Disabled in Vietnam
Do Van Du worked as a combat interpreter for U.S. forces in Vietnam. He lost a leg and a hand in the war when he was just 15 years old.
He later moved to the United States and became a successful software engineer. Then, seven years ago, Du returned to Vietnam to help found a college-level program to train disabled young people to be software engineers and tech workers.
The Information Technology Training Center for the disabled is the first program of its kind in a country where people with disabilities are basically thrown away, Du says.
The program allows people with disabilities to connect with the outside world and shows that they are capable of doing a wide range of jobs, including high tech ones.
This San Jose Mercury News video visits the training center in Ho Chi Minh City and includes interviews with Du and young people in his program who say they feel like they have finally found a place where they are accepted.
Du is glad to be able to help and says his program is not about disability, but about getting people to work and providing equal opportunity.
CHANNEL: San Jose Mercury News
Length: 6:05
Video by Lipo Ching
Reporting by John Boudreau
VIEW: http://www.mercurynewsphoto.com/blog/2009/08/10/disabled-in-vietnam/
SEE ALSO:
“Vietnamese American returns to homeland to help disabled”
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12716235
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