LANZHOU, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Instead of staying in bed or being confined to a room all day, 30 young orphans with disabilities at a children's welfare center in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, have a "tight schedule" every day.
Five full-time special education teachers are in charge of the orphan's emotional training and character building, preparing them for kindergarten and school education when they grow older.
The orphans were born with diseases including cerebral palsy, heart defects and Down Syndrome. Not very long ago, however, there were no courses customized for children under three.
Changes happened when the center set up an early education program in 2018, guided by the concept of inclusive education, which ensures access for all children under the age of three to education, except those who are severely disabled and have to stay in bed.
Inclusive education, originally proposed by UNESCO, respects the individual differences of children and implements fair education to all without discrimination.
The program offers opportunities for students with disabilities to learn with their non-disabled peers.
Zhang Qinyue, from the center's infants and young children division, said children used to be sent to classes directly after they turned three, which was quite a challenge for them to fit in.
"Most kids would scream and cry due to a sense of insecurity and some of them had to be sent back eventually," she said.
Jiang Xue, a 24-year-old early-education teacher, usually starts her day by taking five children from their nursing rooms to a playroom. Her daily work involves babysitting, massaging, singing and telling stories.
She cuddled a one-year-old boy in her arms, gazing at his eyes and whispering his name. The boy with a congenital cleft lip and palate smiled back at her.
"Interactive care can increase his sense of security," Jiang said.
In another classroom, 30-year-old teacher Li Jing played with seven children, who "graduated" from the inclusive education program six months ago.
"Early education has improved their ability to adapt to challenging and unfamiliar environments. And they show less resistance to strangers and classrooms," said Li.
In the past year, inclusive education has benefited 238 disabled orphans of all ages at the center, pooling professional medical equipment, effective rehabilitation treatments, faculty members and targeted courses.
In May, a special-education school was formally established at the orphanage and is able to start regular enrollment next autumn, offering professional early education to more children in need.
According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, there were 1,217 child welfare institutions across the country by the end of March, in comparison with no more than 300 in 2008.
About 68,000 orphans, or 22.8 percent of the country's total, are taken care of at child welfare institutions.
Chang Xiaona, head of the center's rehabilitation division, said many more welfare institutions in other cities are also promoting inclusive education for children of different ages and with different health conditions.
