From the Los Angeles Times:

An estimated 50,000 survivors of the earthquake in China are expected to be permanently disabled, many with amputated limbs.

These people will face numerous hurdles in getting rehabilitation and counseling in a nation in which negative attitudes toward disabilities abound. Social services in rural areas are almost nonexistent. Very few schools in China have wheelchair access. Employers are reluctant to hire people with disabilities, preferring to pay fines rather than meet government requirements. A guidebook issued recently for volunteers at the Beijing Olympics, later withdrawn amid complaints, described people with physical disabilities as “stubborn and controlling.”

“I have large worries about people in rural areas,” said Li Yingsheng, director of the social work department at People’s University in Beijing. “When they return to their lives in their hometown, they will need psychological treatment, social services, and they’ll have problems to live on their own and find employment. Who will cover this?

This entry was posted on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 7:21 am and is filed under accessibility, international, limb loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post