The opening ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup was held at the Saint Paolo Stadium in Brazil. The 25-minute-long ceremony turned the gigantic stadium into a spectacular ocean of excitement. A young paraplegic Brazilian man wearing an exoskeleton kicked off the games, drawing great attention .

Despite being honored with the distinction of kicking off the FIFA competition, the young paraplegic remained anonymous in China's major media reporting.

The helmet he wore is able to monitor the brain's neural signals and transmit them to the exoskeleton. The system executes different actions depending upon the brain’s signals and allows people with paralysis to stand and walk.

The exoskeleton system cost up to $20,000USD and weighs nearly ten kilograms.

The technology of operating and controlling the exoskeleton through people’s brain signals remains in the early development stage and may take 10 to 20 years before it is ready for use.

Domestic News

●Promotion January 20^th 2014

Seven departments such as Ministry of Education published Promoting Plan for Special Education(2014-2016). Through implementing the Plan, our nation will popularize the compulsory education for disabled children. The enrollment rate of children with eyesight, audition and intelligence disability reached more than 90%.

●The integration of community February 20^th 2014

Autism committee of mentally disabled person and association of relatives and friends declared international autism day and their publicity slogan “family support and community integration for autistic people”, aimed at advocating the society to give more understanding and support towards families with autistic members. The acceptance of the society and the integration of the community is not only a basic environmental requirement, but an important development strategy.

●Too expensive to piss March 19^th 2014

People with spinal cord injury sent a joint petition to ask the government to accelerate the process of bringing disposable hygiene products into an auxiliary appliance insurance range, thus solving the biggest cost for people with spinal cord injury; assisting with the expenses and avoiding the phenomenon of “Too expensive to piss” allows them to live with dignity.

●Gratitude April 08 ^th 2014

On the 28^thof March, the Ministry of Education issued a notice concerning providing people who are blind with due services to facilitate their attendance at the National College Entrance Exam. 102 people, including those with low vision and volunteers, nationwide jointly wrote a thank-you letter to express their gratitude for this resolution. The letter was sent to the Ministry of Education by Wang Rui, who has low vision as well and paid great attention to the education condition of people with low vision.

●Awards of excellent news May 29 ^th 2014

China’s first selective program aimed at encouraging the press to report inclusive education for children with disabilities and the best journalism awards of inclusive education kicked off in Beijing. The event established Pioneering and Breakthrough Award and Professional Practice Award, among four other awards. It is designed to draw the press’ attention and make inclusive education more exposed to the public. The financial outcome will be revealed at the end of 2014.

●Convenience within a Proper Range June 7 ^th 2014

When Li Jinsheng, a blind person from Henan Province, attended the 2014 National College Entrance Examination, the examination center not only provided a separate room but also extended exam hours for him to answer his Braille test paper. However, Li submitted an unanswered paper back after the first exam, because his Braille reading was very slow. It was said that what he applied for proper convenience was "E-test paper".

●Designated seats bank July 16^th 2014

Central Plaza Station of Guangzhou established the first inland designated seats bank, providing a leasing and borrowing service of designated seats or wheelchairs for children with severe dyskinesia to help maintain their motor function. In the first batch, 10 kids were provided with a free trial chance of the special seats.

●Service August 25^th 2014

After being opened for 1 year and 5 days, the first cafe for people with hearing impairment, located at Jiqing Street, Jiang’an District, Wuhan City, HubeiProvince, was closed. Experts analyzed that the cafe should attract sane people as well, not limited to disabled people. What’s more, the cafe should offer quality service, as calling for people’s sympathy for the disabled should not be the only selling method.

●Law booklet September 4^th 2014

The donation ceremony of the first braille version of the law booklet was held in the activity center for the disabled in Suzhou. The booklet introduces partial preferential policy documents for the disabled and recorded some typical cases of the rights protection of the disabled.

●China’s Experience October 6^th 2014

The chairman of the China Disabled Persons Federation, Zhang Haidi, was elected as the new chairman of Rehabilitation International through the meeting procedure in the rehabilitation international congress held in Warsaw, Poland. She hopes that China can share with the world the experience of the development of the disabled people cause, allowing more, especially disabled people in developing countries, to have better rehabilitation services.

●Advocacy November 11^th 2014

The theme activities for the disabled in the 22^nd leaders’ meeting week of APEC was held at the Beijing Conference Centre. The meeting announced the Joint Proposal on Advancing The Equal Participation And Integration Development of The Disabled, which is drafted by the China Disabled Persons Federation and approved by 20 Asia-Pacific economies. The proposal advocates that in the process of promoting regional economic growth, positive policies shall be taken to guarantee all the rights of the disabled, such as the right of participating in social life.

●Specification December 1^st 2014

The China Banking Association issued the Self-discipline Guide of the Construction of Barrier-free Service Through E-channel in China Banking Industry, put forward specific requirements and suggestions aimed at different service demands of the disabled, such as providing voice ATM machines for people with visual impairment, providing visual operating equipment for people with hearing impairment, and providing a standardized barrier-free ramp for people with physical disabilities.