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News about disability affairs in China and East Asia
国际残障事物信息
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19-year-old with DMD enrolls at Shanxi University with electric wheelchair
China Daily 10th September 2026 19-year-old with DMD enrolls at Shanxi University with electric wheelchair Nineteen-year-old Zhang Zexin took the gaokao like millions of his peers, and his score won him a place at Shanxi University. On Sept 5, he arrived on campus in his electric wheelchair to complete his enrollment, joining more than 12,000 fellow freshmen. Zhang was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)—a genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle degenerat
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Designing dignity into daily life
China Daily 9th September 2026 Designing dignity into daily life Three youth-led projects show how accessible design can move beyond basic needs to support independence, personal choice and equal participation. BY LI YUCHE AND GUI QIAN Among the many art and design works on display at the 2026 Central Academy of Fine Arts Graduation Season in May, a bathroom design by 21-year-old student Li Shurong drew visitors' attention and went viral on Chinese social media platfo
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Plan to boost special education nationally
China Daily 9th September 2026 Plan to boost special education nationally Focus on building inclusive, accessible system for children with disabilities A new action plan, released by China's Ministry of Education and six other central government departments, has set a target to maintain the 97 percent enrollment rate of school-age children with disabilities in compulsory education through 2030. Released on Aug 31, the plan outlines a comprehensive push to build a high-quality
Chris McMillan
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Parents urged to build healthier habits as new semester begins
China Daily 7th September 2026 Parents urged to build healthier habits as new semester begins By Li Menghan As the new semester begins, health authorities are urging parents to tackle myopia, obesity and spinal curvature among schoolchildren by addressing the everyday habits that contribute to these health problems. Insufficient outdoor activity, excessive screen use, late bedtimes and overconsumption of sugary snacks and drinks are common risk factors for the three condition
Chris McMillan
1 min read
China unveils first wheeled-legged guide robot, with 99% indoor obstacle avoidance rate, can even climb stairs
China Daily 7th September 2026 China unveils first wheeled-legged guide robot, with 99% indoor obstacle avoidance rate, can even climb stairs By Shen Sheng and Zhang Yiyi China’s Yuanshan Zhixing Technology has unveiled Xiaoyuan, the country’s first wheeled-legged guide robot, which can glide on flat ground and climb stairs, offering a new mobility solution for people with visual impairments, GT learned from the company. The robot features a hybrid wheeled-legged design. It c
Chris McMillan
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Free screenings to tackle myopia crisis
RTHK 8th September 2026 Free screenings to tackle myopia crisis The non-profit organisation, Orbis International, and the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed) have launched a joint initiative to combat the city's myopia crisis The partnership will offer 1,000 free paediatric eye exams and 1,000 adult myopia screenings, alongside a three-year clinical trial for advanced therapies. Medical experts describe short-sightedness as a lifelong threat — a condition t
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Students win national award for smart cerebral palsy rehab system
Xi'an-Jitong - Liverpool University 28th August 2026 Science and Technology Students win national award for smart cerebral palsy rehab system By Huatian Jin Translated by Xueqi Wang Edited by staff editor A team of undergraduate researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) has received a national award for its smart rehabilitation system for children with cerebral palsy that combats mental fatigue with fun, interactive games and collates real-time data. Lower-li
Chris McMillan
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Teen Developers Harness AI to Tackle Everyday Social ChallengesBuilding an Innovation Hub
City News Service 25th August 2026 Teen Developers Harness AI to Tackle Everyday Social Challenges Building an Innovation Hub by Zhu Shenshen Teenagers are turning to artificial intelligence to tackle everyday social challenges, developing projects ranging from a smart medicine cabinet for elderly residents in remote mountain villages to a 3D assistant for sign language learners and a visualized music training tool. More than 500 AI projects created by young developers were s
Chris McMillan
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Hengqin schools host 63 health sessions benefiting 10,000-plus
News Guangdong 13th August 2026 Hengqin schools host 63 health sessions benefiting 10,000-plus A health team in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin delivered 63 health education sessions to more than 10,000 teachers and students during the 2025–2026 academic year. The team is known as the school's "health vice principals" of the cooperation zone. It, in partnership with medical experts, provided 50 targeted sessions on infectious disease prevention, ran 3
Chris McMillan
1 min read
From robot workers to AI glasses. Exploring everyday AI in Hangzhou
People's Daily 5th August 2026 From robot workers to AI glasses. Exploring everyday AI in Hangzhou In Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, artificial intelligence is stepping off the screen. It is taking physical form in robots that cook, serve customers, inspect equipment and assist people in their daily lives. Spanish filmmaker Larry Levene encountered that shift at the Hangzhou Embodied Intelligence Exhibition Centre, which gathers robots designed for real-world setti
Chris McMillan
