Beadwork - Eyes off Hands on Episode 1

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Transcript of the clip

Beadwork is now a popular craft that is suitable for the visually impaired. Today, we are visiting Ms. Dang Pham Diem Hong, a blind person who succeeded in working with beads.
Hello. My name’s Dang Pham Diem Hong. I’m a member of Binh Thanh District Blind Association. I started to learn beading 3 years ago. I was trained at the Association.
How long did it take you to complete the training?
It took only one month.
Let me introduce you to one of my products. That is the bunny keychain.
Now let’s see how Ms. Hong prepares to make this bunny.
First, you need a pair of thread snips. Maybe you will need a bead reamer to enlarge the holes on some beads. These are tiny beads. There is also a keychain ring. This is a simple ring, so I will attach a small bell to make it more delightful.
Is it difficult to deal with such tiny beads?
No, not really. Because each size of bead suits a certain type of wire, I will pick up the matching beading wire to do this.
How long does it take you to complete a bunny like this?
45 minutes at most.
It means it’s no more than 45 minutes for beginners?
Yes, that’s right.
These are beads for the bunny’s body, these are for the nose.
So, you have different boxes for beads in different colors, and you need to remember where you put it?
Yes. These are for the eyes. The bunny will have black eyes, red nose, white ears and paws, and a blue body.
So it has at least 4 colors already.
This is the bead wire number 5, as I’m going to use 6mm beads. A blind person like me won’t use a sewing meter, but opens the arms wide to measure the wire. I use a wire as long as my arms to make this bunny.
Now let’s watch the process of making a bunny with these tiny beads.
You’ve just seen a blind person make a bead bunny keychain all by herself. These are other things she made.
How can you distinguish between the products when they are in similar shapes?
I remember the colors and shapes of all the things I made, so when I touch this, I know it is a black bag. This is a pink bag in a different shape. This is a red and white bag.
Do people doubt whether these are made by sighted people and you’re just the seller?
Yes. Many people can’t believe it when I tell them these are the blind’s handicrafts. So sometimes it’s hard for us to reach larger markets.
Who are your main customers now?
I often receive orders from my friends or charities that want to help the blind.
Now you’ve known how a person with visual impairment can do crafts. Ms. Diem Hong is a role model I would like to introduce to you. I hope after this, there will be a positive change in public perceptions towards the visually impaired.
This is the end of the first episode of “Eyes Off, Hands On”. See you next time in the next episodes with other roles model and their amazing abilities.