Special education lights up disabled lives

Since the students do not have full self-care abilities, safety is the top concern for the school authorities.

Members of the faculty and staff take turns looking after the students around the clock, considering almost every factor carefully.

The school allows no motor vehicles on the campus roads from 11 am to 11:05 am, when the students leave school for their homes during the lunch break.

"This is for the safety of our students. They cannot react as quickly as other people," Song said.

Female teachers monitor and record the girls' menstrual cycles regularly. If they notice that someone's period is delayed, they carefully ascertain the reason and make sure she has not been sexually assaulted.

If a girl menstruates more than once a month, they help examine her and ensure she is in good physical condition.

There are at least two teachers for every five students on campus. The teachers remember all the students' names and know their situations like the backs of their hands. The students know all the teachers and can identify strangers at a glance. They follow suit in greeting guests if someone takes the lead.

What lies behind this seemingly ordinary performance is the teachers' extraordinary patience and passion.

During her time accompanying Teng, He Li has often seen the teachers help the students tie their shoelaces and even cut their nails and hair for them.

Even when students soil themselves – a common occurrence for disabled people – it is always the teachers who do the cleaning and changing.

"The teachers here are all loving," He Li said.

Dinner table tuition

Not all students are as lucky as Teng to attend classes every day and in his mother's company.

Shi Zhongda, who lives in Liangshui, a village in Saima township, Fengcheng city, has mobility difficulties as a result of cerebral palsy.