Do Thi Huyen, Vice-Chairperson, Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities
Background
Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities (DP Hanoi) was officially established in 2006. It has over 14,500 individual people with disabilities from 48 organizations, including 30 district branches, and 18 clubs/centers in Hanoi.
In Bac Tu Liem district (Hanoi city), there is a sport center for everyone, but it is hard for people with disabilities to join because of being inaccessible in terms of building and equipment. Lack of confidence, disability, negative attitudes and misconceptions of a society in Vietnam have hindered persons with disabilities from participating in public sport centers.
In 2017 Mr. Nguyen Hung Ky, a weightlifting athlete, shared the idea of opening a gym in Bac Tu Liem to the Association of Persons with disabilities, Bac Tu Liem DPO (a member of DP Hanoi) Executive Board meeting to enable PWDs to do morning exercise. This idea met expectations of persons with disabilities and the potential resources that they could mobilize. Therefore, with the support from DP Hanoi for administrative procedures and Abilis Foundation from Finland for finance, a pilot project aimed at improving health, the quality of life and helping persons with disabilities quickly integrate into the social environment has been implemented at Bac Tu Liem district.
Process
Persons with disabilities have mobilized existing assets to open and maintain the gym. Members of the Executive Committee have been involved in conceptualization, project proposal writing, implementation, supervision of activities and mobilization of persons with disabilities to participate. Mr. Nguyen Hung Ky was assigned to be in charge of the gym and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Lan, Vice Chairperson of Bac Tu Liem DPO, was in charge of the overall management. The Abilis Foundation supported to purchase some training equipment and tools, as well as initial travel expenses. The Association mobilized the neighborhoods, district People’s Committees and schools to find suitable places for setting up the club. Tay Tuu Primary School gave a small corner of the sports house to be room for practice, supporting the security, cleaning, and facilitates convenient access. Persons with disabilities mobilized volunteers to give training free of charge such as yoga coaches, fitness instructors, teachers of table tennis from of Tay Tuu school, Mr.Ky instructed bodybuilding and weightlifting. When the club organized a sport competition, a number of gymnastics teachers and coaches at the District’s sport center enthusiastically assisted as referees. Those who wanted to participate in long-term sports at a higher level were introduced by Mr. Ky to the Sports Center of the persons with disabilities in Hanoi.
Project
When the gym was opened, the majority of persons with disabilities joined the practice. Gradually, family members of some persons with disabilities also participated in the practice. Taking part in practice helped persons with disabilities to improve their health, gain confident to integrate into society. Their social skills have been built such as communication, learning, networking skills…
Club provided classes on table tennis, badminton, chinese chess and yoga for at least 30 persons with disabilities and their family members. Management team organized a sport competition in the district, opening and closing ceremony to raise awareness on disability to public. They made equipment adjustment and video clips, writing articles for communication about their sport club and the project activities.
According to DP Hanoi and Bac Tu Liem DPO, the existing of this sport club run by organization of persons with disabilities definitely attracted local government’s attention in terms of supporting persons with disabilities in different fields including sport activities. Other social organizations in the area also encouraged Club activities, such as Youth Union and Women Union. Some women and youth without disabilities ever asked to join the Club and they suggested this model should involve everyone. Therefore, this advocated for the rights of persons with disabilities in access to recreations and sport activities.
What Worked
Recreation and sport activities can help persons with disabilities, especially, children with disabilities in developing physical, intellectual and social skills, support them in rehabilitation. These activities can also promote the participation of persons with disabilities in both family and society and thus creating a positive image of persons with disabilities as well as reducing the discrimination to persons with disabilities and increasing the quality for their lives. Especially, some female members have the opportunity to share personal problems after yoga meditation sessions, making them feel more positive about their lives. Many families have encouraged their members with disabilities to keep participating in the club.
Tay Tuu Primary School also introduced this gym model to the education management offices. Moreover, school staff, teachers and students also come to the gym when they have time.
District People’s Committee appreciated this gym as a good model to promote community-based sports. In 2018, Bac Tu Liem DPO received a recognition award given by Bac Tu Liem People’s Committee for this initiative model which could be expanded to another districts later on.
Challenges
The Management Board (MB) assigns persons to be on duty at the gym to guide members when they come to practice. Over the time, maintaining the gym has challenges. Some Management Board members are busy, cannot be on duty often. Public and community’s attitudes and misconception to persons with disabilities joining sport activities is still discrimination against persons with disabilities due to their disability. The sport club is located in school so sometimes depending on the guard of the school to open the house and especially, the toilet are inaccessible for persons with disabilities. Lack of coach who have knowledge and skills to work with and support persons with disabilities; Many persons with disabilities still lack of confidence to go out of their houses and using public transportation to go this sport club.
Key Insights
Recreation and sport activities can help persons with disabilities both physically and spiritually increase their self-esteem and greater self-efficacy, gradually enhance their status in the community and local government. The community have positive views about persons with disabilities and are willing to support them.
The group can do income generation by running the sport club, both persons with disabilities and who are without disabilities are welcome to join the sport activities at the club. The future plan is that membership fee will be free for persons with disabilities but for members without disabilities will be charged some fee. Also, the sport club may sell some kind of equipment, sport clothes…to maintain the club.
In the phase 2 group plan to build an inclusive community, including activities of networking within the participants by group speaking at the end of each lesson, some awareness raising activities to different audiences, sport competition, etc.
Before having sport club for persons with disabilities in Bac Tu Liem district, persons with disabilities did not have the suitable place to practice for their health. This kind of sport club was established to create opportunities for them to practice and improve their social skills, helping them confidently integrate into society. These results have encouraged persons with disabilities and their families to participate in activities for persons with disabilities. This has had a positive impact on the local government and society to make the rights of people with disabilities real.
