''All people are just people,''Sir Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), said Wednesday at the final joint BOCOG/IPC press conference.
Craven and other officials spoke about the legacy of the 2008 Beijing Paralympics on the last day of the event. Experts and advocates have called on China to make concrete improvements for the future welfare of the disabled.
And if China's actions meet their rhetoric, they are well on their way to a positive transformation.
Craven praised the Paralympics as a ''catalyst for change'' which has led to a progression in thinking and perception of disability in China.
''There is something special in the air,''he said.
Wang Wei, the executive vice president and secretary general of BOCOG, said accessibility has improved during the Paralympic Games citing enhancements to popular Beijing landmarks, Olympic venues and the Capital Airport.
There are 83 million disabled people in China. Over 300 Chinese disabled athletes competed in the Paralympic Games. Attendance rates have hovered around 90 percent for these events. With more media attention on these issues, people in general are beginning to feel more compassion and understanding about people with a disability.
''The Paralympic Games will serve as a milestone to increase the awareness for people with disability in China and will be a big step forward,'' Wang said. ''So I think things will be better and better in the future."
The government is determined to make a change, Wang continued. But he also acknowledged that China is a developing country and that certain policy areas are developing as well.
''I'm a firm believer that not only the living standard of people with disability will be improved after the Paralympics...but all people in China's living standard will improve,'' he said.
(China.org.cn by Tabitha Messick, September 17, 2008)