Guidelines for the Provision of Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services for Persons with Disabilities

The Guidelines emerged from the basis of Vietnamese Law for Persons with Disabilities, the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the National Action Plan to Support Persons with Disabilities, and the efforts of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA). The Guidelines aim to increase the opportunities for vocational preparation, employment, and community integration for persons with disabilities. A person-centered planning model is used to provide a special opportunity to improve the lives of persons with disabilities. The Vietnam Association for the Handicapped (VNAH) partnered with MOLISA to develop the Guidelines, which were shaped by a MOLISA drafting team, VNAH staff, and other related organizations and agencies. The Guidelines provide a framework for the provision of vocational rehabilitation and employment services, including medical rehabilitation services, cognitive rehabilitation, social rehabilitation, and vocational rehabilitation. The services are designed to be person-centered, with a focus on increasing the opportunities for vocational preparation, employment, and community integration. The Guidelines outline the principles of the provision of vocational rehabilitation services, including vocational assessment, vocational rehabilitation counseling, vocational skills training, and support services. The services are designed to be implemented through a series of training workshops and the implementation of vocational rehabilitation and employment services through Hanoi Employment Service Center (HEIC) and other government and community partners. The Guidelines are a dynamic document that will change and grow as the vocational rehabilitation and employment services are implemented, staff is trained, and persons with disabilities are provided the opportunity and access to quality services. The ultimate goal is to increase the value of each person with a disability and enable them to be integrated and productive members of the Vietnamese society. Vietnam has committed to creating a job for every person who wants, needs, and looks for employment, with a focus on specific labor groups, including persons with disabilities. The Vietnamese Constitution ensures all civil rights, including government support to people with disabilities, and affirms that labor is both a right and an obligation of citizens. The Labor Code stipulates general regulations regarding employment for all individuals, including specific regulations for adolescent employees and other groups, including employment policies for individuals who are elderly and persons with disabilities. The Ordinances on Disability adopted in 1998 provide a comprehensive legal framework for disability, and Vietnam has actively adopted international and regional commitments regarding persons with disabilities. The country signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007 and committed to implement The Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-Free, and Rights-Based Society for Persons with Disabilities. The Guidelines for the Provision of Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services for Persons with Disabilities in Vietnam provide a framework for the implementation of person-centered services, with a focus on increasing the opportunities for vocational preparation, employment, and community integration. The Guidelines are a dynamic document that will change and grow as the vocational rehabilitation and employment services are implemented, staff is trained, and persons with disabilities are provided the opportunity and access to quality services.