Mentally disabled population feels isolated
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"The saddest part is that they don't know how to protect themselves. They even won't scream if others trick them," Meng said. "They are the most vulnerable group who needs the most care."
The government funded special centers for mentally disabled people in every district in large cities that offer them a caring environment while their parents work.
However, some mentally disabled people do not welcome the service. Fang Fang, 30, a mentally disabled man, refused to go to the government center after several visits. He said that when he went, he was ordered to sit down and idle.
"As parents, we don't just want them to live, but to live a good life," Fang Yuxiang, Fang Fang's father, told the Global Times.
Meng said only a few NGOs are working in this field and only a few places are available for mentally disabled people to enjoy a normal social life.
Fang Yuxiang, 66, is worried that no one will take care of his son when he dies, and turning him over to a nursing home seems to be his only choice. "I've visited many nursing homes after looking at those elderly people who do nothing but just get fed every day, I don't want my son to go there in his late 30s," Fang said. "I want him to have a good life."
'Fools'
Discrimination is another issue facing them.
"Although it's getting better in recent years, we can still feel the discrimination when we organize some outdoor activities, such as playing in a park or go to the shopping mall," Cao Fei, a worker at Huiling, told the Global Times. "Sometimes, people would go straight to them, and call them 'fools,' and say bad things to their face."
A deeper problem is the lack of respect, said Meng.
She feels many people believe disabled children are worthless and should be aborted, Meng said.
Meng said that the general public knows little about the problems faced by disabled people except when there's some news events staged by the government.
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