Thua Thien Hue: The second home visit and consultation on independent living for persons with disabilities

Members of the counseling group this time are social and cultural officers, health staff and members of OPDs who participated in the first home visit.    

Under the guidance and enthusiastic counseling of the officials, persons with disabilities shared that there are many positive changes in their health and spirit after regular application of musculoskeletal exercises, massage, and change positions which were guided at the first home visit. Furthermore, many inaccessible items were repaired and renovated by families of persons with disabilities including arranging furniture neatly, installing handrails, creating ramps to the house, building more steps, expanding the steps, renovating the stairs, using anti-slip mats in the bathroom, lowering the height of the kitchen shelves,..Especially, a lot of families are poor households with difficulty in economic conditions but they have taken advantage of simple, locally available, and inexpensive materials to improve the space in the family as well as the surroundings for the living and moving of persons with disabilities. Some families have used bamboo to make a roof covering the walkway, bamboo handrails leading to the toilet, and using wood to renovate stairs... etc. In spite of the simplicity, these renovations have shown a considerable change in the awareness of persons with disabilities and their families about independent living, supporting persons with disabilities to confidently rise up with their own abilities.

Apart from the change in households, the officers participating have made positive progress in their skills in interaction and counseling for persons with disabilities. During the second home visit, the officials continued to counsel on personal living, home renovation, and integrated livelihood counseling for persons with disabilities who are having difficulty. At the same time, the officials also affirmed that they will continue to carry out this activity to support persons with disabilities and their families better in the coming time.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Chau - social and cultural officer in Quang Nham commune, A Luoi district shared, “Through this home visit, most persons with disability have changed, and a lot of houses have been improved and repaired very well. I feel that this is a very meaningful activity, especially when the family has become more responsible for caring and ensuring the safety of persons with disabilities. In the past, I really didn't know how to guide persons with disabilities, through training and practical activities like this, I can learn a lot of things to support and give more advice to persons with disabilities. It is not only these houses but also others.”

The recent home visits and counseling activities are within the project "Raising Voices, creating opportunities for persons with disabilities in the period 2021-2024" funded by the Agency for International Development (USAID). The project hopes that these activities will provide more knowledge and skills for local officials in supporting persons with disabilities as well as building an independent living model in the locality, which contributes to helping persons with disabilities live independently and being more confident to integrate into the community.