Page 8 - Mainstreamer e-Magazine Volume 1, Issue 3 - August 2023

GROUND TO COVER
Law on Person with Disabilities: Humanity and Voice from Practice

Le Thi
Thu

he Ordinance on Persons with Disabilities in financial transactions. However, from the point of
1998 and the Law on Persons with Disabilities view of service users with special needs and based
Tin 2010 have shown the inclusiveness and on ensuring accessibility, banking products and
humanity of the Vietnamese legal system in services have not yet met the criteria of ensuring
general and policymakers in particular. Inclusion equal accessibility for PWDs. The commercial
and humanity are demonstrated by recognising banks’ infrastructure has very few places with
the capabilities of persons with disabilities. access to wheelchairs and does not meet the
Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are protected needs of persons with visual impairment when
and empowered through laws and other policies they have to cash out or in their accounts at
promulgated by the National Assembly and the ATMs, and ATMs are not suitable for persons
government. The community and society feel most with mobility impairments. This is the same
deeply that PWDs have the right to access and situation in Malaysia, according to Mainstreamer,
integrate into society equally and comprehensively. an e-magazine (volume 1st, published on 1 June
These fundamental rights have been quite detailed 2022). So are the financial and banking service
in the Law on Persons with Disabilities 2010 and drawbacks considered violations of the law on
Decree No. 28/2012/ND-CP detailing and guiding PWDs? What is the mechanism and basis for
the implementation of several articles of this law. punishment if it is viewed as a violation? These
Both documents clearly state that PWDs have questions have not been explicitly mentioned in
rights and that society is responsible for creating the Law on Persons with Disabilities 2010 and
favourable conditions for PWDs to access and Decree No. 28/2012 of the government.
participate in social life activities. However, the
actual implementation has shown shortcomings
that need to be soon amended and supplemented “
to make the law on PWDs complete and keep pace In addition, the Law on Persons with
with social changes. Disabilities also sets out a precise
It can be affirmed that until now, most persons,
agencies, and organisations do not have enough roadmap so that construction
understanding of the provisions of the law on works such as offices of agencies
PWDs. In other words, PWDs still have to face and organisations must fully meet
discrimination because society has not yet fully accessible criteria for PWDs.
grasped that the law on PWDs is prevalent.
According to the author’s quick survey, most However, since the Law on Persons
visually impaired persons face many difficulties with Disabilities was promulgated
when opening a bank account. The reason given 10 years ago, there has been little
by the banks is that visually impaired persons progress in ensuring accessibility for
have difficulty verifying the account with a
handwritten signature. Another explanation given PWDs in the construction sector.”
by commercial banks is that people with vision
impairment cannot ensure the security factors of

7 Vol. 01, Issue 3 | August 2022