On October 10, Disability Resource and Development (DRD) hosted a meeting with representatives from Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) and people with disabilities (PWDs) to learn about the difficulties PWDs encounter in seeking employment.

Representing VSO were: Mr. Alan Smith, VSO regional director for Southeast Asia; Ms. Song Nga Le, volunteer coordinator in Ha Noi; and Ms. Kathleen Japster, a VSO volunteer at DRD.

Ms. Phuong Hanh Duong, Hearing Impairment Field Coordinator at DRD, shared her struggle in finding employment. After 6 years of unemployment, she began working at testing lab where she wrestled with listening to the sound of equipment in case of impending danger. She had to ask others to listen for her, included her supervisor and boss. It was difficult to balance this line of work with her personal shortcoming, however, and Ms. Duong found a new job as an interpreter, a job that did not require ears, but patience and language ability. She was successful in her first job interview in the city, and from there, she learned more about the field of hearing impairment and DRD. Fortunately for Ms. Duong, DRD was in need of someone with her abilities and she was delighted to find her own career path.

Mr. Alan Smith also recounted his story: after graduating with a degree in biochemistry, he began teaching biology. However, he couldn’t find a greater meaning to or fondness for his job so he began to gravitate toward community development. When asked, “Do you regret leaving your job,” he responded that his friend had become very successful in biochemistry, but for Mr. Smith, he loved his work in community development and volunteer coordination.

Ms. Cuc was a second-year student at a literature school in Hanoi until 1975. Her friends were able to go into education, but Cuc was unable to due to her disability. Currently, she works as a typist but she wishes for a better career and an opportunity to learn more computer skills to obtain a stable office job.

Mr. Hung Anh Nguyen is a person with disability who has seen some success in the workforce. He started his own small company with 6 employees but without management experience at the young age of 22, the company went bankrupt. He started going door to door looking for jobs, but was unable to perform the heavy lifting and endure the physical stamina many jobs required. At the moment, Mr. Nguyen is studying graphic design and is currently looking for a job that requires less physical activity.

Ms. Trang, a hard of hearing individual, found a job at a café. Her wage gradually increased from 600,000VND to 1,000,000VND, but she worked long hours from 7:30am to 10:00pm, 7 days a week, with a lot of responsibilities. She eventually left her job because she couldn’t handle the stress and pressure. Ms. Kathleen Japster has helped Trang find a job at Sozo café on Bui Vien street.

Ms. Truc Giang studied business administration and got a job at an assets company. The salary wasn’t high but she wanted to gain experience. Everyday, Giang had to drive up a large hill, but her small, weak hand made her more susceptible to losing control of the handlebars and she could have had an accident at anytime. This prospect worried her boss as it would affect the company and in the end, he advised her to quit.

Mr. Smith asked if situations like this where the employee is asked to resign based on her disability could be brought to trial in Vietnam. Ms. Hoang, the director of DRD told him there have been some trials but not very many were successful.

Mr. Nhan, a hard of hearing individual, was a hardworking student who had to wear a hearing aid and read her teacher’s lips in class. After graduating, Nhan applied for jobs at 3 companies. At her first job interview, the employer thought her hearing aid was an MP3 device and that she was listening to music during the interview. The second company Nhan applied to was recruiting both males and females, but when they discovered she was hard of hearing, the company told her they were only hiring males. At the third company, the employees would talk behind her back to see if she could hear them.

The attendees at the meeting seemed happy to be able to share their experiences, thoughts, and hopes with others. Mr. Smith concluded with a few remarks on the role of PWDs in society and Ms. Lan Em offered possible job opportunities for PWDs at her newly-opened pharmacy.

Huynh Ngoc Bich

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