The orientation workshop on developing a curriculum for the subject "Social Work with People with Disabilities" at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Social Work was held on February 28, 2012. Attendees included representatives from 17 universities nationwide, research institutions, social organizations, scientists, and experts from non-governmental organizations.The workshop on developing a curriculum for the subject "Social Work with People with Disabilities" at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Social Work was organized to gather feedback from training institutions that have, are currently, and will be offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Social Work on the subject curriculum. At the workshop, managers, experts, and lecturers in Social Work exchanged ideas and shared experiences on relevant theoretical, practical, and methodological issues, while also discussing collaboration and participation in undergraduate and postgraduate training in Social Work in general, and specifically in Social Work with People with Disabilities nationwide. In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Kim – Vice Rector of the University – emphasized that assisting people with disabilities is becoming an urgent need, a major international issue with profound social and humanitarian significance. Besides general policies and support activities, researching and establishing the field of working with people with disabilities as an academic subject is also a practical need. Integrating the field of working with people with disabilities into social work curricula and training programs will contribute to the effective development of scientific theoretical systems. With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Vietnam Association for the Assistance of People with Disabilities (VNAH), the project to develop a curriculum for the subject "Social Work with People with Disabilities" is expected to be implemented over two years, with the following specific roadmap: - Compiling a curriculum and teaching materials on social work supporting people with disabilities at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, to be applied to the official social work training program at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and 17 other universities; - Establishing a network of universities in Vietnam that offer social work programs to participate in providing feedback during the development of the curriculum and teaching materials for the subject "Social Work with People with Disabilities," ensuring its application to the official social work training programs at these universities; - Training a pool of social work lecturers; - Printing 600 copies of the textbook after completion and providing them to the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and other universities in the network; - Training a pool of lecturers for social work lecturers at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and other universities in the network. - Support and guide universities in the network in implementing the program and curriculum. - Conduct pilot teaching before finalizing the curriculum development.
Compiling a curriculum on social work with people with disabilities for postgraduate and doctoral social work training programs is a good opportunity to research, select, and apply theories and methods to build a training model and implement specialized training appropriately within the economic, social, political, cultural, and traditional conditions of Vietnam, while simultaneously promoting the development of the social work science in our country.
