Empowering the disabled to chase their dreams

HOHHOT, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Just before the Spring Festival of 2014, Wang Yani, a hearing-impaired girl with aspirations of becoming a teacher, was greatly inspired by Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to a welfare home for children where she lived.

During his visit to the welfare home in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xi encouraged children there to work hard and pursue excellence in their school years. Wang, then 14, expressed her gratitude by bending a thumb, which means "Thank you" in Chinese sign language.

Xi got the message and continued a conversation with Wang by following her sign language.

"At that moment I felt such a strong bond with Grandpa Xi," recalled Wang. "All he said and did on that day made me feel we disabled children were by no means different."

In 2019, she achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a cosmetology teacher at the special education school where she had studied. Before that, she attended a beauty school in Hohhot where she, albeit the only student with disabilities, overcame all difficulties and challenges and graduated as a top student.

Wang had not only gained strength from her exchange with Xi nine years ago but has also benefited from China's continuous efforts to improve the well-being of people with disabilities over the years.

In China, there are about 85 million people with disabilities. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has paid particular attention to the cause of the disabled.

He has emphasized the need to ensure that "people with disabilities can also have a brilliant life as normal people do."

On March 4 last year, the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games kicked off. Xi attended the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, in which the Chinese delegation won a history-making 61 medals, including 18 golds.

Over the past few years, China, as an active advocate and staunch supporter of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, has taken concrete steps to expand educational and job opportunities for people with disabilities, allowing them to realize their goals and share the benefits of national prosperity.

Today, barrier-free infrastructure and facilities are widely accessible in China. Hundreds of thousands of disabled people in this country have obtained driving licenses.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), more than 50,000 students with disabilities got into institutions of higher learning and an additional 1.81 million disabled people found jobs, according to official data. By 2020, over 95 percent of disabled children had been enrolled in compulsory education.

A plan for enhancing their vocational skills in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) was unveiled last year by the China Disabled Persons' Federation and four other departments, calling for vigorous expansion of vocational skills training for the disabled.

In the same year, a three-year action plan for promoting the employment of the disabled was issued by the State Council, setting the goal of creating 1 million new jobs for disabled people by the end of 2024.

Four years into her career, Wang has won the hearts of her students with her patience and professional skills. Her meticulously designed blackboard writing, along with colorful markers highlighting key points, aids in the smooth running of her teaching.

The Hohhot special education school where she works now has 212 students with hearing, visual or intellectual impairments. In addition to the core curriculum, the students are offered a variety of courses such as arts and crafts and roller skating.

The young woman is also preparing for a new chapter in her life -- she is getting married soon. Her boyfriend was her schoolmate at the special education school.

"I always encourage my students to work hard, just as Grandpa Xi told me. I have taken that to heart," Wang said. "No matter which path we choose, we should persevere and never give up."