China Disability Observation

I want to be your friend Tuhao disabled people

Tuhao(nouveau riche) has become the hottest buzzword inChina this year. When using this word to describe themselves or others,everyone seems to be with complicated emotions – cynical, envious, contemptuousor longing for. However, the nature of this word is lack of either confidenceor self-identity and acceptance of ego. Therefore, the topic of ChinaDisability Observation in this issue isTuhao disabled people in China’s rural areas. We want to face with inferiority,i.e. lack of confidence, a key obstacle factor to equality and development ofthe disabled people. We are trying to analyze inner and outside reasons ofinferiority and change this situation by self-motivation.

Watch

Top 10 Events of Disability Rights in China

At every year end, media usually launch all kinds of inventories; however, they rarely cover events of the disabled people through perspective of rights. One Plus One together with Media Research Institute of CASS select top 10 news events related to disability rights, based on their popularity, influence and relativity to disability rights. Also, we analyze and review these events, in order to redefine the value and significance of news for the disabled. These top 10 news events include: nationwide wave of performance art organized by visually disabled people in front of Pizza Hut shops; Ji Zhongxing bomb explosion at Beijing Capital Airport; the first public campaign on disability and sexuality in China; Zhuhai Baiyun Rehabilitation Hospital abandoned patients; 28 disabled persons were refused when boarding airlines; Li Jianchang was refused to enroll by a college after college entrance exam; visually-impaired Xuan Hai participated in civil service exam for the 7th time; Ministry of Public Security rescued the deaf and mute who were trafficked and hijacked; Wuhan Declaration on inclusion education and equal employment for the disabled was issued; visually-impaired Chen Yan tried hard to gain right of way for guide dog.

Although these 10 events can not cover all types of disability and rights, they represent a trend: more and more disabled people are participating in issues related with them and speak out their voices.

Dialogue

Christmas Eve, Let’s Talk with My Legs

Zhang Lili once was a middle school teacher who saved the lives of two students by pushing them out of the way of an oncoming bus. Zhang was run over by the bus and doctors had to amputate her legs. Over one year since this incident, as “the most beautiful teacher in China”, she is elected as vice president of Heilongjiang Disabled Persons Federation, which also evokes some criticism from netizens. However, as a disabled person, how could she talk with her own disability and accept it, what kind of transformations in her mind and how her husband supports her, no one cares. In this issue, Zhang Lili tells her story about herself. She talks with her legs on disability every day.

Sports

Let wheelchairs fly

It’s very exciting to fly in the sky and touch the clouds. A group of disabled people with different degree disabilities fly to the sky by paraglide. With the assistance of coach and support of peers, some of them leave the wheelchairs, some not; they experience excitement by their own way to pursue freedom and inspire their lives.

Sex

The Disabled also have sexuality

A visually-impaired asks how many sounds when having sex; a man with autism loves to fondle legs in black silk stockings; a girl with listening difficulties frightens herself in that time of the month. Dialogues and confusions between the disabled and sex are always considered as ridiculous or abnormal by many so-called “normal people”. In fact, these examples above strongly prove that the disabled people also have sexuality. But it shouldn’t be stereotyped in standard model of the sound. What the disabled people should do is to focus on the most suitable and badly need things. Before achieving these, they may need to communicate with more people.