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News about disability affairs in China and East Asia
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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
Art therapy greenlit as college major
China Daily 15th July 2026 Art therapy greenlit as college major. Move seeks to ease talent shortages, improve mental health services By CHEN NAN | JIN DING The Ministry of Education has approved "art therapy" as an undergraduate major, recognizing the rising importance of the practice in addressing mental health and supporting social care for vulnerable communities. The decision, made by the ministry on April 28, marks the first time art therapy has transitioned from an info
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Aiden Cheng overcomes vision loss to become WYHK top scorer
Hong Kong Standard 15th July 2026 Aiden Cheng overcomes vision loss to become WYHK top scorer Despite having less than 10 percent vision because of a progressive eye condition, Aiden Cheng Tsz-in of Wah Yan College, Hong Kong has been named one of the 24 top scorers in this year’s Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination. Cheng attained the top grade of 5** in six subjects, including his electives in history, geography and economics, while living with a worsening
Chris McMillan
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Olympic champion Chen shares power of sports for children with visual impairment.
Xinhua 13th July 2026 Olympic champion Chen shares power of sports for children with visual impairment. Children should never be confined to a single, predefined path in life, Olympic diving champion Chen Yuxi said while speaking with a group of children with visual impairments at a summer camp in Beijing on Sunday evening. After recounting her journey of learning to dive and competing at major tournaments, Chen told the group: "The world is diverse, and the version you perce
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Man’s selfless act in 2019 saving child during fall left him brain-damaged but wife’s devotion to his recovery wins online praise
South China Morning Post 12th July 2026 Man’s selfless act in 2019 saving child during fall left him brain-damaged but wife’s devotion to his recovery wins online praise By Zoey Zhang A woman in central China has captured the hearts of many online after helping her husband emerge from a year's-long vegetative state by biting his toes to stimulate his nerves. Song Mei, 45, a former kindergarten art teacher from Henan province, and her husband Zhao Jinqian, a waterproofing work
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
A robotic hand ‘talks’ to deaf and blind people. Here’s how it works.
Boston Globe 22nd June 2026 A robotic hand ‘talks’ to deaf and blind people. Here’s how it works. By Hiawatha Bray Globe Staff Ducharme uses a product called Tatum1, a disembodied mechanical hand plugged upright into a box studded with push buttons. Developed by Samantha Johnson, a bioengineering graduate of Northeastern University, Tatum1 uses gestures and touch to communicate with people who can neither see nor hear. The Tatum1 control box keeps it simple. There are buttons
Chris McMillan
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Making toys and rebuilding lives
ECNS 16th June 2026 Making toys and rebuilding lives On a late morning in May, the high-pitched whine of 3D printers filled a small workshop in Beijing's Chaoyang district. Cao Qiuping, a former Paralympian who uses a wheelchair, had arrived early and was sorting piles of brightly colored plastic toys — stress-relief ribbons, Minecraft-style blocks and cartoon character figurines. The souvenirs were destined for a Children's Day event in the nearby Sanlitun neighborhood. The
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
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China Focus. Social workers bring sunshine to lives of vulnerable children
Xinhua 1st June 2026 China Focus. Social workers bring sunshine to lives of vulnerable children The sky had cleared after the rain, when two rehabilitation therapists picked their way along the muddy path to Yao Xueliu's home. One led a targeted rehabilitation session for his 10-year-old son Xiaoyu (pseudonym), who lives with autism, while the other walked the father through hands-on, home-based care techniques. Yao's home is in Changtang Town, Anhua County of central China's
Chris McMillan
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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
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International delegates observe AI-assisted special education in Hangzhou
China Daily 10th June 2026 International delegates observe AI-assisted special education in Hangzhou A delegation of experts and officials from multiple countries visited Yanglingzi School on Monday in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, to see the achievements of AI-assisted special education. Founded in 1984, Hangzhou Yanglingzi School has a reputation as a benchmark institution for special education in Zhejiang province. In recent years, the school has shifted its support service
Chris McMillan
1 min read
New tech surgery aids recovery of vision
China Daily 10th June 2026 New tech surgery aids recovery of vision A blind woman in China has recovered partial vision after receiving a brain-computer interface surgery in Changsha, Hunan province, bringing new hope to patients suffering from degenerative retinal diseases. Chen, 61, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 40, a condition that eventually left her completely blind in both eyes. On April 23, she was selected for a clinical trial and underwent an
Chris McMillan
1 min read
China makes substantial progress in improving accessibility for children with disabilities. UNICEF representative
Xinhua 1st June 2026 China makes substantial progress in improving accessibility for children with disabilities. UNICEF representative China has made substantial progress in improving accessibility for children with disabilities, said Amakobe Sande, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative to China. Sande made the remarks ahead of International Children's Day, noting that China's law on building a barrier-free living environment marks an important step forwa
Chris McMillan
1 min read
AI-driven innovation opens new possibilities for smart living in China
Xinhua 1st June 2026 AI-driven innovation opens new possibilities for smart living in China At the World Intelligence Expo 2026 in north China's Tianjin Municipality, a smart mirror provides an instant snapshot of a person's health status, a robotic arm deftly prepares a savory Chinese crepe, and a robot plays Go and tells stories to children, as what once seemed like science fiction increasingly becomes part of everyday life in China. Concluding on Sunday, the four-day expo
Chris McMillan
1 min read
China woman dances with eye patch and mask after losing partial jaw. vision in one eye to cancer
China Daily 5th June 2026 China woman dances with eye patch and mask after losing partial jaw. vision in one eye to cancer A 24-year-old Chinese woman keeps managing to shine on stage despite wearing a patch and a mask after she lost an eye and her left upper jaw to cancer. Han Yifei, from eastern China’s Jiangsu province, has moved many people online and garnered over 7,000 followers on a social media platform with her beautiful ballroom dancing. In videos she uploaded, she
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Cinema enters a new age of immersive filmmaking
Xinhua 23rd May 2026 Cinema enters a new age of immersive filmmaking With a virtual reality headset strapped over her eyes, a 9-year-old girl surnamed Zhao stepped into a shimmering cinematic world, where she moved her small hands with purpose through the air as she learned sign language to help a character in an animated VR film. In similar immersive experiences, audiences are no longer mere viewers but active participants. As more people flock to VR films, drawn by blockbus
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Shanghai Railway Services Get More Accessible for Passengers With Disabilities
Shanghai Daily 29th May 2026 Shanghai Railway Services Get More Accessible for Passengers With Disabilities by Ke Jiayun For most travelers, a train station is where a journey begins. And for passengers with disabilities, it is where every detail counts, from a working elevator and a wider security lane to a wheelchair ready at the entrance and a staff member waiting on the platform. At Shanghai railway stations, those details are becoming part of a smoother travel experience
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Technology opens new doors to accessible living
People's Daily 28th May 2026 Technology opens new doors to accessible living Recent advancements in technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), brain-computer interfaces and bionic engineering are offering renewed hope and expanding possibilities for people living with disabilities. China's 2025 statistical bulletin on the development of the cause of people with disabilities reported that 1.487 million people with disabilities received basic assistive devices last year. F
Chris McMillan
1 min read
Using good as bait’. blind China girl detained after fake hit-by-bike clip gets 100 million views
China Daily 26th May 2026 Using good as bait’. blind China girl detained after fake hit-by-bike clip gets 100 million views A viral video of a blind woman on a tactile pavement being hit by an electric bike, which turned out to be staged, has sparked a wave of public anger in China. The video has been viewed more than 100 million times online. It has also raised questions about similar scams involving the visually impaired and fears that it could diminish public’s trust in t
Chris McMillan
1 min read
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