Visualizing new horizons for the disabled

In the quiet elegance of Beijing Normal University's auditorium, 21 Chinese students stepped forward on the red carpet one by one, white canes in hand, to receive their graduation certificates and commemorative badges.

The ceremony marked the end of a transformative nine-day residential program designed to prepare visually impaired students for life at mainstream Chinese universities. The poignant moment was profoundly symbolic. The white canes, a symbol of independence, represented their commitment to independent mobility and a readiness to accept their identity as visually impaired young adults.

For many participants, the nine-day Jinmangzhang, or Golden Cane, program was more than a technical skills boot camp: it was a gateway to confidence, community and lifelong independence as they prepared to embark on their academic journey.

New campus realities

For Wu Yujia, 19, from Ya'an, Sichuan province, the program has been a transformative experience. Before joining the annual initiative tailored for visually impaired incoming undergraduates, she had barely touched a laptop. Yet, as she prepared to enroll at a university in central China's Henan province, digital skills became essential.

On the first day of the program, Wu sat frozen before a computer screen, unfamiliar with its basic operations. But by the end of the intensive course, she could independently create and edit documents — a transformation she describes as a leap "from zero to one".

However, the most meaningful growth was internal. Wu, who has low vision, can distinguish basic shapes though she cannot read fine print. She spent years rejecting the label of visually impaired because her partial sight allowed her to attend mainstream classes throughout primary and secondary school.

But without a peer group that understood her daily barriers, Wu navigated academic life in isolation. The program gave her a real sense of belonging and community she had long missed.

Across China, a growing number of visually impaired students are gaining admission to mainstream universities. According to the China Disabled Persons' Federation, more than 100,000 students with disabilities were enrolled in colleges and universities as of 2025, with upward of 30,000 disabled students gaining admission to higher education institutions annually from 2022 to 2024.

Yet, despite campuses upgrading physical accessibility in recent years, experts say significant gaps remain in providing inclusive education. Most institutions lack screen-reader-compatible learning materials, reliable campus navigation markers and clear faculty guidelines for accommodating disabled students.

The Jinmangzhang precollege program was designed to bridge this critical gap. Organized by the Shanghai Youren Foundation, supported by Beijing Normal University's Institute of Special Education and funded by the Huang Yi Cong Foundation, this nine-day intensive training brought together 21 students from 15 Chinese provinces.

The curriculum combined handson technical training, independent travel drills and community building to equip visually impaired college freshmen with practical life skills and social confidence to build self-reliance before their university enrollment.