[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” next_background_color=”#000000″ _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_color=”#ffffff”][et_pb_fullwidth_header _builder_version=”3.0.106″ title=”Virginia, USA” text_orientation=”center” header_fullscreen=”off” header_scroll_down=”off” image_orientation=”center” background_layout=”dark” content_orientation=”center” title_font_size=”100px” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_icon_placement=”right” custom_button_two=”off” button_two_icon_placement=”right” border_width_all=”5px” border_color_all=”#ffffff” title_text_color=”#b71919″ \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.0.106″]<iframe width=”100%” height=”166″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”no” allow=”autoplay” src=”https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/428734659&color=%23ff0027&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true”><\/iframe><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_fullwidth_image _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/breakingbarriers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/04\/Virginia.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image-CAMERON” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/breakingbarriers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/04\/CAMERON.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” force_fullwidth=”off” show_bottom_space=”on” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n
Cameron Macauley sits in his office in Harrisonburg, Virginia.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On the opposite side of the world, Cameron Macauley sits in his cluttered office in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The small southern town is home to a McDonald\u2019s, an information centre, James Madison University and not much else. He sits in front of his small wooden desk surrounded by treasures he collected during his adventures across the sea. Painted African tribal masks hang on the wall suspended by metal hooks. Their mouths are opened wide as if they\u2019re about to greet their owner with a song. An antique map dresses another wall. The once white sheet of parchment has been stained yellow with age like it\u2019s been soaked with tea. Its weathered edges are torn. Books with leather bindings coloured red, blue and brown are stacked on shelves, chairs, and the scratchy tan carpet.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n Macauley used to work for the Landmine Survivors Network as a psychological rehabilitation specialist taking him to former warzones all over the world \u2013 including Vietnam. \u201cBack in those days a lot of people were making money digging up war remnants to sell for scrap metal,\u201d he says. \u201cThey would frequently uncover unexploded bombs.\u201d He explains that when people began disassembling these bombs, and other dangerous war remnants for metal, they would often detonate. If the person survived the blast, they were likely disfigured and left physically disabled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we wanted to do was train people who had been injured by explosives ordinates in wars to do just basic counseling with people who were still in the recovery process,\u201d says Macauley.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.0.106″]<script id=”infogram_0_498eaf80-c557-4a4a-9866-e3756d613442″ title=”Casualties of explosive ordinance in Vietnam” src=”https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/js\/dist\/embed.js?spC” type=”text\/javascript”><\/script><div style=”padding:8px 0;font-family:Arial!important;font-size:13px!important;line-height:15px!important;text-align:center;border-top:1px solid #dadada;margin:0 30px”><a href=”https:\/\/infogram.com\/498eaf80-c557-4a4a-9866-e3756d613442″ style=”color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important;” target=”_blank”>Casualties of explosive ordinance in Vietnam<\/a><br><a href=”https:\/\/infogram.com” style=”color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important;” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>Infogram<\/a><\/div><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.0.106″]<script id=”infogram_0_women_in_senior_management_positions_in_canada_2014″ title=”Casualties of explosive ordinance in Vietnam (2014)” src=”https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/js\/dist\/embed.js?BWV” type=”text\/javascript”><\/script><div style=”padding:8px 0;font-family:Arial!important;font-size:13px!important;line-height:15px!important;text-align:center;border-top:1px solid #dadada;margin:0 30px”><a href=”https:\/\/infogram.com\/women_in_senior_management_positions_in_canada_2014″ style=”color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important;” target=”_blank”>Casualties of explosive ordinance in Vietnam (2014)<\/a><br><a href=”https:\/\/infogram.com” style=”color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important;” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>Infogram<\/a><\/div>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.0.106″]<script id=”infogram_0_c32de01d-af73-4b89-a406-c681623507e8″ title=”Casualties of explosive ordinance in Vietnam by device type (2014)” src=”https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/js\/dist\/embed.js?65i” type=”text\/javascript”><\/script><div style=”padding:8px 0;font-family:Arial!important;font-size:13px!important;line-height:15px!important;text-align:center;border-top:1px solid #dadada;margin:0 30px”><a href=”https:\/\/infogram.com\/c32de01d-af73-4b89-a406-c681623507e8″ style=”color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important;” target=”_blank”>Casualties of explosive ordinance in Vietnam by device type (2014)<\/a><br><a href=”https:\/\/infogram.com” style=”color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important;” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>Infogram<\/a><\/div><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –><!