These days more and more orange backpacks can be seen on the roads. It’s neither part of the uniform of some kindergartens or schools, nore a new fashion trend. It’s actually a philanthropic project launched by Audiology Development Foundation of China (ADFC) to promote awareness for kids with hearing impairment.
According to the figures, every year there are about 25,000 kids injured or killed in traffic accidents in China. And hearing-impaired kids can easily become the victims of such accidents. Even if they are able to hear the horns, it’s difficult for them to know where the sounds are coming from.
In China, there are over 4.6 million kids who suffer from hearing loss. Although these kids are already taught to cross the roads carefully and cautiously, it’s far from enough. They need to be ‘recognized’ on the roads.
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Therefore, on March 3, 2016, which is also the Ear Care Day, ADFC launched the charity project and began to give out free orange backpacks and stationeries to kids who have dysaudia.
As one of the most conspicuous colors, kids carrying the orange backpacks can easily be seen by drivers. ADFC hope the orange backpacks can work as ‘amulets’ when the kids are on the roads.
Over the last year, the ‘orange backpack project’ has covered 19 provinces, four municipalities and one autonomous region including Shanghai, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui and Guangdong.
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However, not all people approve this project. Hong, the handler of the Beijing Hearing-Impaired Kids Service Center, calls it “the dumbest idea of the year.” He explains, “Deep down, these kids don’t want to be treated differently. They just want to live like normal people. Obviously, being tagged as a ‘hearing-impaired kid’ won’t help.”
In response to the controversies, Ye Fei, Assistant Secretary-General of ADFC, replied, “The premise of de-specialization is to view the difference correctly. Under current circumstances, what we can do is to call for more people to realize the requirements of these kids. After all, ignorance is the biggest discrimination.”
