Guidelines to help and protect people with disabilities have been released by provincial governments in succession. But the authorities have to make more efforts to ensure that the guidelines are implemented properly, says an article in Qilu Evening News. Excerpts:

Bus conductors in Shandong province recently refused to allow guide dogs accompanying their owners to board their vehicles even after the provincial government had issued its guidelines.

This shows how casual we are when it comes to implementing recommendations, because the Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons was amended way back in 2008 to allow guide dogs to accompany their owners in public places and public transport.

Guide dogs are the eyes of the visually challenged and make life much more convenient for their masters. But few people understand their importance and refuse to treat them as dogs trained for a special purpose. Some bus conductors still refuse guide dogs on their vehicles not because they haven't been informed of the guidelines, but because they assume such dogs are like ordinary pets and could harm other passengers.

We need to review why people, including bus conductors, don't believe in the guidelines and still cannot be free of suspicion. Besides, there has been little inter-departmental coordination or discussion on ways to spread the message.

Cases like bus conductors' refusing to allow guide dogs on their vehicles should be a lesson for us to ensure the protection of disabled people's rights. If the authorities really want to protect such people's rights, they should not stop at issuing guidelines but should also take measures to ensure they are followed in letter and spirit.

(China Daily 09/05/2012 page9)