Looking for a level playing field

Courage first, skills later

Golden Cane director Yang was a journalist with 1+1 broadcast studio for the visually impaired in 2011. That is when he came up with the idea of opening a training center for the visually impaired.

"A middle-school student who came to study broadcasting in our studio was rather surprised to find that I went everywhere on my own, with just a walking stick in hand," Yang said. "Soon, he tried doing the same. A few months later, his mother called to say she was happy to see her son walking home alone with the help of the stick. So I thought, why not teach more visually impaired people to walk independently?"

There are those who ask why the visually impaired should at all step out without someone helping them. Yang has a firm answer: "We visually impaired people are not inferior to anyone. We, too, must live and enjoy life like any other person."

In January 2018, Yang and his newly launched program, Golden Cane, started a training camp for visually impaired people in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province. Surprisingly, they found that most of their trainees had already received training on how to walk using walking sticks, but having stayed in a closed environment for too long, they lacked the courage to venture out on their own.

"We helped them walk, not only physically, but also spiritually," Yang said. "There was technique to be taught, but we also taught them to be confident."

It was with this goal in mind that the organization began adding more courses for the visually impaired, such as cooking, makeup and computer skills. The schedules are tailor-made for each trainee, so that they learn at their own pace.

The organization also collaborated with other organizations. They applied for funding from the China Disabled Persons' Federation, while eye care agencies worked with them to create more awareness about eye health.

Tao Yong, head of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital's ophthalmology department, worked with them to help the visually impaired gain confidence. "I appreciate their efforts very much," Tao said. "They have provided hope where even modern medicine cannot help."

In the past three years, the organization has trained over a 100 visually impaired people. Over 70 percent of them can now go out on walks independently. Most of them can work. Yang is very happy with the results.