Hard going for the handicapped

• Source: Global Times
• [10:31 June 02 2010]
• Comments

By Zachary Ean Lowell

I was excited last October, when my mother-in-law came to Shanghai for Golden Week. It was her first time traveling in Asia and her first time meeting me, and I could not think of a better way to get to know each other than showing her around Shanghai.

Unfortunately, because of her age and several other factors, she has to use a cane and can only walk short distances without severe pain. My wife had told me about her disability, but I was completely unprepared for the difficulties we constantly faced getting around Shanghai, forcing us to scrap the vast majority of our sightseeing plans.

Even for the able-bodied, Shanghai can seem like an obstacle course of narrow streets, motorbikes, slippery tiles, construction sites and stairs. For many people, these inconveniences are just a part of daily life, but for the disabled they can be insurmountable barriers. It was heart-breaking to think about all those wonderful experiences my guest missed due to her disability.

But to think beyond the narrow confines of my own experience, my wife's mother is lucky in a way. She could return to her home in North America and still enjoy a relatively active and involved life. Unfortunately, many of China's 83 million disabled people can't say the same thing; a large number are confined to their homes or special care facilities.

Most of Asia is notoriously unfriendly to the disabled. China in general and Shanghai specifically should not be singled out as the only places in the region without proper facilities for those with special needs. In fact, despite all of its barriers and limitations (as the Global Times reported last month, there are only approximately 300 taxis equipped for wheelchair-bound passengers, for example), Shanghai is ahead of many cities in Asia in terms of accessibility. As one of China's most prosperous and developed cities, it has a responsibility to set an example for city planners and architects elsewhere.

Thanks to the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai and the accompanying public works projects, we have seen some major improvements for the disabled: more elevators, escalators and ramps in offices, stores, metro stations and the Expo Park itself. I have also noticed an increase in people with special needs since May 1. But there remains a great deal left to do. Hopefully the spirit of "Better City, Better Life" can extend beyond the World Expo and Shanghai can work to create a city that is not only technological and economically developed, but gives dignity to all of its residents.