China Daily
9th October 2023
Life skills improve lives for those with disabilities
A special school in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, is providing young people with conditions such as autism, Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities with vocational education opportunities so that they can make the most of their skills in life.
At Liaoyuan School last month, Liu Fengqi, who has an intellectual disability, worked with his classmates to make mooncakes ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
After rolling, adding fillings and molding, he and four other students completed their mooncakes in about 10 minutes.
The 18-year-old is receiving vocational education as a senior high school student at Liaoyuan, a special education school offering both nine-year compulsory education and vocational high school education for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.
"It seems quite easy for most people to complete these tasks, but it is a great challenge for our students. It took them about four weeks to learn how to make a mooncake," said Shen Hong, who has been teaching baking at the school for four years.
"For their homework, I assigned them to make handmade mooncakes for their parents," she said in an interview last month. "I believe they can really surprise their parents for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival."