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Nguyen Thi Thu took the initiative to involve her daughter, Nguyen Ha Thanh, in Special Olympics. Starting with bocce, Thu has now launched a swimming club for people with intellectual disabilities to broaden the Special Olympics opportunities for her daughter and others in their community. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Vietnam
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Special Olympics Helps Create a World of Acceptance and Inclusion in Vietnam
Families in Vietnam who have a child with an intellectual disability often have nowhere to turn when one of the most basic social infrastructures in society–like school–are unavailable to their child. Many parents are left to come up with solutions on their own.
For example, Nguyen Thi Thu, an administrative officer with a local company in Ho Chi Minh City, and her husband, a medical doctor at a local hospital, have a 19-year-old daughter, Nguyen Ha Thanh, who has an intellectual disability. Thanh is the older of the couple's two children. Because she was not allowed to enroll in mainstream schools, and there is a lack of special education schools in the city, her parents paid for a home tutor–an expensive solution that not all parents can afford.
While attending an international disability forum in Bangkok, Thailand, Thu learned about Special Olympics. Once back home, she contacted Special Olympics Vietnam and immediately became involved. Thanh signed up to play bocce once a week at Open University in Ho Chi Minh City.
This activity has been a godsend for Thanh, providing her an opportunity to become part of a welcoming, inclusive community. Now Thu wants her daughter to learn how to swim too. She has rounded up more than 20 parents to start a swimming club for people with intellectual disabilities.
Special Olympics Vietnam, established in 2007 and one of the newest Programs in the movement, is transforming the lives of many with intellectual disabilities and their families. “My daughter watched TV all day,” said Thu. “I want her to go out more, to make friends and join outdoor activities, and Special Olympics is making that possible for me and other families in my group.”
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