An online talk show tilted “My Way to School” was recently held by Aus4Skills for Australian alumni and members of the Disability Inclusion Professional Group, People with Disability (PwD) and those who are interested in the topic.
Participants of the talkshow
The talk show offered a platform for PwD to share their own experience, the challenges they faced, and to raise their voice for a better access to education for PwD. Members of the Disability Inclusion Professional Group presented activities that reflect the commitments of the Australian and Vietnamese governments on promoting disability inclusion.
A presentation at the talk show
Mr Michael Sadlon, Aus4Skills Programme Director commented on the role and the importance of support from NGOs, and of the linkages between PwD’s organisations and the PwD. He also encouraged stronger linkages between the Disability Inclusion Professional Group of Australian Alumni in Vietnam and the Australian PwD in order to share and learn from each other’s experience.
Five guest speakers at the talk show are PwD. Ms Đào Thu Hương, an alumna from University of Victoria who currently works at UNDP Vietnam, shared her own experience as a blind person dealing with challenges such as the current regulations on disability certification. Mr Nguyễn Đức Thiện expressed his opinion that teachers can create an accessible environment for students with disabilities through creative ways of teaching.
Flute performance by Nguyễn Đức Thiện
By sharing “The sound of learning: A story from a deaf learner”, Phạm Anh Duy talked about the difficulties he faced during his study at Nhan Chinh Primary School in Hanoi. Anh Duy has graduated from Dong Nai College of Teacher’s Training and is currently attending Hanoi Pedagogical University. According to him, Deaf students need more time to study than normal students. They face difficulties communicating with other students due to the unavailability of teachers with knowledge in sign language at schools. In addition, sign language is not standardized, leading to an inconsistency in learning quality among different locations.
Ms Katherine Annear and Ms Tammy McGowan from the Network of People with Autism in Australia and New Zealand, presented about accessible schools to people with autism in Australia. Other discussions at the talk show provided inputs and suggestions for better accessibility of schools towards PwD.
Source: Education & Times
