Embrace opportunities and make your mark

At the age of one, I lost part of my left leg due to an arterial occlusion. Growing up, I dreamed of working to support others in situations similar to mine. That dream led me to pursue a degree in social work. However, the journey from dream to reality turned out to be far longer and more difficult than I had imagined. With my bachelor's degree in hand, I began my long search for employment — from applying for public service positions to seeking work at centers for people with disabilities. But everywhere I went, I was turned down. The reasons varied: some cited health concerns, others were more blunt — they rejected me simply because I was disabled.

Le Thi Tho supported women with disabilities during a counseling session on independent living for people with disabilities.

With each rejected job application, my hopes and dreams slowly crumbled. To survive, I had to set aside my aspirations and take on manual labor. My bachelor’s degree gathered dust in a quiet corner of the cabinet. There were times when I truly felt discouraged, but the desire to support people with disabilities never stopped burning within me. One day in February 2019, I came across a Facebook post shared by a friend about the project 'Enhancing Opportunities and Advancing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' implemented by ACDC with funding from USAID. I reached out to the project and the local association to seek advice regarding land issues. By chance, not long after, Mr. Hoàng Đức Dũng from the Vĩnh Linh District Association of Persons with Disabilities introduced me to a Training of Trainers course on gender-based violence prevention. From that moment, a new door began to open for me.

The Training of Trainers course on gender-based violence prevention for persons with disabilities gave me the opportunity to connect with others in similar circumstances who were also working in the disability field. I was able to deepen my knowledge and gain practical skills that I had only briefly encountered during my university studies. After accompanying the project through several activities, I was unexpectedly entrusted with the opportunity to become a trainer myself — to stand before a class and share the knowledge I had learned with persons with disabilities in my local community. It was something I had never imagined would happen. I still vividly remember the nervousness I felt the first time I stood in front of a training class. But the understanding eyes of those who shared the same journey gave me the courage to stay calm and fulfill my role.

Le Thi Tho has been highly active and dedicated in participating in relief efforts for persons with disabilities in Quảng Trị province

With the desire to regain my confidence and rekindle the passion I once had — as well as to do more meaningful work for the disability community — I decided to apply for an internship at ACDC's project office in Quảng Trị. I believed that this would be a place where I could overcome my own limitations — something that the ACDC project itself has always aimed to inspire. And it turned out to be the right decision. During just a short period of interning at ACDC, I gained valuable knowledge and skills to work effectively with persons with disabilities. I had the opportunity to witness firsthand the realities of people who shared similar experiences, to offer them encouragement and support, and to share information about laws and policies concerning persons with disabilities. This was exactly what I had longed to do.

I realized that I had grown significantly, and this was confirmed when I signed the official employment contract with ACDC in 2021. The door opened by the project 'Enhancing Opportunities and Advancing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' gave me the chance to reclaim my own dreams. My journey was truly just beginning.