Ni hao.  Ni hao. Hello.  Hello. People crowded around and greeted me warmly in the courtyard of a program run by the Beijing Huiling Community Services for People with Learning Disabilities.  Smiles, curious looks, laughter, chatter and handshakes were the order of the day as I was shown around. 

Huiling provides training programs and home care for people with intellectual disabilities in Beijing.  Their hospitality included a tour of their art studio (and storage room), education room, gallery and performance centre, kitchen and office.  It is all in a traditional Beijing siheyuan (courtyard home) on a traditional hutong (narrow alleys).  I got to eat Chinese dumplings in the courtyard, dance the “hokey-pokey” and watch a performance of song, dance and theatre. 

What struck me about the people was the way they related to me and approached their performances.  Like so many people with developmental disabilities that I have met in Canada, the people in Beijing were inclusive, sincere, caring and funloving.  They brought their sense of humour, commitment to doing their best and their passion for life to their performances.

What struck me about the organization was how entrepreneurial they are.  With only 15% of their funding from government and 30% from families, they raise the remainder primarily through social enterprise.  They sell art, cards and calendars.  They regularly welcome tourists through a partnership with an Australian Tour Company and teach Chinese calligraphy, perform songs, dance and theatre.  

 

I met the people from Huiling at a recent conference in Beijing.  Nestled between the Olympics and Paralympics, the Accessibility Showcase was a conference designed to promote an exchange between the disability communities in Canada and China. Sponsored by the Governments of Canada, BC and 2010 Legacies Now, our goal was to share Canadian innovations with people in China and to learn from their experiences.

Moderated by Senator Jim Munson, BC MLA Claude Richmond and Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, we covered a range of topics from the RDSP, accessible tourism and social networks to BC’s 10 by 10 employment challenge and personal supports initiative.