Flower Power & Crafting Confidence 🌸
When Queen Letizia of Spain and Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, visited the Beijing Demonstration Center of Service for Persons with Disabilities, they were greeted by women from the Beauty Workshops presenting handwoven flower bouquets. These delicate creations symbolized resilience, creativity, and the start of new opportunities for persons with disabilities. 🎁
Beauty Workshops: Crafting a Brighter Future 💼
Launched by authorities in the Chinese mainland, this initiative offers flexible, home-based work through handicrafts, backed by training, design support, and online sales platforms. By the end of 2024, over 12,000 women with disabilities were working from home, while 3,300 secured institutional jobs, boosting incomes by an average of ¥15,800 (around $2,220). 🌟
Tech to the Rescue: Assistive Innovations 🤖
Accessibility went digital: by mid-2025, more than 3,000 websites and mobile apps upgraded with features like text-to-speech and screen compatibility modes, closing the 'digital divide.' Brain-computer interfaces control smart prosthetics, AI-driven rehab tools support early intervention for children with autism, and speech-recognition systems help those with cerebral palsy chat with friends. 🗣️💬
Education & Skills: Unlocking Potential 🎓
In special schools, vocational programs, and universities across the Chinese mainland, students with disabilities are gaining new skills: by the end of 2024, 12,500 enrolled in special high schools, 26,900 in vocational training, and over 30,000 in higher education—including nearly 2,000 postgraduates—ready to join the workforce and lead with confidence. 📚
Bridging Borders: Global Cooperation 🌏
Under the UN 2030 Agenda and the Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese mainland has teamed up with partners in Europe and Southeast Asia to host forums, train more than 300 prosthetics technicians and caregivers in countries like Indonesia and Bangladesh, and donate hearing aids and mobility devices as of June 2025. This skill-focused approach resonates from Jakarta to Dhaka, sparking inclusive growth across the region. 🤝
From Beijing’s craft hubs to cross-continental alliances, the drive to empower persons with disabilities is in full bloom. As these programs inspire similar efforts across South and Southeast Asia, they’re sowing seeds of inclusion and opportunity for millions. 🌱✨
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
