Phong’s story raises awareness for people with multiple disabilities
Phong is a 22-year-old young man from Hai Ba Trung district in Hanoi. Phong was born without sight, without hearing and has never talked. Phong’s contact with others is through touch only. As his parents work during the day, Phong spends most days alone. Recently, Mr Son (formerly from the City Police) contacted me about Phong, the son of his friend, to see if our church could help. CityPartners contacted Quy from Unbounded Space and a member of HIF, who took the time to assess Phong’s situation and talk with his parents. Since then, two local churches have started visiting Phong. During one of these visits, Quy told Phong’s father about cases from other countries where education for children with multiple disabilities is available. Sadly, in Vietnam there is no resource or help available for blind/deaf people. Phong’s parents are keenly interested to learn more about educating Phong in the hope that he might be able to communicate better with them and others. Phong's perception of people surrounding him is quite good. Phong can ‘recognize’ things and moves freely within the house and knows exactly where to put items. Yet the lack of social interaction and communication can cause much stress for Phong. CityPartners is looking for people and organizations with expertise in helping blind/deaf people in learning how to communicate and improve their quality of life. We are also looking for ways to improve Phong’s ability to be mobile, perhaps using hearing implants and other technology. If you know of such resources and experts, please do let us know as soon as possible. Blessings, Pastor Jacob