Amid rapid digital transformation, equipping people with disabilities to use technology, apply artificial intelligence, identify fake news and recognise online scams has become a practical need. The Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities is helping its members master technology, broadening their opportunities for education, employment and participation in social life.
Digital skills programmes
The Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities has 46 member organisations and more than 18,000 individual members. The association considers digital technology an important tool for equal access to information and development opportunities, and has introduced several digital skills programmes tailored to different groups of people with disabilities.
The association has organised online scam prevention courses for more than 1,000 young people with disabilities. Together with the Hanoi Police, it has also run awareness campaigns and guided members on identifying fraudulent schemes, protecting accounts and personal data, and checking information before sharing it on social media.
One project, the Happy IT digital hub, was established by the association in cooperation with Remann Company. So far, the programme has trained more than 500 young people with disabilities to use digital tools. Through practical activities, participants learned about AI applications, graphic design, video production and digital content creation, developed professional skills and explored employment opportunities. Member organisations also regularly hold media skills sessions, helping people with disabilities create content, tell their stories and show their contributions to society.
Pham Quang Khoat, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities, said the use of AI and digital platforms must go together with user responsibility. People with disabilities need skills to check AI-generated information, identify fake news and altered images and videos, protect personal data, and use technology safely and responsibly.
From digital skills to online self-protection
At the local level, youth groups are helping people with disabilities use technology, including AI tools and methods for preventing online scams.
Ho Minh Quang, Vice Chairman of the Ba Dinh ward Association of the Blind in Hanoi, said the idea for projects that provide digital skills training to people with disabilities emerged in 2023. After the COVID-19 pandemic, online scams and false information increased sharply.
Many association members, most of them older people with visual impairments, struggled to use smartphones and identify fraudulent information. Quang and his colleagues therefore developed a programme combining technology training with online scam prevention.
After the first classes, the Starlight group, which has around 15 or 16 members with and without disabilities, gradually expanded its work. In 2025, the group ran the Digital Skills and Scam Prevention project, then organised specialised courses on AI applications and launched the Digital Empowerment project. The courses teach people with disabilities how to access information and use technology safely. Training has expanded to associations of the blind in Hoan Kiem, Tay Ho and Hoang Mai districts, as well as other parts of the city.
Quang said teaching people with visual impairments requires patience, especially when they are learning to distinguish reliable information from false content.
The classes have helped many people with disabilities protect themselves online. Hoang Thi Phuong, 22, a resident of Ba Dinh district, said that after completing the course she learned to identify fraudulent links, check sources before sharing content, set account passwords, block harassing accounts and block websites containing harmful material.
Nguyen Huu Diep, a resident of Phu Thuong district, also said digital skills clubs are useful to people with disabilities. He called on authorities to expand programmes on digital skills, AI applications and online scam prevention, and to make government websites, online public services and warning channels accessible to people with different disabilities.
The Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities plans to develop the initiatives and models already in place so that its members can learn to use technology, create content, protect themselves and take part in building a safe and healthy online environment. Technology should help people with disabilities access opportunities, remain independent and participate in social life on an equal footing.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
