The second Accessibility Design Competition (ADC), hosted by RMIT University, offers students a chance to cultivate an inclusive mindset, make use of problem-solving skills, and learn about different perspectives through workshops, networking, and mentoring sessions. 

Bachelor of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering student and an Eccentrics team member Dushan Puhulwellage. Photo: RMIT

Students across Vietnam will be teamed up with RMIT industry partners to innovate their ideas, designs, and solutions aimed at ensuring greater inclusivity and breaking down barriers for persons with disabilities (PWDs). 

The nationwide design competition is running until June 11.

RMIT Manager, Employment & Industry Relations, and the competition founder Melvin Fernando said that ADC promotes the spirit of inclusiveness in the workplace and promotes innovative equal employment opportunities. 

He added: “Since the first event in 2020, ADC’s ultimate goal has been to embrace diversity and achieve a greater acceptance of differences among our communities.”

Vi Thanh Tuan, who was an industry mentor of the first ADC and Head of Plant Logistics, Schaeffler Vietnam, said the ADC addresses a topic that needs much more attention. Its higher purpose was to do ‘something good and help people with special circumstances.

“It is great that this competition also incorporated some sharing and valuable lessons for all participants about working with PWDs,” he added.

RMIT Vietnam alumnus Nguyen Tuan Tu, who was also an ADC mentor in 2020 and was born with a significant visual impairment shared his understanding of the challenges and difficulties that PWDs are facing when looking for jobs. 

“Working as a diversity and inclusion supervision officer in an international manufacturing company provided me with an understanding of the challenges that PWDs are facing when looking for jobs. Most of the time, employers lack the awareness and understanding of the capabilities of these people,” he said. 

“This competition was one of the rare occasions that brought the issue to the spotlight and tried to address it with solutions from students and industry partners. I believe the activity will create a small but lasting impact on the community, making hiring people with disabilities a blessing rather than a burden.” 

The ADC itself runs for two months with access to a range of workshops and two group mentoring sessions to nurture students’ skills from ideation to design/prototype.

First launched in 2020, the ADC 2022 is organized by RMIT Careers, Alumni & Industry Relations in partnership with Saigon Innovation Hub, RMIT Wellbeing, and RMIT Human Development Club.