Snow and ice sports give students with disabilities an opportunity to make a name for themselves

Believing that disabled people have an equal right to chase their dreams, a special education school in central China’s Henan Province has trained some of its students living with disabilities to become professional skiers, broadening their horizons and strengthening their self-confidence.

Students are in the middle of a training class at a special education school in Luanchuan county, Luoyang city, central China’s Henan Province. (Photo/Duan Yibo)

In 2019, Wu Yongjun, principal of the special education school in Luanchuan county, Luoyang city, signed 22 students up for winter sports competitions to be held in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province that year by the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, thinking it might be a chance for the students to make a difference in their lives. In recent years, Luanchuan county has become a popular destination for ski enthusiasts.

The decision was considered to be too bold by many people because no one from the special education school had any prior experience related to skiing, and such plans had no precedent among all the special education schools in Henan.

Wu Yongjun, principal of the special education school, trains a student during a training class. (Photo/Duan Yibo)

At the beginning, there was no trainer available, and the school’s former vice principal Wan Qingya, who knew nothing about skiing, was invited to train the students. Wan started out by learning how to ski himself by watching guide videos; then he taught the knowledge and skills he had learnt to the students piece by piece. Several months later in September 2019, the school invited a professional trainer to teach the students.

However, Wu Tao, the trainer, had thought about giving up at the beginning when he encountered challenges teaching some students, with some students being comparatively slow learners compared with others. An autistic boy named Xiao Jia (a pseudonym) barely talked to anyone and was usually seen hiding around corners during the training classes. To improve the efficiency of teaching, Wu decided to teach Xiao Jia skiing movements through play, and the boy finally responded after Wu tried numerous times to get through to him.

Xiao Jia (a pseudonym), a student at the special education school, is in the middle of a training session. (Photo/Duan Yibo)

Though the kids were slower learners, they had quite a lot of advantages, Wu discovered. For instance, they would continue practicing repeatedly non-stop until they were finally asked to wrap it up. Wu remembered clearly that on one rainy day, he didn’t arrive at the school at 6 a.m., the time when the students usually started practicing, because he had thought they might not be able to keep to the same schedule due to the weather conditions that day. However, at about 6:30 a.m., the school called him, saying that the students had already started to practice as usual. So he then hurried to reach the school at once.

“Though being disabled, they are actually more resilient than other people and they will never give up until they reach their goals,” Wu expressed.

Skiers from a special education school in Luanchuan county pose for a picture at a ski resort in Luoyang. (Photo/Duan Yibo)

In December 2019, the students and their teachers travelled to Qiqihar in Heilongjiang to take part in the winter sports competitions. However, on the eve of the competition, Xiao Jia had gotten a fever. Wu and teachers from the school suggested that Xiao Jia not take part in the competition the next day, but the boy said he didn’t want to give up. In the end, Xiao Jia won the silver medal in the men’s skiing competition. When he stood on the podium, all of his teachers shed tears of joy.

In the school’s room of honor there are 61 medals displayed that were won by the students along with dozens of certificates of honor, which demonstrate the students’ excellent performances during various competitions. With more room left in the medal cabinet to place more medals, the principal Wu Yongjun expressed that he expects the students to make even greater achievements in the future.

Wan Qingya, former vice principal of the special education school, trains students. (Photo/Duan Yibo)