Education for All Children with Visual and Multiple Disabilities in Vietnam Sister Van Nga Le Nhat Hong Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired VIETNAM

Content Situation Challenges Solutions

Situation Number: >1,000 children with MDVI Level: mild to severe visual and mutiple disabilities Living area: most in rural areas, fewer in urban areas.

Situation Receiving Educational service: ¼ receive educational service ¾ receive no educational service

Educational settings Nhat Hong Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired NDC School for the Blind Private organizations.

Financial support BVCF CBM PI ONNET Other donors

IEP General Curriculum Abilities Desires Living conditions

EARLY INTERVENTION Early identification. Working with parents & care givers. Skills development.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION For children with mild MDVI Pre-integration skills. Providing educational materials and support teachers.

TEACHER TRAINING No long-term training Various short-term training Module of MDVI in curriculum of teacher training.

CHALLENGES Very few schools or centers serving children with MDVI. - Lack of trained teachers. - Lack of specialists. - Lack of educational materials.

Long distance between families and schools. - Lack of public transportation. - Lack of private transportation - Very few residential schools.

Social awareness - People - Parents - Local communities

Network - Hospitals & schools - Schools & other agencies

SOLUTIONS Nhat Hong Center provide service for children with MDVI, regardless their level of visual and multiple disabilities, and their life conditions.

A flexible model of service delivery - Special or inclusive schools - Live at home, orphanage or schools - Summer camp

Including career training into the Transition program. - Learning to work - Working to learn - Ready for getting suitable job

Educational material resources - Low-cost technology - Low-cost materials - Library service

Human resources - Send teachers to attend trainings outside. - Conduct short-term trainings at Nhat Hong Center - Provide training materials

Networking - Association for the Blind - Hospitals & other agencies - Authorities & communities - Teachers & schools - Orphanage & families

Awareness raising - Public speech - Events - Flyers, booklets, video - Public media - Internet

CONCLUSION Education for All - The right to be care, educated and work. - There is no child who cannot learn, only teachers who do not know how to teach.

Education will help children with MDVI - to live more independently and happily - to be inclusive - to have a better future

Thank you! Sister Van Nga Le Email: srvannga@gmail.com www.happysuncenter.org