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China-developed brain-computer interface robot helps patients walk again
Global Times 5th August 2026 China-developed brain-computer interface robot helps patients walk again Country’s BCI sector advancing toward industrialization at fast pace By Ma Jingjing Wanting to move but being unable to is the plight of patients with lower-limb mobility impairments. Today, a homegrown cutting-edge technology is working to solve this problem. Recently, at the high-end equipment exhibition area of the Anhui Innovation Pavilion in Hefei, capital of East China'
Chris McMillan
1 min read
China's implantable BCI tech helps quadriplegic patients return to work with latency below 50 ms
Global Times 31st July 2026 China's implantable BCI tech helps quadriplegic patients return to work with latency below 50 ms By Liu Yang and Zhang Weilan China's implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) technology has made substantial progress in clinical trials, enabling multiple patients with high-level quadriplegia to return to work, with command latency below 50 milliseconds, the Global Times learned from Shanghai-based medical technology firm StairMed on Thursday. This
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Paralysis inspires Chinese man to build mind-controlled wheelchair that wins top prize
South China Morning Post 31st July 2026 Paralysis inspires Chinese man to build mind-controlled wheelchair that wins top prize A man from southeastern China transformed his experience with paralysis into a source of inspiration, creating a mind-controlled wheelchair prototype in just 48 hours during a technology competition. Wang Ning, 33, and his wife from Shenzhen recently took part in a Shanghai-based Hackathon hosted by RedNote, where they earned first prize in the hardwa
Chris McMillan
1 min read
2 mln elderly people receive caregiving service subsidies in China in 2026
Xinhua 31st July 2026 2 mln elderly people receive caregiving service subsidies in China in 2026 About 2 million elderly people with disabilities in China have received government subsidies to purchase caregiving services so far this year, the country's Ministry of Civil Affairs announced Thursday at a press conference. The subsidies are available to older individuals who have been assessed as having moderate or more severe disabilities, based on criteria that evaluate their
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Novel device to help deaf patients hear effectively
China Daily 22nd July 2026 Novel device to help deaf patients hear effectively Chinese researchers have developed the world's first bionic neuromorphic auditory nerve interface, a groundbreaking electronic device that bypasses damaged natural auditory nerves to deliver processed sound signals straight to the neural pathways. The technology, created by a team at Nankai University in Tianjin, represents significant research advances in the field of neuromorphic auditory restora
Chris McMillan
1 min read
China to launch third national disability survey in 2027
China Daily 17th July 2026 China to launch third national disability survey in 2027 China will launch its third national sample survey of people with disabilities in September 2027 to obtain more accurate data for policymaking on a population currently estimated at 85 million, officials said on Thursday. The survey will cover about 2.8 million people, or two in every 1,000 people, said Cheng Kai, head of the survey's leading group and chairman of the China Disabled Persons' F
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Lost After Boarding Wrong Train, Deaf Man in China Reunites With Family After 35 Years
Asianet News 1st July 2026 Lost After Boarding Wrong Train, Deaf Man in China Reunites With Family After 35 Years By Shweta Kumari SYNOPSIS A deaf and non-speaking man from central China has been reunited with his biological family after being separated from them for 35 years, following an unexpected train journey that changed his life. A playful childhood adventure turned into a heartbreaking separation that lasted more than three decades before a deaf and non-speaking ma
Chris McMillan
1 min read
CUHK reveals a potential treatment target for glaucoma that can restore 70% of lost vision in animal models. A pioneering breakthrough in neuroprotection therapy
Chinese University of Hong Kong 22nd June 2026 CUHK reveals a potential treatment target for glaucoma that can restore 70% of lost vision in animal models. A pioneering breakthrough in neuroprotection therapy The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)’s Faculty of Medicine (CU Medicine) has identified the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) as a new potential therapeutic target for glaucoma, which could eventually lead to a breakthrough in neuroprotection treatm
Chris McMillan
1 min read
China Focus. China promotes "tech for good" to safeguard human rights
Xinhua 12th June 2026 China Focus. China promotes "tech for good" to safeguard human rights At the 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance, Jaber Alsalaj picked up the English and Arabic copies of the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2026-2030). His sights were fixed on a chapter: creating a better digital and intelligent life. This keen interest was far from a sudden impulse. Days before the forum, Alsalaj, senior advisor with the Independent Permanent Human
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Chinese researchers treat rare disease via new RNA editing technology
Xinhua 10th June 2026 Chinese researchers treat rare disease via new RNA editing technology Editor: huaxia A Chinese research team has achieved a breakthrough with its newly developed RNA editing technology, named LEAPER, in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a severe and rare hereditary disease. Both details of this technology and its clinical application were published on Wednesday in the journal Cell. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202606/09/WS6a2768c
Chris McMillan
1 min read
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