China's blind students, who acquired a chance to attend the national college entrance examinations this year, are worrying that whether they will be accepted by any universities, triggering concerns over the group's right to education.
Zheng Rongquan, a visually impaired student from Zhejiang Province, earned a good score in this year's examinations, but worried that no universities would accept him.
"I have been rejected by many universities and I am contacting others. If no universities are willing to accept me, I have no choice but to go to special education schools," Zheng told the Global Times Sunday.
Currently, only a few universities in Beijing, Jilin Province and Shanghai accepted blind students, offering courses on massage and music, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Several universities reached by Xinhua admitted that they do not accept blind students. A teacher from a university in Zhejiang told the Global Times that the school has no special teachers and textbooks for blind students and they might also have problems in accommodation.
However, Zheng said that he plans to apply for the majors of special education or education and emphasized that he won't bring any troubles to the school and he can take care of himself.
Wang Rui, a Zhengzhou-based rights activist, who is also visually-impaired, said that blind students do not need special teachers and they can learn through electronic books. "They do not need special treatment. They just need an equal chance to get education," she said.
Yang Renliang, from the Guangzhou-based NGO ACTogether, which is dedicated to defending the rights of vulnerable groups, said that the dilemma showed that Chinese universities have been ignoring the rights of the blind.
The Ministry of Education stated in March 2014 that it would provide more "humane" services for students who are blind or partially sighted, allowing them to sit national exams. It is estimated that there are over 12 million visually impaired people in China.
Zhang Yaodong, one of the only first three blind candidates to take the exams with the blind-friendly test paper in 2014, was admitted by the Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, the first blind student to be accepted at a university.
