Female student conquers top university despite being told 'blind can't study communications'

(Dan Tri) - Vu Thi Hai Anh was born blind. Before becoming a new student majoring in public relations, she was flatly rejected by a university because of her disability.

13 years old just started school, 24 years old became a freshman

Born in Nam Dinh, Vu Thi Hai Anh suffered from congenital atrophy and cataracts due to Agent Orange from her father. After two failed surgeries, Hai Anh could no longer see the light. Unwilling to see her disabled daughter illiterate, Hai Anh's mother worked to support the family and took the opportunity to learn Braille to teach her daughter. She taught Hai Anh to read, write, do math, and write. At the age of 13, when her peers were in 7th grade, Hai Anh was sent to school by her mother, studying with her 3rd grade friends. Three years later, at the age of 16, Hai Anh went to Hanoi alone to study at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Secondary School. To pursue her education, Hai Anh went to school and worked to cover her living expenses. In other words, she supported herself because her mother was no longer able to.

Portrait of Vu Thi Hai Anh - public relations student, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Photo: HH).

Overcoming all the difficulties and obstacles of her damaged eyes, Hai Anh studies very well, especially in social subjects. In 2019, she received a special prize in the 48th UPU letter writing contest. In the same year, Hai Anh won second prize in the National Reading Culture Ambassador contest. In 2020, Hai Anh received a certificate of merit for outstanding students in the capital. In 2022, she received a certificate of merit for outstanding youth nationwide from the Central Youth Union. This year, Hai Anh was selected as one of 55 students in the Northern region to receive a scholarship from the "Supporting Valedictorians" program of the Vietnam Young Talent Support Fund.

The program "Nang buoc valedictorian" honors and awards scholarships to new valedictorians entering universities and academies nationwide who are in difficult circumstances. This year, the program awarded scholarships to 120 students nationwide, including 55 students from universities in the Northern region (from Quang Tri and up) and 52 students from universities in the Southern region. 50% of these students are ethnic minority students. Each scholarship includes 10 million VND in cash and in kind.

Not only excelling in her studies, Hai Anh also works as an MC, writes for newspapers, and participates in non-governmental projects. She takes every opportunity to be present in these projects to connect experts, social and policy activists with people with disabilities, and seeks to bring legitimate benefits to her community. The process of social activities makes the blind girl dream of becoming an expert in the field of journalism and communication. In 2023, at the age of 24, Hai Anh applied to university. At the first school, she was flatly rejected. They told her directly, "How can a blind person study communication?" Hai Anh asked the school to let her try studying for a month. If she could not meet the requirements, she would proactively ask to quit. However, Hai Anh's request was not accepted. Hai Anh brought her application to the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Luckily, she was accepted into the Public Relations major thanks to her achievements and extensive experience compared to someone who had just graduated from high school. Hai Anh said that her mother was the one who opened the light of knowledge in her life, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities gave her the opportunity to touch her dream. Because for people with disabilities like her, no matter how determined they are to overcome difficulties, if society does not remove prejudices and is ready to open its arms to welcome them, it will be difficult to have the conditions to develop their abilities.

As you go, feel your way, there is no such thing as an impossible path.

Hai Anh currently lives with a friend. Every day, she goes to school with a white cane to find her way. After school, she works part-time, as has been her habit for the past 8 years, supporting herself alone in the city. Hai Anh makes a living by doing massage and acupressure, a profession that most blind and visually impaired people are trained in and choose as a livelihood. In addition, she works as an MC for student programs, removes bandages for research centers, and volunteers for community projects to gain experience and expand her network of relationships. With an income of about 3 million VND/month, Hai Anh tries to manage to cover her living expenses at a minimum level. She seeks additional scholarships and sponsorships to pay for tuition. Although many people in her community choose to work early, Hai Anh is determined to pursue her studies, accepting difficulties and challenges. In the field of public relations, a deaf person like her has to face many barriers. In a class with completely able-bodied students, Hai Anh is the only one with a disability, she has difficulty accessing documents and lectures. The lecturer mostly teaches with slides, which she cannot see. At first, Hai Anh was shocked, even burst into tears in class. Not seeing means not understanding anything. But Hai Anh did not give up because of that. "The source of books for the visually impaired is very limited. If I want to go to school, I have to find ways to convert the books myself. In class, I try to listen to the lectures, try to remember the keywords and find ways to understand them. If I can't see the slides, I ask my classmates to take pictures. Then I ask my friends to read. Even if I can't absorb 100% of the knowledge, I can still absorb 90-95%, that's already very happy," Hai Anh shared.

Vu Thi Hai Anh is one of 55 northern students awarded the Valedictorian Scholarship on the morning of January 9 in Hanoi (Photo: HH).

Hai Anh said that most of the students in her class are very good. They were all born in 2005, but some of them are already IELTS teachers, some of them have signed official contracts with media companies. After the initial shock and pressure, instead of being self-conscious, Hai Anh became more determined. The more difficult it is, the more she is urged to find a way with the walking stick of will and desire to understand, desire to conquer. The mantra that Hai Anh always recites every time she feels like she has reached a dead end is: "I can't do it now, not that I can't do it. I will do it and I must find a way to do it". And Hai Anh did it. By converting documents into documents for the visually impaired, Hai Anh passed the course exams with good results. She also participated in all activities for students, including volunteer activities for normal people, not limiting herself to the disabled community. After one semester, Hai Anh is confident that she has chosen the right career and the right learning environment. Teachers and friends have created conditions for Hai Anh to participate in all school and class activities like a normal person. Being treated fairly like a normal person is the most earnest wish of Hai Anh and her disabled community. Talking about her plans after graduation, Hai Anh expressed: "In the short term of 5 years, I hope to work for a non-governmental organization. In 10 years, I dream of establishing a social enterprise to support and create jobs for people with disabilities."

"I often get the question: What are the barriers for people with disabilities? The first barrier comes from themselves. People with disabilities always think about their weaknesses. For example, because I cannot see, I cannot work in public relations. They should look at their strengths. I cannot see, but I can hear and speak very well. Therefore, it is necessary to create an environment where people can see the success of people with disabilities. From the achievements of people in their community, other people with disabilities will change their perspective. However, the efforts of people with disabilities to overcome difficulties and change their perspective to change themselves is not enough if the community and society do not change their perspective on them. Society also needs to view people with disabilities more fairly and with less prejudice. We should not think that people with disabilities cannot do this or that, but create conditions and open our hearts, give them opportunities to prove that they can," said Vu Thi Hai Anh.

Dantri.com.vn

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