Chongqing - In Chongqing's Houbao community, in addition to young people flocking to popular spots like Super 80s Street, you can occasionally see residents with physical disabilities out and about. Some gather at outdoor tea houses for conversations, while others navigate independently to buy daily necessities.
She Min, in a wheelchair and enjoying tea with friends at an outdoor tea house, told Bridging News that thanks to the community's accessibility improvements, she now finds it easier to get around and enjoy a more prosperous and varied life.
According to Yang Li, director of the neighborhood committee of the Houbao community, the community has 179 people with disabilities, including 84 with physical disabilities. In its accessibility upgrades, which began in 2022 and were completed in October 2023, the Houbao community has added approximately 1 kilometer of accessibility paths and about 15 new access points. This could cover disabled residents' daily needs, ensuring that they can travel from their homes to buy groceries or use public transportation, she said.
Peng Haiting, a wheelchair user and the head of the accessibility supervision team in Chongqing's Nan'an district, was involved throughout the project.
Peng's accessibility supervision team was officially established on July 12 last year, right after the third session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress approved a new law on building a barrier-free living environment, which took effect on September 1, 2023.
The new law makes provisions regarding the construction of accessible facilities, accessible information exchanges, social services, guarantee measures, supervision and management, and liability.
The first batch of the accessibility supervision team in Nan'an district includes ten individuals with physical, hearing, and visual disabilities.
Each member focuses on different aspects of accessibility. According to Peng, those with visual disabilities are particularly concerned with safely crossing streets, recognizing traffic lights, and the condition of tactile paving, while those with physical disabilities pay more attention to accessible restrooms.
Due to a disability from an illness he suffered earlier in life, Peng has long relied on crutches or a wheelchair for mobility. He deeply understands the importance of barrier-free environments for people with physical disabilities.
"I want to buy that piece of meat, for instance, but I can't reach it because there are steps. If I could walk up to the counter and specify which piece I want, it would at least make me feel that I am enjoying the same rights as others without disabilities rather than being denied due to my condition."
Since Peng became vice chairman of the Association for Physical Disabilities in Nan'an district eight years ago, he has continuously worked on accessibility issues. These include coordinating with departments to ensure seamless connections between light rail exits and sidewalks and providing barrier-free access for residents in commercial pedestrian areas.
However, Peng noted that addressing accessibility issues hasn't always been smooth. Sometimes, problems are discovered after a project is completed, and asking the construction team to make corrections can be difficult, as many workers are not paid for such rework.
Typically, Peng's team reaches out to the construction units. If collaboration is possible, the team will present their solutions and provide the standards for the construction of barrier-free facilities. If this approach fails, they report the issue to the relevant departments in local areas, such as the community office, commission of Housing and Urban-rural Development, Urban Management Bureau, and procuratorate.
To ensure accessibility facilities meet requirements and avoid rework, Peng's team often sends a member to supervise construction on-site personally.
In Peng's view, while the improvement in accessibility environments over the years is significant, the greatest achievement is the recognition and support from relevant departments, allowing the team to collaborate effectively on accessibility projects. For the renovation of old neighborhoods, the team now intervenes in advance, which avoids many hassles compared to only reviewing the completed work.
Technology and smart solutions are needed to improve accessibility of information exchange, Peng said, adding, "For example, when a visually impaired person enters a public restroom, they may not know which side is the men's or women's restroom."
Tian Ye, a hearing-impaired entrepreneur, founded a technology company in Chongqing and believed that while technology can provide support, it lacks empathy and cannot replace sign language interpreters.
"There is a major misconception that hearing-impaired individuals can communicate by reading text, but their first language is sign language, not written Chinese. This is similar to how learning English is more challenging for us as a second language," he added.
Tian also participates in the Barrier-Free Mountain City project initiated by the Luhai International Communication Foundation. He mentioned that, due to his higher level of education and ability to understand written text, he can engage in real-time communication through technological translation. However, reading text may be more challenging and less clear for a hearing-impaired individual with a less advanced educational background. Even though this person holds a bachelor's degree and is considered highly educated within the hearing-impaired community, reading can still be difficult, Tian noted.
Meanwhile, Tian pointed out a problem with using technological translation for communication: the other person must speak standard Mandarin. If this person speaks a dialect, the subtitles become jumbled.
In this regard, Duan Wenjie, deputy director of the operations management center at Chongqing Rail Transit (Group) Co Ltd, stated that the company's staff receive daily sign language training, enabling them to provide basic sign language services for hearing-impaired passengers.
Duan added that this year, the company also invited the head of the Research Center for Sign Language and Hearing-Impairment Education at Chongqing Normal University and the secretary-general of the Chongqing Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to conduct specialized training for frontline staff, aiming to enhance the accessibility service capabilities of station personnel.
Tian noted that sign language translation services in China are extremely limited, with fewer than 200 experienced interpreters and around 1,000 general ones.
He described the challenges faced when visiting a hospital: "For example, if I am sick and need to go to the hospital, I have to inquire at the front desk about the need for a sign language interpreter. (Sometimes) I would also have to search online for an interpreter. If I encounter a familiar interpreter, that's great, but what if they are too busy? The lack of professionalization makes it very difficult."
China had about 85 million people with disabilities and 267 million elderly people aged 60 and above by the end of 2021. Other groups that may benefit from accessible facilities include pregnant women, children, and the sick and injured.
Yang said that the Houbao community provides services tailored to the specific needs of its residents, such as housekeeping and cooking, for people with disabilities and elderly residents with mobility issues.
She mentioned that there is a wheelchair-bound resident who enjoys playing table tennis, and now that the table tennis court has been built, he comes almost every day.
At the same time, the community also organizes activities such as fun sports events, handicraft workshops, and health lectures. Yang emphasized that some activities are not exclusively for people with disabilities; instead, they bring together all residents in the community. Through these activities, everyone can help and support each other in a shared environment, gradually fostering a more inclusive community.
In terms of public transportation, Duan said that the station ticket booths are equipped with assistance buttons, allowing station staff to communicate with passengers at the touch of a button and provide timely assistance.
Duan added that Chongqing Rail Transit (Group) Co Ltd has also launched a hotline. "Passengers with mobility issues, vision impairments, or other needs can call the hotline for assistance."
The company has also provided the appointment service in addition to the hotline. Duan noted that passengers who require assistance can make a reservation through a WeChat mini-program, and station staff will provide one-stop travel services based on their needs.
The stations are also equipped with wheelchairs, which passengers in need can use free of charge. According to Duan, the stations also allow certified guide dogs to accompany their owners on the trains.
(Qi Xiaofang, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)
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