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Ray of hope: A school for the visually impaired in rural China

The Mu Mengjie school in China’s Hebei Province helps children caught in the double bind of disability and poverty.

Students at Mu Mengjie School for the Blind gather for singing class. Music is incredibly important at the school and the children and teachers will gather to sing and play several times each day.
Students at Mu Mengjie School for the Blind gather for singing class. Music is incredibly important at the school and the children and teachers gather to sing and play several times each day. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
By Nathan Gibson
Published On 7 Nov 2018

Hebei Province, China – Deep in the polluted flatlands of Hebei Province in northern China, Mengjie School for the Blind is home for around 100 visually impaired students from rural regions.

“I am determined and confident that I can provide blind people with the skills they need to enter society. They don’t need to be thought of as a burden, and indeed they can become the pillars of the family,” says Mu Mengjie, who founded the school in 1999.

The World Health Organization estimates that there are 75 million visually impaired people in China, 8 million of whom are completely blind.

Outside of major urban centres on the country’s prosperous east coast, most schools are ill-prepared to provide for students like these, and those that do enter the classroom often attend special schools isolated from the rest of society.

The issue is particularly pronounced in rural areas. A chronic lack of infrastructural resources means many visually impaired children remain at home with little to no schooling.

In this context, Mu’s school is an anomaly. It offers a free education and accommodation for disabled children whose families struggle to provide for them.

“At the beginning, the students didn’t even know how to use chopsticks, we’ve come a long way since the school started,” says Mu Lifei, a teacher at the school.

“When they first arrive it can be difficult to build a relationship. Their parents often only provide for their very basic needs and at first, they pull away from us.”

The school has struggled to find qualified teachers willing to live and work far away from major cities, but a close network of teachers and family members have come forward to help the students.

For many of the older students, the school provides vocational training in massage.

Mu claims that over 300 students have graduated from the school to go on and find work. Employment opportunities are extremely limited outside of massage, but Mu believes the financial independence has made a real difference in graduating students’ lives.

“Many of the parents say they regret only finding out about the school so late. They never thought their blind children could earn their own money – sometimes even more than normal people.”

Visually impaired students make their way to the first class of the day. Without this school, many would have little chance of gaining an education in rural China.
Visually impaired students make their way to the first class of the day. Without this school, many would have little chance of attaining an education in rural China. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
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Mu Mengjie, himself blind, set up the school in 1999. “I didn’t want to earn money from my students. I wanted all their studies and accommodation to be free. My family was shocked by the idea.”
Mu Mengjie, himself blind, set up the school in 1999. "I didn't want to earn money from my students. I wanted all their studies and accommodation to be free. My family was shocked by the idea." [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
Every morning at 6.30am, the students gather to dance in the playground. 5. Students at Mu Mengjie School for the Blind.
Every morning at 6:30am, the students gather to dance in the playground. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
A student shares lunch with his friends. Life at the school is communal and the students share dormitories and social spaces.
A student shares lunch with his friends. Life at the school is communal and the students share dormitories and social spaces. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
Braille is important for the children’s education and in China is developed from pinyin, a phonetic system the uses an adaptation of the Roman alphabet rather than Chinese characters as its source. Br
Braille is important for the children's education. It is developed from pinyin, a phonetic system that uses an adaptation of the Roman alphabet, rather than Chinese characters. Braille textbooks can be incredibly expensive, so students are encouraged to share books. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
Students recite from their Braille textbooks.
Students recite from the Braille textbooks. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
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Shungze (front, in green), 16, is one of the
Shungze,16, wearing green in front, is one of the oldest children at the school and attends with his three younger siblings, all of whom share the same congenital eye condition as their father. "I have to take care of my younger brothers and sister. If they need anything they can tell me and I can go and tell the teachers." [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
Older students receive vocational training in massage, one of the very few employment opportunities available to visually impaired people in China.
Older students receive vocational training in massage, one of the very few employment opportunities available to visually impaired people in China. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
A student at Mu Mengjie School for the Blind.
A student attending class at Mu Mengjie School. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
Portable radios are very important to the students and provide a connection with the outside world.
Portable radios are very important to the students and provide a connection with the outside world. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
"Before we had radios I used to miss my parents and cry at night. Now I listen to the stories and don''t miss home." Mingming, a student at Mu Mengjie School for the Blind.
"Before we had radios I used to miss my parents and cry at night. Now I listen to the stories and don't miss home," said Mingming, a student at Mu Mengjie School for the Blind. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
The students all take responsibility for cleaning their classrooms and public areas.
The students take responsibility for cleaning their classrooms and public areas. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
“I often tell my students that people will respect
"I often tell my students that people will respect you only if you can do something well. So we encourage them to work hard. Once, the students were practising music outside the school gates and one of the local villagers ridiculed them, saying there was no point in blind kids learning to play music. One of my students replied, 'I can read in the dark. Can you?'" Mu Lifei, a teacher at the school, said. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]
Mu Mengjie School for the Blind at night
Mu Mengjie School for the Blind at night. The World Health Organization estimates that there are 75 million visually impaired people in China, 8 million of whom are completely blind. [Nathan Gibson/Al Jazeera]