Le Minh Tu, a first-year disabled student at the Psychology Faculty of Van Hien University, talks about difficulties facing her study. (Photo: sggp.org.vn)

2 years ago, the University of Pedagogy and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City created a comfortable learning environment and facilities for 57 disabled students.

According to Le Huu Thuong, the project’s coordinator, it’s the cooperation of the universities that has made the project a success. 

“The disabled students have seen great changes in integrating into the environment of the university and the community. The teaching staff have made adjustments so those students can access the curriculum like other students,” Thuong added.

Le Huu Thuong, the project’s coordinator, presents a report at a seminar “Increasing education access for students with disabilities” held in Ho Chi Minh City in October. (Photo: drdvietnam.org)

Project participants include 16 teachers and education experts from the two universities, who spend time listening to the needs of the disabled students, and then work out ways to support them. The teachers have created new models to help the disabled such as Braille maps, and audio versions of documents.

MA Huynh Cong Ba with the Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy says the project has brought teachers and their students closer together.

Ba said: “The beneficiaries of the project not only get a better, more comfortable learning environment, but also opportunities to better integrate into the community.”

Nguyen Dinh An, a student in the Department of Special Education at the University of Pedagogy, said his life has considerably changed, thanks to the project. An and other disabled students now have access to document sources.