For me, 2018 was a year of discoveries

Last year was a special one for me. Through my job as a reporter, I met more people with disabilities in one year than in the rest of my life.

Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation. Over those three decades, the term used to describe the disabled has gradually changed from canfeiren (useless) to canqueren (incomplete) and more recently to canjiren (disabled).

Though they are just different words, the changes indicate a fundamental shift in people’s views.

Disabled people are no longer viewed as a burden — or at least, not as much. Instead, they are increasingly treated with respect and seen to have great working potential that could be tapped as the population ages rapidly.

However, a closer look at the community demonstrates that the progress made is far from adequate. Many disabled people are still excluded from mainstream education, even as the world races to promote school inclusiveness. Meanwhile, the special education programs designed for them lack diversity and appear primitive.

Many visually impaired people I have met have voiced discontent about the lack of diversity in the syllabus, which in most cases means the only opportunities open to them are at street-side massage parlors or massage hospitals.

Their interests and potential are being downplayed. What their parents and the public want is simply for them to be able to support themselves and live dignified lives.

Moreover, the lack of access in the public sphere — both physically and in terms of information — makes mainstream schooling and employment all the more difficult.

Though the number of accessible facilities — such as tactile sidewalks for the visually impaired and special toilets for those with physical disabilities — has expanded rapidly, some sidewalks are unusable because of illegally parked cars and bicycles, while other facilities are constantly out of use.

Indeed, many of these facilities seem to exist simply as a sop to political correctness.

However, huge progress has been made in the decade since China ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Now, authorities are required to offer “reasonable assistance” to disabled students taking the national college entrance exam, and since 2017 it has been illegal for schools to turn away disabled people.

Let’s hope that we will see even more positive changes in the next decade.