Article 1.- To approve the Scheme on assistance for disabled people in the 2006-2010 period, with the following principal contents:

1. Objectives

To improve the quality of life for disabled people; to step by step create conditions for disabled people to equally participate in social activities; and to build a social environment with better and better care for disabled people.

2. Targets

a/ At least 80% of provinces and cities will have "self-reliant" organizations of disabled people;

b/ Around 70% of disabled women will be provided with assistance in various forms;

c/ Around 70% of disabled people will have access to medical services; around 3,000 disabled people will be given orthopedic treatment and functional rehabilitation;

d/ Around 70% of disabled children will participate in studying activities in various forms, 100% of disabled children will enjoy exemption from or reduction of school fees in accordance with state regulations.

e/ Around 80,000 disabled people will be provided with job training and appropriate jobs in job-training, production, business and service establishments of all economic sectors nationwide;

f/ 100% of newly built and designed public construction and traffic works will conform to current regulations; 20%-30% of existing works will be renovated in order to become accessible for disabled people;

g/ The rate of disabled people getting access to the Internet and related services will be at least equal to one-fourth of the national average rate;

h/ 100% of disabled people, if being in need and eligible, will be provided with loans from national target programs on poverty reduction and employment;

i/ 22% of disabled people will participate in sport training.

3. Major activities under the Scheme

a/ Raising awareness about disability and disabled people;

b/ Surveying the situation and practical conditions of disabled people nationwide, and, on that basis, amending or supplementing legal documents, mechanisms and policies on assistance to disabled people or formulating new ones;

c/ Establishing criteria on classification and grading of Vietnamese disabled people according to their functional operation and disability;

d/ Supporting and facilitating the establishment of "self-reliant" organizations of disabled people and associations of their parents and families;

e/ Providing assistance to disabled women;

f/ Conducting community-based identification, interference and function rehabilitation for disabled people, especially children;

g/ Providing educational assistance;

h/ Providing job training and employment assistance;

i/ Providing assistance regarding access to and use of public construction and traffic works;

j/ Providing assistance regarding access to and use of information and telecommunications services, including information and telecommunications technologies;

k/ Creating conditions for disabled people to get access to social benefit programs and national target programs on poverty reduction;

l/ Conducting monitoring, inspection, supervision and evaluation.

4. Implementation duration: From 2006 to 2010.

5. Implementation solutions

a/ Mobilizing resources for the implementation of the Scheme:

To achieve the Scheme's objectives, a mechanism of mobilizing various resources shall be implemented, including:

- The central budget;

- Local budgets;

- Funds of other policies and programs;

- Contributions of domestic as well as foreign organizations and individuals.

b/ Promoting the participation of people, especially disabled people:

- To inform people of the state guidelines and policies towards disabled people and their families;

- To encourage people, especially disabled people, to participate in all activities under the Scheme.

c/ Enhancing the assignment and decentralization of management work:

- At the central level: To formulate mechanisms, policies, national targets and plans; allocate resources and organize the supervision and evaluation of the implementation of the Scheme;

- At the provincial and district levels: To make plans on assistance for local disabled people; mobilize additional resources and take initiative in allocating these resources to communes; guide and supervise the implementation by communes; make surveys, statistics and reports on the number of disabled people to the central authorities;

- At the commune level: To identify the number of disabled people, mobilize local resources, implement policies in the localities and conduct self-monitoring and evaluation.

d/ Developing, and raising the quality of, personnel engaged in the provision of assistance to disabled people:

- To strengthen the contingent of personnel engaged in the provision of assistance to disabled people at all levels;

- To formulate programs and plans on training and re-training personnel engaged in the provision of assistance to disabled people.

e/ Studying and revising mechanisms and policies on assistance for disabled people:

- To step by step renovate the mode of payment for services provided to disabled people in the direction that expenses for medical, educational and job-training services provided to disabled people will be paid directly by the State on behalf of disabled people to service-providing establishments, both public and non-public, in order to raise the quality of and ensure equal access to these services;

- To adjust the support levels regarding equipment and devices for orthopedic treatment or functional rehabilitation;

- To adjust the support levels regarding job-training and education;

- To revise criteria so as to increase the number of disabled people eligible for allowances in line with the socio-economic development process.

f/ Enhancing international cooperation on assistance for disabled people:

- To fully implement the Government's commitments within the Biwako Millennium Framework;

- To maintain and expand comprehensive relations with organizations in the region and the world in activities of providing assistance to disabled people.

6. Funds: Funds for the implementation of the Scheme are included in the annual state budget estimates in accordance with current state budget decentralization and mobilized from domestic as well as foreign organizations and individuals in accordance with law.

