Phan Minh Quy, a resident with a physical disability from Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam, is providing jobs and skills training for others like him.
In addition to serving as the deputy director of the province’s Vocational Training, Job Development, and Support Center for the Disabled, the 31 year old social entrepreneur also runs a textile factory where he employs 12 workers with disabilities.
When Quy was baby, he developed a fever that partially paralyzed him, leaving him with the inability to walk. For the first nine years of Quy’s life, he had to crawl everywhere he went.
His parents found an doctor who performed surgery that gave some mobility to Quy and at the age of 10, he took his first steps.
“When I first learned how to walk, I was so shaky that I’d fall over from the slightest touch,” Quy recalled.
At age 19, with only VND500,000 (US$22), Quy left his hometown in Ninh Binh Province for Nam Dinh Province, approximately 32 kilometers away, to work in industrial processing zones, but was consistently turned away due to his pronounced limp.
After many failures, he returned home and learned how to sew at a textile vocation workshop for people with physical disabilities.
Quy found it very challenging to operate the pedal of the sewing machine with his weak feet,but after six months, he figured out how to accommodate his disability and made his first shirt – a memento he still has today.
Motivated to find a good paying job, Quy again found himself struggling in a job market that discriminated against people like him. Despite his qualifications, his applications were all declined due to his disability.
“My parents would tell me to stay home. They said I couldn’t become somebody,” he shared.
“My parents can provide for me while they are still around, but what about after they’re gone?
“I knew I needed to give it my all and stand on my own feet to protect my future.”
Quy obtained a job at a Korean garment company and after working there for two years, he got a job at an even larger company where he was able to prove his skills and gain experience in the textile industry.
According to Quy, even in 2021, the job market is geared against people with disabilities. “How can such a man be good at his work?” and “How on earth could we employ such a man?” are just a few of the comments he has heard from potential employers.
Hoping to change society’s prejudices, Quy dedicated himself to helping his community receive fair treatment in the job market. A friend helped him launch a garment workshop in October 2020 where he could provide training and employment for those with disabilities.
The employees at Quy’s workshop, both with and without disabilities, earn VND4.5-7 million ($195- 303) each month.
One employee is Mai, a 20 year old with a hearing and speech disability who cannot read or write and has never left her neighborhood.
After just a few months at Quy’s workshop, Mai went from a shy girl to a skilled worker who effortlessly creates garments.
Since its launch last October, during a year which saw many textile and garment businesses issue lay offs to cope with the COVID-19 impacts, Quy’s business has developed a loyal customer base and has a steady flow of orders from now until the end of the year.
Reflecting on his success so far, Quy humbly said there is still much room for improvement.
Future plans include working with more members of the physically disabled community to help them attain self-empowerment.
