In January, the Government of Vietnam issued a revised circular on clarifying how disabilities are determined and classified. The circular includes several major improvements such as shortening paperwork processing timelines, simplifying disabilities documentation requirements, and specifically identifying children under six years old and people having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as target beneficiary groups. In May, USAID’s Disabilities Integration of Services and Therapies Network for Capacity and Treatment activity supported Tay Ninh province’s Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to carry out trainings on implementation of this policy for more than 600 members of the Communal Disabilities Determination and Classification Councils, who are local government leaders, social protection workers and healthcare staff.

So What? These trainings will help improve the implementation of the policy and Vietnam’s Disability Law so that those with disabilities entitled to support from the government will get the right support and in a timely manner.