As Beijing gears up to host the Paralympics, the government has been rolling out its formidable propaganda machine to praise efforts to better the lot of China's estimated 83 million disabled. But while there is a recognition in some quarters that there have been some dramatic improvements, stigma and poor facilities remain pressing problems in the world's most populous country.
Miao Qi, a 32-year-old Beijinger who had a leg amputated at 14 following bone cancer, never went to university and is unemployed, two things she attributes largely to her disability. She has not left the apartment she shares with her parents since August last year, preferring to read Chinese history and play computer games than venture out.
"Other people look at you strangely - this has a psychological impact. Perhaps they don't do it maliciously but just think: 'What's wrong with that young woman? So pretty, but why is she that way?'" she told Reuters. "Most people are like that, and I don't like people looking at me. So it's better to stay at home. And I don't have a job so I have no reason to go out."
For all the cheery publicity surrounding the Paralympics, which open on Friday and run for 11 days, officials admit that it is still difficult for the disabled in China, even in Beijing where facilities are fairly good. "Yes, there is discrimination," said Li Caimao, director of the Beijing city government's disabled committee. "It's an attitude problem. Perhaps we have not worked hard enough to tackle it."
But Li adds some things have changed. When he tried to enter university 18 years ago, it was nearly impossible as colleges simply did not want to admit the disabled, and did not have to. "For the disabled now, there is no barrier to college. They have the same conditions as everyone else," he said, attributing that to new anti-discrimination laws.
China's disabled are often in the news for all the wrong reasons. Blind rights activist Chen Guangcheng was jailed for four years in 2007 for disrupting traffic and damaging property, charges his wife and critics said were concocted by officials angry at his exposure of forced late-term abortions.
And Beijing had to order volunteer guides for the Games to be amended in May after it used phrases like "unusual personalities" to describe the disabled. Still, there is a hope that the Paralympics can change some of public attitudes and lead to greater participation of the disabled in Chinese society.
"Holding a completely successful Paralympics will encourage a wider understanding and knowledge of disabled people," said Lu Shiming, vice chairman of the China Paralympic Committee.
The city spent billions of dollars upgrading its infrastructure for the Olympics, including new subways and roads, but also spent 600 million yuan ($87.76 million) specifically on improving access in public places for the disabled. That includes a limited number of wheelchair elevators in the subway and a fleet of new wheelchair accessible buses, though it is rare to see people using them.
While Beijing gets plaudits for schemes like this, the situation in China's countryside is totally different. "In rural areas the situation is still very difficult," Jean van Wetter, China country director for Handicap International, told Reuters. "We estimate that only one-third of people with disabilities living in rural areas have access to rehabilitation services and only one-fifth who need orthopaedic devices have access to them. The challenges are enormous."