– [et_pb_line_break_holder] –>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n Without much financial or government support, Macauley says that peer counseling was the easiest and most effective way to help newly disabled people cope with their trauma. \u201cA good deal of research supports its validity as helping people recover faster and preventing suicide, preventing drug and alcohol abuse, and even in some cases, preventing people from engaging in high risk or violent behavior,\u201d he explains. While peer counseling may be the most cost effective way to help landmine survivors successfully reintegrate back into society, Macauley says that the process was more difficult in Vietnam than in the other countries he has worked in.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ran into a couple of cultural peculiarities,\u201d he adds, remembering his first few days on the ground in Vietnam.<\/p>\n Macauley\u2019s salt and peppered eyebrows furrow until their hidden beneath the thin metal frame of his glasses. He says that the stigma that exists in Vietnam towards people who were physically disabled because of the American War is complex. \u201cVeterans who have served their country and are disabled because of war have a number of privileges if they fought on the side of the north,\u201d says Macauley. He continues to say that the soldiers of the North and the Viet Cong who were injured are viewed as war heroes. Their missing limbs worn like badges of honor \u2013 a small loss for the greater good of the country. The northern warriors get all the perks the government has to offer says Macauley. Free health care and transportation, monthly financial support, and they\u2019re invited to join active political groups in the community. He adds that some even get sent annual gifts. \u201cThose who fought on the side of the south get none of this, and in fact, some of them are often ostracized and discriminated against,\u201d he says. That means that over 40 years after the war has ended, the communist government is still penalizing people for their actions. Although the government has no concrete statistics concerning the disabled population in the country, they have kept a detailed list of names of those who fought against them. Macauley says that it\u2019s nearly impossible for a disabled person to hide their history and receive support of any kind from the government.<\/p>\n These stigmas are some of the central issues that prevents Vietnam\u2019s Law for Persons with Disabilities from being successful states Macauley. \u201cThere are many areas of the law that are deficient\u201d, he explains, adding that since the law is left in the hands of each province, than poor provinces have barely seen its effects. \u201cMost states in Vietnam are still in the process of implementing this law and they haven\u2019t done a very good job,\u201d he says, \u201cso there are many places where people with disabilities are still campaigning for their rights.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/OpXFZObLttY” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n One of these places, according to Macauley, is the rural province of Quang Binh.<\/p>\n During the American War, Quang Binh was part of North Vietnam. Situated in the centre of the country, the province was just 20 kilometers away from the demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing the two battling nations. The Vietnamese DMZ was a prime battleground during the war, making the surrounding provinces perfect locations for landmines, bombs, and other explosive war ordinance. Macauley says he spent a lot of time working with landmine survivors in Quang Binh, specifically with the Association for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (AEPD). AEPD was once a chapter of the Landmine Survivor Network, and formed after the network dissolved due to a lack of funding. \u201cOf all the organizations for people with disabilities that I know around the world\u201d, says Macauley, \u201cI think AEPD is one of the best.\u201d When he was in Quang Binh, Macauley says he worked on a number of projects with AEPD and its project manager, Nguyen Hao.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_fullwidth_image admin_label=”Fullwidth Image – MAP QUANG BINH” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/breakingbarriers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/04\/Quang-Binh.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#b71919″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n \u201c[Quang Binh] is one of the top 10 provinces for population of persons with disabilities,\u201d explains Nguyen over the phone. While Nguyen is firm on this statistic, there\u2019s no evidence available to back her claims. The line crackles loudly, static shrieking from the receiver of the cellphone. Nguyen\u2019s voice briefly cuts out, filling the room with silence, before the buzzing returns at full volume \u2013 her voice barely audible above the loud hum. Nguyen apologizes profusely although it\u2019s clear by her tone that she\u2019s annoyed by the technological inconvenience.<\/p>\n She explains that the rural province is nestled between Laos and the Pacific Ocean and is relatively untouched by the footsteps of adventure seeking tourists. Rows of plush green mountain peaks frame the horizon. The jungle spreads down the cliffs and into the valleys, sheltering the rice fields below. Gentle rivers with sparkling teal water flow freely with small boats and rafts made of bamboo docked on their beds. They dance from left to right in the current. Workers wade into the water silently tending to their crops. It\u2019s the perfect picture of peace and tranquility. It\u2019s a scene broadcasted on travel ads and plastered on post cards \u2013 the stereotypical image of Vietnam that\u2019s sold to adventurers across the world. Nguyen says that while the quit existence is a bonus for the farmers in the area who can tend to their rice patties without Westerners snapping photos, it means that modern technology, including cell reception, is limited. According to a poverty analysis conducted by the Australian Agency for International Development, Quang Binh is one of Vietnam\u2019s poorest provinces with nearly half of the population living in poverty. So it\u2019s no real surprise that the province\u2019s telephone service is lacking.