BLIND SPOTS

News of an undercover policewoman denied boarding on a Shanxi bus due to taking along a guide dog has renewed attention on the lack of accommodation for the visually impaired in China.

According to Chinese law, service dogs are allowed in public buildings and on public transportation, but the dog’s owner, a visually impaired man surnamed Gao, told media he experiences rejection “almost every day” from ignorant transit staff, as well as passersby fearful of canines.

The number of trained guide dogs in China is also pitifully low, with less than 200 serving a blind population of over 17 million. “There must be detailed regulations to protect the rights and interests of the visually impaired, and more financial support is necessary for training centers,” Zeng Xin, a culture coordinator at Hongdandan, an NGO for the blind, tells TWOC, “Most importantly, [we need to] raise public awareness of disabled individuals.”