Vietnam and Disability Rights: Perspectives at the Ratification of the Uncrpd

Background & Rationale

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) seeks to set international standards for the human rights of people with disabilities across eight core domains (UN Enable, 2007). Vietnam, where at least 7.9% of citizens have disabilities (NCCD, 2009) ratified the CRPD in 2015 (Disabled World, 2016), signaling an intention to go beyond simple protection of rights, to strive toward full inclusion of people with disabilities in Vietnamese society. This study sought to address the following research question: At the time of Vietnam’s ratification of the CRPD, how do people with disabilities and their supporters perceive their status (vis-à-vis CRPD’s eight core principles)?

Methods

This qualitative study included interviews with 28 individuals, and was conducted in Da Nang, an urban center on the central coast of Vietnam. Participants included adults with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, education and health professionals who served individuals with disabilities, and local government officials. Participants engaged in a semi-structured interview in Vietnamese, which was later conceptually translated to English for analysis.  Each interview lasted roughly one hour and was conducted at a place of the participant’s choosing. Analysis followed a hybrid template analysis approach, in which an initial thematic analysis following the procedure prescribed by Braun and Clarke (2006) generated a set of themes. Those themes were then arrayed against an analytic template derived from the eight core principles of the CRPD (2007). Though member checking was not possible, results were vetted with an expert in disability services in Vietnam in order to enhance credibility.

Results

Results followed the core principles of the CRPD, and will be explained in full, with representative quotations in our presentation. Due to the space constrains of this abstract, only partial results are reported here. Many participants reported that, though Vietnam has adopted policy to protect basic rights of individuals with disabilities, integration into the fabric of Vietnamese life remained elusive for people with disabilities. Physical accessibility, especially in transport and schools was a major challenge. The desire of most participants for people with disabilities to be regarded as “normal” appeared to run counter to CRPD’s mandate to view disability as a form of diversity. Equality of opportunity for people with disabilities was elusive, as opportunities to attend school, secure employment, and build fully inclusive relationships with friends and neighbors were all difficult. Taken as a whole, the results suggest that Vietnam has put into place some basic protections for people with disabilities, but that true adherence to the CRPD’s main tenants was weak at the time of ratification.

Implications

These results suggest that Vietnam is currently compliant with only the minim requirements of CRPD, and that much effort needs to be made to promote true inclusion of people with disabilities in the fabric of society. Strengthening educational policy may be of particular importance in improving conditions for people with disabilities in Vietnam. The potential Western bias of CRPD and the resultant cultural mismatch with Vietnamese culture will also be discussed.