7. Organization of implementation

a/ The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall:

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned agencies and localities in, organizing the implementation of the Scheme and making periodical reports to the Prime Minister;

- Continue scrutinizing and evaluating the results of implementation of the Ordinance on Disabled People and relevant legal documents; assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned ministries and branches in, studying and proposing amendments or supplements to, or proposing competent agencies to amend or supplement, policies on assistance for disabled people;

- Guide functional agencies of provinces and centrally run cities to set up and use the fund for employment of disabled people.

- Accelerate job-training and employment activities for disabled people by conducting job learning and teaching.

b/ The Ministry of Health shall:

- Formulate and implement a plan on healthcare for disabled people, focusing on the formulation of programs on community-based identification, interference and functional rehabilitation for disabled people;

- Guide the implementation of policies on exemption from and reduction of hospital fees for poor disabled people;

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training in, studying the incorporation of the program on training of functional rehabilitation personnel into the teaching programs of universities, colleges, vocational schools and job-training establishments;

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in, consulting international experience and experience of the World Health Organization (WHO) and formulating criteria for classification and grading of disabled people based on their functional operation and disability.

c/ The Ministry of Education and Training shall:

- Formulate and implement a plan of action on education for handicapped/disabled children in the 2006-2010 period and afterwards in the direction of integration into and reliance on the community;

- Unify the use of language and signs for disabled people nationwide.

d/ The Ministry of Culture and Information shall:

- Direct the acceleration of propagation work so as to raise awareness about disability and disabled people and widely disseminate measures to prevent disability and create conditions for disabled people to participate in, appropriate cultural activities and integrate into the community;

- Direct the mass media to create specialized columns and programs on assistance for disabled people.

e/ The Committee for Physical Training and Sports shall:

- Formulate programs and exercises to guide disabled people to practice physical training in the community;

- Direct the Vietnam Sports Association for the Disabled to launch physical training and sport movements; propose appropriate forms and levels of reward for disabled people who record achievements in physical training and sport competition;

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned agencies and organizations in, creating favorable conditions for disabled people to participate in international sport competitions.

f/ The Ministry of Post and Telematics shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology in, elaborating regulations to encourage the research into, production and application of appropriate products to support disabled people in getting access to and using telecommunications services and information technology.

g/ The Ministry of Construction shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned ministries and branches in, directing the construction of new works and upgrading of existing works according to Regulation No. QCXDVN 01: 2002 on public work construction and Vietnam construction standards No. TCXD 246: 2002, TCXDVN 265:2002 and TCXDVN 266: 2002; scrutinize and amend the aforesaid regulations or promulgate new construction standards to guarantee disabled people's access to and use of newly built works.

h/ The Ministry of Transport shall:

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned ministries and branches in, directing the design and building of new works and the upgrading and renovation of existing ones in accordance with promulgated regulations so that disabled people can use them;

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Industry in, renovating, manufacturing and putting into use vehicles that are accessible and safe for disabled people.

i/ The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment shall:

- Take charge of arranging budgets for ministries, branches and localities to organize the implementation of the Scheme in accordance with current state budget decentralization;

- The Ministry of Finance shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in, elaborating documents guiding the use of funds for the implementation of the Scheme.

j/ The Ministry of Home Affairs shall study, amend and supplement mechanisms and policies to create favorable conditions for the establishment and effective operation of "self-reliant" organizations of disabled people and associations of their families and parents.

k/ The Ministry of Justice shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Information and central mass media in, accelerating the dissemination of the law on disabled people.

l/ Provincial/municipal People's Committees shall:

- Direct functional agencies to identify the number of disabled people and classify and grade disabled people according to the criteria and guidance of the Ministry of Health and concerned ministries and branches;

- Elaborate plans and organize the implementation of policies and regimes of social allowances and assistance for disabled people in terms of healthcare, education, job-training, employment and cultural and sport activities.

m/ The Vietnam Television, the Radio Voice of Vietnam and the Vietnam News Agency shall develop specialized columns and programs on assistance for disabled people.

n/ - The Vietnam Fatherland Front's Central Committee, mass organizations, socio-political organizations and social organizations shall actively participate in the implementation of this Scheme within the scope of their functions and tasks.

- The Vietnam Women's Union shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned agencies in, directing the provision of assistance to disabled women.

o/ In the process of assessment, approval and pre-acceptance test of investment projects, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial/municipal People's Committees shall direct functional agencies to strictly comply with regulations and standards so that disabled people can get access to and benefit from socio-economic development policies and use public works.

Article 2.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in "CONG BAO."

Article 3.- Ministers, heads of ministerial-level and government-attached agencies, and presidents of provincial/municipal People's Committees shall implement this Decision.