More than ten years after introducing legislation on the Disabled, many people with disabilities have had an opportunity to fully integrate into the community, thanks to incentive policies on healthcare, rehabilitation, education and job generation. In some localities. however, mechanisms and policies, particularly concerning vocational training and job creation have not been well put in place. Disabled people still encounter discrimination which directly affects their standard of living.

Although the State has made many decisions and circulated guidelines on the provision of vocational training and jobs for the disabled, it is difficult for them to enjoy the benefit of these preferential policies.

Businesses hesitate to recruit the disabled

The Government has encouraged all organisations and individuals in the country and abroad to help disabled people overcome their difficulties and take part in social activities on an equal basis. Under its decision, each business must employ at least one disabled, and the employment rate of disabled people in each business must account for 2-3 percent of the workforce.  If a business can not recruit any disabled people, it must contribute money social funds.

In fact, many businesses still hesitate to employ people with disabilities, and most provincial funds for the disabled have almost run out. According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), only 11 out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide have their own social funds.

Nguyen Xuan Lap, deputy head of MOLISA’s Social Support Department, says that few disabled people with special abilities can run a business on their own, while other people with disabilities work in cooperatives with family members. It is still difficult for them to get employed in companies because of their poor health and lack of qualifications. Many businesses do not want to employ the disabled because they worry that they may become a burden on their operation.

Employment ensures human rights for people with disabilities
According to the draft Law on people with disabilities passed at the sixth session of the 12^th National Assembly on November 24, there are no compulsory regulations for businesses to recruit disabled people. The draft law put forward incentives and supportive policies for businesses who employ disabled people.

Under article 8, in chapter 26 of the draft law, the State encourages all agencies, organisations and businesses to recruit people with disabilities. Businesses whose workforce is made up of 2-51 percent of disabled people can enjoy tax incentives and borrow capital at preferential interest rates.

Mr Nguyen Xuan Lap said that the regulations in the draft law meet the aspirations of people with disabilities who want to have the same rights as other people in the recruitment process. He added that providing care and helping the disabled re-integrate into the community was considered as part of charity work in the past. Today, this aims to uphold disabled peoples human rights.

Nguyen Ngoc Anh, the head of the Vietnam Association of Business Enterprises of Persons with Disabilities (VABED), says that getting a job give the disabled an opportunity to integrate into the community and carry on with their own life. To generate jobs for the disabled, the association and businesses have worked together to run vocational training courses and more than 80 percent of those trainees have been employed.

In fact, Anh says in the first three months of working, many disabled people want to quit because they still feel awkward about their position. If they get through this difficult period, they usually work for the company in the long-term. For those who get a job through the employment transaction floors, the Association keeps in touch with them for three months and encourages them to overcome the psychological change and continue working.