to communicate or use artificial intelligence to improve the quality of work. Many IT companies have recruited PWDs and have proven the effectiveness of these workers.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/chia-khoa-de-nguoi-khuet-tat-quang-nam-hoa-nhap-va-phat-trien-3153040.html