Vietnamese policy-makers on July 10 organised a workshop to seek input from local and international experts on a draft law on the protection of people with disabilities in Vietnam .

The workshop, the third of this type, was organised by Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped and the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Welfare.

It will be the last forum to gather constructive opinions for the draft bill before it is submitted to the government and the National Assembly for approval.

This is the proper time for Vietnam to prepare such a law, as Vietnam can now use as a guideline the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a document it signed in 2007, and at the same time tap the experience of countries all around the world, said Kathleen Blank, Attorney and Programme Specialist of the US National Council on Disability.

Eric Rosenthal, an expert from the United Nations Children’s Fund, suggested the draft law should have a special section tailored to the protection and mainstreaming of children with disabilities.

Daniel Mont, Senior Economist of the World Bank, said the bank is willing to assist the drafting procedures, particularly in terms of data collection.

As a representative of the disabled people, Nguyen Hong Ha, Director of the Hanoi-based Independent Living Centre, suggested there should be a monitoring agency to supervise implementation of the law once it has come into effect.

Some even voiced the need to increase access to information technology for the people living with disabilities./.