“I rarely communicate with people with disabilities, so when I participated in this program, I felt a little bit bewildered. After experiencing a wheelchair game, I can relate to people with disabilities and admire their efforts in life.”
“I have never participated in such a program. I was so excited to be involved in these games. From my experiences I have come to love people with disabilities and empathize with their difficulties. I have also drawn many lessons for myself. The program pointed out that people with disabilities can be fully active in living and working as other people, if we are sociable, actively approach, not avoid them and help them become more confident in life.”
“As a student, I have never had the opportunity to take part in exchanges with people with disabilities. At first, I felt nervous and did not know what the program would be like. After playing these games, I found people with disabilities to be happy and sociable. I thought this was a meaningful program. I saw what they could do. They played sports, sang, and confidently expressed their abilities and participated in these games with other people.”
“I did not have the opportunity to interact with people with disabilities. After listening to their stories, I have come to admire their efforts. From this program, I would be more interested in supporting people with disabilities in my neighborhood”.
The statements above are the shared experiences of participants in the program “One world for all - making life happier”, which was organized by Center for Disabilities and Development (DRD) in cooperation with Department of Labour-Invalids and Social Affairs and The Union of Tay Ninh city at Tay Ninh Center for Fostering Politics on 7th, November 2018. The program is a part of the project called “Access for all”, which was funded by the US Agency for International Development. The program “One World for All” aims to provide opportunities for exchanges, closing the gap between disabilities and non-disabilities, and changing communities’ awareness of people with disabilities. There are more than 200 members of youth union and people with disabilities in Tay Ninh city that have participated in the program.
In the program “One World for All”, participants not only joined in connected activities but also come to realize the difficulties that caused by social environment for people with disabilities. The program is memorable not only for being joyful but also helping people experience the barriers faced by people with disabilities. The program aims to foster positive changes, creating a society without barriers for people with disabilities.
“People with disabilities have no choice to make their situation better or adapt to the environment. But we have the choice to make the environment easier for them. If you can easily walk, go closer to people with disabilities”. A young person also said this after participating in the program.
