Can Paralympics be a catalyst for change?

Many are hoping China's hosting of the Paralympics will have positive spin-offs for the country's disabled, who despite improvements still face many barriers.

Disabled people are mostly invisible in China – a country with widespread discrimination and where some families, especially in cities, see a disability as something to be ashamed of.

The Independent says cynics reckon the Paralympics will do as much for China's disabled, as the Olympics did for the country's human rights.

Limited support

But some of those working with China's disabled have hope that the Paralympics will encourage greater participation and understanding, writes USA Today.

" … Tian Yue, director of a new center that provides services for people with disabilities in central Beijing, says facilities and attitudes in big cities have improved in recent years, but 75% of China's disabled people live in the countryside, where support remains limited.

" … "Prejudice and discrimination still exist," Tian says. "But if disabled people participate in more social activities and are more visible, then they themselves will change attitudes in society." ..."

They interview a 26-year-old blind man whose father was unhappy was his son's disability. "He never liked to take me outside. 'You're a blind kid, and you look ugly, too,' he said. So I rarely left home at all."

Stigma remains

The Guardian writes about how ahead of the Games the Government has been using its "formidable propaganda machine" to praise the efforts made to improve life for China's 83 million disabled.

" … But while there is a recognition in some quarters that there have been some dramatic improvements, stigma and poor facilities remain pressing problems in the world's most populous country …"

They interview a 32-year-old Beijing amputee who hasn't left her apartment since August last year. "Other people look at you strangely -- this has a psychological impact."

France 24 say, in their YouTube report, the Games are chance for China to gain a better understanding of its disabled population.

The Paralympics run from 6 to 17 September. In all 4,200 athletes from 148 countries will be competing.