The CBC ran a blurb about the Chinese Paralympic committee's documentation on dealing with people with disabilities.
While the language used in said docs is indeed fairly shocking to (at least some) Western ears, the reaction of one of the (now-former) athletes was interesting. He said, "Their society has come a fair distance already, but I think it's clear that there is still a fair distance to come."
Without speaking to Chinese society at all, having a disabled wife has opened my eyes somewhat to our own mores. She has a disabled pass, and uses a cane to walk more often than not. Her handful of meds both morning and night is just that - a handful. She has crutches which get used semi-regularly, and probably should be in a wheelchair a week every month, but we can't afford one and live in a third story walkup anyway. Her meds leave her sometimes unable to remember conversations 15 minutes later. She is, by any account, physically disabled. She also suffers from PTSD. Yet a couple of times a month, she meets new doctors who have the amazing ability to diagnose disability at a distance and without an examination. At least, that's the only conclusion I can draw, since they are somehow able to tell at a glance that she is not worthy of parking in a disabled spot - and tell her so. On a couple of notable occasions, she's literally been ganged up on; once, one of the gangers-up didn't even know the original interlocutor.
I think it's clear that regardless of Chinese progress, our own society has a long way to go itself.


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