Disability in China

“Sports opportunities for people with disabilities should focus on how to construct opportunities that emphasize the sports ability of participants rather than their disability” (Nixon, 2007, pp.417). This is the most impressive statement to me. I think we should also apply this rule (focus on ability rather than disability) to the real world for all people with disability.

People with disability in China have a header life than in the U.S. If you are in the public places, you barely can see the people with disability. It is abnormal to consider the huge population in China. The reason for this phenomenon is lacking of basic facilities for the people with disability. Before 2008 Paralympics, the Chinese government built many facilities for the athletes with disability in venues and infrastructure. These facilities truly improved the situation for people with disability in China, but it’s still not enough. In contrary, in the U.S., I found lots of people with disability in the public places, such as the supermarket, restaurant, or shopping mall. Convenient parking space, automatic door and special bathroom shell provide people with disability wider lives for outside of the world.

Another issue about people with disability in China is employment opportunities. As far as I know, the majority of people with disability are authors. Because people with disability usually stick at home for lacking of basic facilities in the public places, writing is one of few jobs they can do for living. I heard, for the big companies in U.S., they have to hire several employees with disability to show the equal opportunity for all. For example, Bowling Green State University is committed to equal opportunity for all and does not discriminate in admission or access to, or treatment of employment in, its programs and activities on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, or veteran status.

Even though China don’t have perfect legal systems and enough basic facilities, because China need face to lots of social issues as a developing country, the Chinese government have already started to concern about the people with disability.

Nothing wrong to be a gay

In the 2008 Olympic Game, only 10 athletes announced they are gay or lesbian from total 10, 500 athletes. The reason why most of the gay or lesbian athletes will not come out is some people don’t understand or accept the gay or lesbian athletes. Gay athletes worried that if they come out, they may lose their fans, their commercial contracts, and even their playing opportunities.

I got my bachelor’s degree in Wuhan Sport University (recently changed the name from Wuhan Institute of Physical Education to Wuhan Sport University). Most of students in our university are college athletes, and some of them are the Olympic Champions. I know many gay or lesbian athletes in our university. There even has a “gay bar” in our university (the university rent some idle buildings). However, when I searched the Internet, I found that no athletes in Chinese National Teams announced they are gay or lesbian. I believe the gay or lesbian athletes hide their sexual orientation to bend of social pressure.

Existence is reasonable. I don’t understand why some people cannot accept the different sexual orientation. I think the different sexual orientation is the same with the different eye color. My friend told me a story about her dog named Xirui (a boy’s name). She said Xirui always chase other boy dogs rather than girls. At first, she thought he was too young to know love, but as time goes by, he still chases boy dogs. One day, she suddenly realized that her dog is a gay. My friend treats Xirui as her family member. She told me, “If GOD creates him as a gay, why not against his nature? I just want him happy”.

I found an interesting Game named Gay Game. Originally called the Gay Olympics, it was started in San Francisco in 1982; it retains many similarities with the Olympics, including the Gay Games flame which is lit at the opening ceremony. The Gay Games is the world's largest sporting and cultural event organized by and specifically for LGBT athletes, artists, musicians, and others. It welcomes participants of every sexual orientation and every skill level. There are no qualifying standards to compete in the Gay Games. It brings together people from all over the world, many from countries where homosexuality remains illegal and hidden (resources from Wikipedia).