Shanghai Disabled Persons Federation has stepped forward to help people with special needs to tide over the recent COVID-19 epidemic in Shanghai.

Huang Zuhuan, a visually impaired masseurs on Daxue Road in Yangpu district, said it was hard for them to buy food on mobile apps because of their visual impairment.

"When we were able to find the right button and tap the phone, the food items had already been sold," he said, recalling his frustration in early April. "It's also difficult for us to make group purchase, as sellers only process large quantity of orders."

After learning about the situation of Huang and his 13 fellow disabled masseurs, the federation's Yangpu district branch delivered donated foods and put them in contact with the subdistrict's official responsible of food supply.

The federation made an inquiry to all the 69 registered massage studios with visually impaired employees and discovered a total of 445 people with visual impairment in Shanghai trapped by the epidemic. Special care and supplies have been offered to these people by communities or property management companies.

Charity organizations, including Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation, donated over 200 boxes of food as well as vegetables to them.

In addition to food, the federation has also delivered personal care items, such as catheters and diapers, to those in need in the past month. It has identified a total of 141 people suffering from spinal cord injury, and helped them get catheters.

One patient surnamed Chen living in Anting, Jiading district, received the second batch of 60 disposable catheters delivered to him by local community workers on May 3.

"The catheters was about to run out in early April, so I asked for help in one patients' group chat on WeChat," he said. "Later the official of district disabled persons federation learned my need, and helped me to get the first 40 catheters on April 15."

The federation also paid attention to the mentally disabled people and conducted a survey of their needs and gave the list of 13,741 mentally disabled people who were eligible to free medicines to their residing districts to help them obtain medicines.

As for the disabled people receiving treatment in makeshift hospitals, the federation has donated 50 wheelchairs and 200 portable toilets for six makeshift hospitals.