According to Dr. Vo Thi Hoang Yen, many barriers from construction works to traffic “block” people with disabilities (PWD) from independently going out to study and work to earn a living and contribute to society.
“Many roads are… blocked”
On August 6, the Australia-Vietnam Human Resources Development Program (Aus4Skills) held an online talk show on “People with Disabilities Accessible Cities: Built Environment and Transport “.
Presenting at the event, Dr. Vo Thi Hoang Yen, Director of the Center for Disability & Development (DRD), played a video clip showing the strenuous journey of a person in a wheelchair who needed to withdraw money from an ATM. He went to dozens of ATMs but could not access any because they were either too high, required too many stairs or were enclosed in booths that were too small to enter.
Many barriers from construction works prevent PWD from going out and integrating into society.
According to Dr. Vo Thi Hoang Yen, many barriers from construction works and traffic are inadvertently preventing PWD from going out to study and work to earn a living and contribute to society.
“There is no tactile pavement to guide the visually impaired. In some rare cases where there is tactile pavement, it has been installed incorrectly, leading the visually impaired into power poles or signboards. How can the hearing-impaired people hear the sound of an apartment’s fire alarm? If a classroom is on a high floor, how can people in wheelchairs get access? All the roads are blocked!”, DRD Director remarked.
Mr. Huynh Huu Canh (an official working with the Social Protection Center of Kien Giang province) has been visually impaired since the age of 8 due to a bomb accident. He said it was still difficult to get out of the house and catch the bus because traffic was chaotic.
“When I used a walking cane to guide myself on the road, sometimes I poked the cane into the sweet soup pot of a vendor on the sidewalk, or waved the cane to knock over a newsstand… I was most afraid of crossing the street, sometimes a car passing by would hit and break my cane. That made me feel insecure, and I had to rely on others for assistance,” said Mr. Huynh Huu Canh.
Guide ledges like this are rare in Vietnam.
“In the context of Covid-19 epidemic, everyone can see how difficult life is when movement is restricted. Meanwhile, PWD are facing such barriers every day in all aspects of their lives,” said Mr. Michael Sadlon, Aus4Skills Program Director.
An accessible city for everyone
Dr. Joanne Webber, Director of Disability Inclusion PTY LTD (Australia) who is a visually impaired person shared: “In Melbourne (Australia), I don’t even need to use a walking cane when I go out. There are navigation devices on the roads and I have an app to support me. I am always notified of my location, whether I am on the right track or not. I am very free to move around, participate in everything with my friends. It makes me very confident”.
However, when Dr. Joanne Webber experienced traffic in a Southeast Asian city, it was completely different.
“I had to use a navigating cane to get around, but I encountered many problems. I would be very afraid of motorbikes passing by when I was on the sidewalks. I didn’t dare to cross the street because there were too many vehicles…”.
“An accessible environment is very important, it helps me feel safe. In Australia, I don’t feel uncomfortable when I go out. But when I go to places that are not accessible, I feel like I am a PWD” – Dr. Joanne Webber said.
Students in Ho Chi Minh City experienced the feeling of PWDs and everyone felt “terrified”.
Dr. Vo Thi Hoang Yen hopes that one day in the future, Vietnam will also have accessible cities like Melbourne in Australia. Without the barriers that exist today, PWDs will be able to go out to study and make a living more easily.
According to her, Vietnam has the necessary legal framework and good policies to support PWDs in making cities more accessible. The important thing now is to enforce this legal framework and bring these policies to life.
“The building standards for access by PWDs have been in place for a long time. What we need to do is properly and fully implement those standards, but unfortunately too little attention has been paid to building standards. If developers who refused to comply were fined immediately by the authorities, there would be greater incentive to comply”, said Dr. Hoang Yen.
According to the Director of DRD, an accessible city is not only for people with disabilities but also for everyone.
“Everyone will eventually become old, with blurred vision, weaker legs. Some people will suddenly or temporarily become PWDs due to accidents…”
Dr. Vo Thi Hoang Yen shared: “There was a manager who had an accident and lost his eyes. He was shocked because there was no service to support the visually impaired outside his home. He was “imprisoned” in his own home because he could not go out”.
“Amongst the people who suddenly became disabled, some have committed suicide because they were too shocked, because they could not fit in,” said Dr. Vo Thi Hoang Yen.
Source: Tung Nguyen – Dantri
