Good that more colleges are helping people with disabilities

WEI XIANG, a disabled high school graduate from Dingxi, Gansu province, has been admitted to Tsinghua University this year, and the university has approved his application for a special dormitory place so his mother can be with him as he cannot walk on his own. Guangzhou Daily comments:

Being admitted to a college is only the first step as disabled students also face difficulties on campus: How will they take care of themselves? What if they face economic difficulties? Is there barrier-free access on campus?

Tsinghua’s response, which it published on its social media account, won much praise from the public, as it vowed not to let a single student fall behind because of a disability, and it promised to help Wei if he had economic difficulties.

Other colleges as well as local education authorities are taking measures to ensure that disabled people can enjoy their legal right to higher education.

Chen Chao, a student who graduated from high school in 2013, suffers from cerebral palsy; Sichuan University helped him during his four years of study.

Even the national college entrance exam offers special services for students with disabilities. Wang Chong, the only blind high school graduate in Anhui province this year, was able to sit the exam as the papers were written in Braille.

But the efforts to ensure that people with disabilities enjoy their right to higher education are not enough. They also need more employment opportunities.

The Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities has clear provisions on the employment of persons with disabilities. According to the law, governments at the county level and above should include employment for disabled persons into their economic and social development plans, and draw up preferential policies and concrete support and protection measures. These policies need to be better implemented.

The protection of the rights and interests of the disabled still has a long way to go and needs more efforts from the whole of society.

THE 80-YEAR-OLD PASSENGER who threw a handful of coins at one of the engines of a plane she was boarding in Shanghai, because she believed it would bring good luck and ensure a safe flight, had her punishment of five days administrative detention remitted because of her age. Thepaper.cn comments:

The decision sparked heated discussion. Many people said the woman should be punished because of the potentially serious consequences of her behavior and to deter others from doing anything similarly foolish.

But in their investigation of the case, the Shanghai police have not abused their power and they made the decision to release the woman according to the law.

As she did not intend to damage the plane and her behavior caused no serious consequences thanks to the airport staff ’s efforts, the woman, rather than being subject to the Criminal Law, was only subject to the Security Administrative Punishment Law, which stipulates that a punishment can be remitted if the offender is over 70 years old.

Thus people should not continue to press the public security departments to punish the woman.

In fact, the airline and airport would be justified in prosecuting the woman’s three family members who were boarding the plane with her at that moment for not stopping her from throwing the coins, and they could demand compensation for the economic losses they suffered. But the airline and airport should make the decision whether to prosecute them or not on their own, instead of bending to the pressure of public opinion.