On 8 August, the Center for Research and Action for Inclusive Development (IDEA) took part in the workshop “Promoting implementation of the Law on Persons with Disabilities”. The workshop was organised by the Association for the Development of People with Disabilities of Quang Binh province (AEPD) in coordination with the Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities and CISR – the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at James Madison University (United States). Its purpose was to help raise understanding of the Law on Persons with Disabilities, and thereby promote implementation of Vietnam's Law on Persons with Disabilities through behaviour-change communication campaigns.
Attending the workshop were representatives of the Department of Social Protection, representatives of the United States Embassy, representatives of a number of departments, boards and sectors, and more than 20 representatives of organisations of people with disabilities in Hanoi. This was an opportunity for the organisations to share their views on implementing the Law on Persons with Disabilities in Vietnam, the problems encountered in implementing it, and to discuss ways to promote its implementation. The workshop included Mr Ken Rutherford, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, sharing his own experiences of his injuries and how he advocated through the Law on Persons with Disabilities in the United States. His speech also shared much knowledge and experience that can be applied in advocating for implementation of the Law in Vietnam.
The workshop's discussion session was lively, with delegates presenting specific solutions to promote implementation of the Law on Persons with Disabilities in each area, such as education, culture, sports and tourism, vocational training and employment, and all actively contributing their views and agreeing to establish a network of organisations of and for people with disabilities to join hands and act together.