A disabled man in China was recently asked to prove his disability after being denied his free metro ride after forgetting his disability pass.
According to the South China Morning Post, citing Chinese social media platform Douyin, said that the armless man shared his experience which took place in Wuhan back in March.
The man, Li Fengqiang, told the staff at the metro station that he did not need to display proof of his disability, seeing that he has no arm.
However, the staff told Li that they were just abiding by the metro station’s rules and offered to pay for his ticket but Li turned the offer down and purchased his own ticket.
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The metro station company apologised within 24 hours, pointing out the staff’s inconsideration and promised to uphold disabled individuals’ rights to travelling without barriers.
Later on, Li explained that he did not intend to blame the metro station staff when posting the video but wanted to call for a more humane environment for disabled individuals.
“Many people with disabilities often have a hard time plucking up the courage to leave their home. An unfriendly rule like this could easily put them off getting out and about,” he said.
In an effort to create a more inclusive environment for disabled individuals, China’s government has officially implemented the Barrier-free Environment Creation Law in September last year.
This law calls for accessible facilities to be constructed as well as apply accessible information exchange together with providing social services.
More than 85 million disabled individuals were recorded in the country and it is estimated that the number of disabled individuals will increase by 250 million by 2050.
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