<\/p>\n Nguyen sighs deeply and asks if her voice is clear on the other end of the phone. With the line intact she continues her story. She explains that AEPD does not provide charity. In fact, you will never see Nguyen or any of her team members making door-to-door house calls and handing over a cheque to an impoverished family. She says that cash is not the support that a disabled person requires. The organization works to improve the conditions for Quang Binh\u2019s disabled community by giving the poorest individuals the tools they need to change their own future. She explains that if a disabled woman is interested in sewing, but her condition limits her from working in a tailor\u2019s shop, AEPD will provide her with the proper training and equipment to open her own store. Supplying essential tools, like sewing machines and thread, allows her to work at her own pace and create her own schedule. But it\u2019s the woman who\u2019s in charge of mobilizing herself.<\/p>\n \u201cWe only support when the person with a disability shows their effort,\u201d says Nguyen, \u201cour support is a final push to overcome their difficulties.\u201d It\u2019s tough love, but she says it\u2019s the only way that people with disabilities in poor provinces like Quang Binh can break the cycle of poverty and stigma. While the Law for Persons with Disabilities was created to improve the quality of life of the disabled population, Nguyen says that it\u2019s just AEPD and a few other advocacy groups that are working to help the community in the region.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” prev_background_color=”#ffffff” next_background_color=”#ffffff” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_color=”#b71919″][et_pb_fullwidth_header _builder_version=”3.0.106″ title=”\u201cIn our area, with my understanding, the law has not been executed effectively.\u201d” text_orientation=”center” header_fullscreen=”off” header_scroll_down=”off” image_orientation=”center” background_layout=”dark” content_orientation=”center” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_icon_placement=”right” custom_button_two=”off” button_two_icon_placement=”right” \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” prev_background_color=”#b71919″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n Outside of Saigon\u2019s city walls, disabled people in small provinces like Quang Binh have no idea that they have rights of any kind explains Nguyen. In 2013, the Quang Binh People\u2019s Committee launched a plan of assistance for the disabled community in the province. The plan, which is tailored specifically to the needs to the disabled people in the area, is meant to \u201chelp persons with disabilities to overcome difficulties, to have better lives,\u201d by 2020. But despite the government\u2019s plan, Nguyen says that it\u2019s not enough. \u201cThere are many other policies that persons with disabilities have not been aware of or have not been published or communicated with them,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n But when asked specifically about what the government could be doing to improve things, the line goes silent again. But this time it\u2019s not the shoddy phone connection that\u2019s to blame. Nguyen stifles a low nervous laugh, just loud enough to be heard above the hum of the electric static. \u201cI think that\u2019s quite a political question,\u201d she mutters. It\u2019s clear that she\u2019s worried about speaking ill of the country\u2019s one-party government. She pauses, choosing her next words carefully. \u201cI mean the capacity of the government is limited,\u201d she says reluctantly. \u201cFrom my point of view they have been doing their best.\u201d<\/p>\n The tone in her voice has shifted. Instead of being bothered by the technological failures it\u2019s the line of questions that begin to annoy her. Soon after, she makes a series of excuses to get off the phone \u2014 the sound quality is too bad and she can\u2019t hear, the connection is awful, it\u2019s the middle of the workday, she\u2019s very busy – and with that, the line goes dead for the final time.<\/p>\n Back in Virginia, four yellow oak paneled walls surround the aging man. The gold vertical lines of the wood mimic the muted stripes on his buttoned up short-sleeve shirt. He glances at the cloth poster that hangs behind him, a rendition of the famous Japanese painting by \u200eKatsushika Hokusai \u2013 The Great Wave off Kanagawa. He pauses for a moment, his thoughts lost with the crests of the ocean and the foamy white peak of the powerful wave seconds away from returning into the abyss of the never-ending sea. After devoting his life to helping survivors of landmines in exotic places all over the world, Macauley now works as a contract instructor at the local university in the sleepy town.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/dYC5RrOMU0E” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n \u201cI think our work was not as successful as we had hoped it would be,\u201d Macauley says with a sigh, contemplating his time in Quang Binh with AEPD.<\/p>\n He exits his basement office leaving all its treasures behind. He begins to climb the stairs that lead to his living room. NPR faintly plays on the radio; the murmuring voices fill the silence in the room. The four walls are wallpapered with bright watercolors on white sheets of paper. Splashes of red and yellow and streaks of green and blue line the circumference of the light beige walls. The bright colours liven up the otherwise neutral space. The series of paintings were hand crafted by his son.<\/p>\n The middle-aged man takes a seat on his couch. The sunshine from the window behind him surrounds him in a glowing halo of light. Despite the work of advocacy groups like AEPD and others across Vietnam, Macauley says there\u2019s a lot more to be done. Unfortunately, without the government\u2019s support, the Law for Person\u2019s with Disabilities is no different than the art that litters his walls: beautiful to look at and filled with so much hope and joy, but in practice, no more than a pretty pieces of paper.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"