Campaigning for access in Viet Nam

Handicap International reports that between 4.5 and 7 million (6 to 9 percent) of Viet Nam's population is disabled, of which up to 42 percent have motor impairments (difficulty with movement). The Youth Disabled Association (YDA) and Handicap International used the occasion of World Disability Day on 3 December 2004 to launch a campaign in Ho Chi Minh to raise public awareness on accessibility issues.

The campaign formed part of ongoing efforts to transform laws on accessibility into concrete changes. It chose to emphasise efforts already made to enhance accessibility. YDA members identified criteria and issued stars to public buildings in recognition of the level of accessibility achieved:

• Three stars for full accessibility for wheelchair users, with no external assistance required.
• Two stars for accessibility for wheelchair users, with external assistance required.
• One star for accessibility for someone with a disability and able to walk, but not for wheelchair users.

YDA and student volunteers undertook door-to-door screening of 106 public places, including administration offices, shops, places of worship, hotels, and health and education centres. They discussed accessibility issues with managers and provided advice on simple ways to improve access.

Fifty-three percent of the managers were co-operative, immediately displaying the sticker at their front entrance, which included the message, 'Friends with disabilities are welcome' in Vietnamese. One group, however, felt that disabled people did not represent significant potential as clients. A few managers feared being denounced by the authorities for agreeing to changes without permission. Others did not want to display the sticker because they thought it would attract people with disabilities begging for discounts.

Despite these concerns and the small scale of the campaign it was considered successful because it:

• provided the public with a positive image of disabled people, actively involved in overcoming obstacles to their mobility
• demonstrated to managers that small adjustments to their buildings could significantly improve accessibility
• showed that disability issues can be of interest to the public: the campaign was reported on television, in popular newspapers and on the radio.

Campaigns such as these are important because:

• Even if official laws change, efforts must also be made to change people's attitudes and practices, otherwise there will be no discernible benefit for disabled people.
• They demonstrate that disabled people can and should be involved in lobbying for issues that concern them.
• They show that improving accessibility to existing buildings does not always require drastic changes. Many buildings are already at least partially accessible.

Patrick Le Folcalvez
Handicap International (Belgium)
133/5 Hoa Hung, Q.10
TP Ho Chi Minh
Viet Nam
T/F +84 8 864 39 31
handicap@hcm.vnn.vn

See also

Accessibility Campaign, Ho Chi Minh City, 28/11-03/12/04, Handicap International, 2004

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