Hanoi (VNA) – Scheduled for this April, the “Vietnam Persons with Disabilities Day – INSPIRE FEST 2026” will launch a nationwide annual event series spanning the northern, central and southern regions, with the aim of delivering practical support to more than eight million persons with disabilities on the occasion of April 18.
At the programme’s introduction on January 29, Pham Van Thanh, President of the Vietnam Association of Youth with Disabilities, said that in recent years, the Party and the State have rolled out numerous important guidelines and policies to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and improve their quality of life. However, he stressed that beyond policy frameworks, persons with disabilities need open and inclusive spaces where their voices are heard, opportunities are created, and they are recognised as active contributors to development rather than passive recipients of assistance. INSPIRE FEST 2026, he noted, was conceived from this very aspiration.
Through INSPIRE FEST, the association aims to catalyse a fundamental shift in social thinking, from “assistance” to “empowerment”, from “protection” to “partnership”, and from focusing on limitations to recognising potential. Persons with disabilities, Thanh underscored, are not outside the development process but an integral part of it, contributing as workers, innovators and sources of inspiration. INSPIRE FEST 2026 also reflects the association’s commitment to mobilising and connecting resources in digital technology, education, training, sustainable employment and innovation, with a view to removing both visible and invisible barriers and creating pathways to meaningful inclusion.
By promoting multi-dimensional linkages across digital technology, education and training, sustainable employment, culture, creative arts and social knowledge, the programme seeks to dismantle barriers related to perception, accessibility, career opportunities and long-term livelihoods. In doing so, INSPIRE FEST 2026 aims to foster a spirit of inclusion, respect for diversity and human dignity, contributing step by step to the building of a more inclusive, humane and forward-looking society where no one is left behind.
At the event, the Vietnam Association of Youth with Disabilities also announced the launch of the “The Inspirer” award, which will honour families, individuals and organisations whose sustained dedication, care and encouragement have helped persons with disabilities overcome adversity and assert themselves in education, work and daily life. The association also plans to compile and publish a special edition featuring meaningful stories and valuable experiences in supporting persons with disabilities.
Within the programme framework, the association signed cooperation agreements with JMB Vietnam and InfoRe Technology to sponsor 100,000 scholarships for training in the use of AI tools via the LuyenAI.vn platform. The partnerships aim to expand support for persons with disabilities in accessing technology, building digital skills, developing careers and creating opportunities for sustainable employment./.
