Employment

The Employment Empowerment Project for People with Visual Impairment is carried out in cooperation with the Mitra Netra Foundation (Indonesia) and Resources for the Blind (Philippines), sponsored by The Nippon Foundation.

• Job directory information portal

Since 2008, Sao Mai has implemented the project to support students with visual impairment, promoting their equal access and participation in the higher education. We have carried out many activities to address challenges such as:

• Providing accessible academic materials and assistive learning tools
• Promoting friendly and inclusive learning environment at universities with visually impaired students
• Training soft skills and technology skills to help visually impaired students become more independent and improve their learning
• Raising awareness about the abilities of visually impaired students, especially among university teachers, faculties, and non-disabled students
• Researching, developing, and applying assistive technology solutions

Even after completing higher education and gaining professional knowledge and skills, many visually impaired people still struggle to find suitable jobs in the general labor market. This is a major challenge that our Employment Empowerment Project for People with Visual Impairment aims to address together with all relevant partners.

These partners include (but are not limited to):

• Job seekers with visual impairment
• Recruiters and employers
• Government agencies that develop and implement labor-related policies
• Vocational schools and higher education institutes
• Social organizations that support job placement
• Parents of young people with visual impairment

The Employment Empowerment Project for People with Visual Impairment has been implemented since 2024.

During 2024–2025, the project has focused on the following main activities:

• Connecting stakeholders through conferences, forums, and job fairs
• Regularly organizing soft-skills and assistive-technology training for young people with visual impairment
• Conducting capacity-building workshops for partner organizations to enhance their job placement and consultation support services for visually impaired people
• Conducting research and surveys to assess the employment situation of visually impaired people in Vietnam
• Building an information portal and a directory of job categories with recommendations
• Connecting visually impaired job seekers with employers and providing job placement support

The project’s activities mainly take place in cities there are large numbers of visually impaired young people studying and living, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Hue.