Mission worker develops first-of-a-kind university course on disabilities in Vietnam.

When mission worker Grace Mishler, Goshen, Ind., a social worker by training, developed a course in the social work department at National Vietnam University in Ho Chi Minh City, she expected it to be a quiet ministry of presence. But she began opening doors in a far-reaching way for those with disabilities to take a greater role in Vietnamese society.

Mishler began teaching English to social work staff at the university in 2000. Soon her knowledge about working with the disabled and the fact that many persons in Vietnam are disabled from the war, most often from land mines, sharpened her focus. She was invited to develop a course, "Social Awareness of People with Disabilities."

In late February, General Board Global Mission Partnerships staff Merv Keeney and Janis Pyle visited Mishler and saw the ripple effects of a placement jointly sponsored by the General Board and Eastern Mennonite Missions. Mishler's course "is the first time [this has been] done in Vietnam," said the dean of social work at the university, Tran Thi Kim Xuyen. "More than 500 third-year students have had the opportunity to practice their social work skills through working directly with people with disabilities. Besides, the course enhances public awareness of people with disabilities and their needs." Through the course, students gain first-hand experience in what it is actually like to have one of four impairments: hearing, sight, mobility, and intellectual disabilities.

"Grace's ministry empowers those with physical challenges, which has a healing impact on society," Keeney said. "Disabled herself, Grace has been surprisingly successful both interpersonally, by forming networks and encouraging local efforts, and professionally, by developing a comprehensive social work curriculum. Perhaps, in a small way, this project also promotes healing between our nations and peoples."

Source: Newsline 4/02/2004 top