Most of the visually impaired people living in China work at massage parlors. Every day, they would wait for guests to arrive. The hourly rate for massage is $60 RMB ($9 USD). If they are the owner, after deducting rent and living expenses, it’s hard to know how many customers are needed daily to support themselves. Students with good academic performance can be admitted to the University. In addition to learning massage, they can also learn acupuncture, Chinese medicine, pediatric massage therapy, general education, English, and other courses.
請 按此閱讀中文版 (當初選擇) .
After graduation they have a lot of options and most can get a stable job in a hospital. Rainbow Project began in 2011 to assist visually impaired students with financial difficulties to attend college. Since then, six graduates have started working in hospitals in different provinces, thus improving their quality of life.
One of the visually impaired students we know recalled the initial feelings of university aspirations:
“It seemed like it was just yesterday when I started studying in the University, and now it won’t be long until it’s over. During this time, I’ve experienced many mixed emotions, and soon there will be only our parting tears left. And after that we will no longer be able to sit in our classrooms with our teachers. Perhaps it is in such a mood that some memories become unforgettable. For example, we had countless talks at night in our bedrooms about ‘When I first arrived at the University’ and other similar topics. These talks always end up in silence mixed with sighing over our journey here.
Sometimes I wonder why I came to this university. In regards to our group, not attending a University can cause us to stress over our careers. For that very reason, I initially didn’t want to attend the University. My family and I had a lot of debate about this, since I grew up and lived together with my grandparents.
My grandfather is very patriotic and traditional, and my grandmother’s teaching style is one that involves the use of wooden rod. So since I grow up, I understand what ‘civil and military education’ is. The result is I am now a junior studying Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, and Massage in the Department of Special Education at Changchun University.
Back in high school, I felt reading literature was not as interesting as Han’s articles. Doing math problems was
not as meaningful to me as playing with a Rubik’s cube. In short, I was reluctant to follow the path set before me to study hard enough to enter into a university. In the end, it was the sorrow I saw in my grandfather’s heart as he lectured me, and seeing my grandmother hopelessly cease making an effort to spank me that I finally decided to compromise. In my senior year of high school, I began to work very hard in order to make up for the hole I’ve previously dug myself in. Needless to say, I ended up paying for my sins through sweat and tears.
By the time I got into the university I knew better than to not work hard. University is not a place to learn carelessly, but it’s a place to learn very important and useful things. Not only do you learn a professional career, you also learn different points of view and ideologies. University life is rich and colorful such that you can impact the community in the simplest ways. You can experience an enriching campus life environment in which there are so many things to enjoy and appreciate. But in reality it is still a school. It is very fascinating and you have to experience it first hand to know what it feels like. In fact it’s just that the University is full of memorable things. I don’t know what would have happened to my career if I insisted on not going to college. Maybe things would have been better, maybe things would have been worse. That’s not the important part, I only know that I am very happy and feel extremely enriched now about the choices I ended up making, and at the very least, I’m now able to support my family.
My grandparents have sacrificed a lot before they do not have to labor with my ability to support them in their daily living.”
We only need to raise US$1,000 to help cover the tuition cost of one visually impaired college student for one year so that they have the chance to improve their quality of life. If you are willing to support visually impaired students from Mainland China, please send an email to rainbows@therainbows.org, or call (206) 734-7000, or send a check to Rainbow Missions, PO BOX 40145, Bellevue, WA 98015.
當初選擇
活在中國的視障人士，大多數是學習推拿按摩的手藝，在按摩店裡等候客人的到訪，一小時的收費是60元人民幣，約 9美元。若自己是店主，扣除燈油火爉和店租後，不知道每天要等待多少個客人才能維持生活。有一些學業成績好的學生，能夠考上大學，除學習推拿外，也會學習針灸、中醫、兒科推拿治療、社會公共常識、英文班等課程。他們畢業後的出路也廣很多，大多在醫院裡有穩定的工作。彩虹工程在2011年開始資助有經濟困難的視障學生上大學，現在已有6位畢業生在不同省份的醫院工作，生活得到很大的改善。
其中有一位我們認識的視障同學，回顧當初選擇讀大學的一些心聲:
“不知不覺大學時光已經所剩不多，在此期間喜怒哀樂經歷了不少，就只剩下最後的離別淚和散伙酒等待著我們去品嘗了。自此之後，可能我們再也不用坐在教室裡伴著老師了。
也許就是懷著這樣的心情，或者是時間讓回憶變得刻骨銘心。寢室每晚的臥談會關於“剛到大學時的我們”此類的話題越來越多，其結果都是長嘆一聲寢室就寂靜了。
我有時也在想，我怎麼來到大學的呢？
對於我們這個團體，不上大學也可以就業無憂。就是因為這一點，我當初一點都不想上大學。就此我和家人進行過很多次激烈轟動的辯論。我從小就和爺爺奶奶生活在一起。爺爺還算有文化，而奶奶就是那種棍棒式教育的代表。就這樣我從小就明白了什麼叫做文武合併教育。最終的結果就是，我現在是長春大學特殊教育學院中醫系針灸推拿專業大三的學生。
高中的時候，覺得語文書上所謂大家的文章還沒有韓寒的文章好看。做數學題還沒有玩魔方有意思，總之就是不願意服從家裡的安排考大學。最後我看著爺爺對我說教時額頭深深的皺紋，奶奶打我的時候力氣也沒有原來那麼大了，最後我還是選擇了妥協。高中的最後一年，我開始奮發圖強，為了彌補試卷上的空白。其中流過的汗水受過的罪，就不用多說了。
到了大學我才知道還好當初選擇了妥協。
大學不是所謂的大概學學，而是讓你大有所學。不僅是專業謀生的本領，還有思想上的變化。大學生活豐富多彩，能在最單純的情況下讓你觸摸社會，能讓你享受大學充實的生活，但實際上他也就是個學校，魅力就這麼大，還是要自己去感受。
其實就這樣，大學裡面幹了一些豐盈回憶的事情。我不知道當初堅持不上大學，直接拜師學藝過的結果會如何：或許會更好，或許我就此沒落。這些都不重要，我只知道當初的選擇讓我現在感覺到非常的快樂，感覺到無比的充實，起碼能養家糊口。就是苦了我的爺爺奶奶還要多等待我一段日子，才能讓他們歇息，為他們撐起一片天。”
我們只需籌1,000美元，就能幫助一位視障大學生一年的學費，讓他們的生活有改善的機會。若你願意支持中國內地視障學生上大學，請電郵聯絡 rainbows@therainbows.org 或致電 (206)734-7000 或把支票寄往 Rainbow Missions, PO BOX 40145, Bellevue, WA 98015，請註明「助學計劃」。