'The Invisibles'...Disability in China in the 21st Century

This study explores the effects of traditional beliefs, Confucian ideology, Chinese government policy and western influences on China's inclusion of people with a disability in the Chinese community in the 21st century. Using visual ethnography and an auto-ethnographic approach, the study examines data obtained over a period of five years to analyse the impact of recent initiatives of the Chinese government in disability policy and planning on attitudes towards people with a disability and the accommodation of people with a disability within the community. Findings from the study suggest that a series of positive legislative and administrative policies that guarantee equal rights for people with disabilities in China have had some positive outcomes, and that social attitudes towards the disabled are gradually changing, mainly as a result of the active advocacy of the disability community. However, despite these initiatives and changes in attitude, there is little evidence of the impact of Chinese disability policy on the built environment in China outside the major cities, and the disabled are still largely invisible in public spaces. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)