Peng Tao is a teacher and the Vice President of Chengdu RTVU School for the Disabled. He has been involved in the work of education for the disabled since 2003, and helped establish Chengdu RTVU School for the Disabled in 2010. Over the course of his ten-year involvement in education for the disabled, Peng Tao has devoted himself to the management of professional construction, specialized education for the disabled, and humane care of the students. With his warm smile, absolute sincerity, and a loving heart, there have been breakthroughs, and he has composed a heartfelt song of dedication to special education.
The Call — A chance encounter lays the foundation for special education
During a summer vacation in 2003, Peng Tao, who was on duty at school, received a special consultation call. The voice on the other end of the call was barely audible, which made it impossible to communicate normally. In order do understand what the call was about, Peng Tao asked the caller to give the phone to someone else who could communicate normally and pass on the message, but the caller abruptly hung up the phone.
As soon as the line went dead, Peng Tao’s heart sank sharply and he had a sense that the other party had difficulties in communication. After returning home with a guilty feeling, he continued thinking about the phone call, and so redialed the telephone number. This time a woman, who turned out to be the first caller's mother, answered. During their conversation, he learned that the first caller was a girl who was suffering from cerebral palsy, and who hoped to go to university. At that moment he felt a stirring in his heart.
On the second day, Peng Tao found the home of the girl. He had learned that the girl, whose name is Ma Wanting, had suffered from cerebral palsy and heart disease since childhood. But with strong determination, she managed to study computer operation all by herself, and was now the “computer master” in her family.
This was the first time that Peng Tao had such contact with a disabled person, and he was deeply moved by Ma Wanting’s determined perseverance and resolve to continue her studies. When he returned to the university, he immediately made a special report to the university’s leaders. Ma Wanting was thus granted a special admission permit to RTVU. With Peng’s encouragement and help, Ma Wanting was able to complete her junior college studies and undergraduate studies at RTVU, even earning an "Excellent Graduate" award.
A Wish — Establishing a special school for the disabled
Ma Wanting’s successful experience at the university gave Peng Tao an idea: To set up a school especially for the disabled in order to let more physically handicapped people receive higher education.
Without delay, Peng Tao began to investigate the current situation of higher education for the disabled in Chengdu, and always used his off-duty time going to different districts and counties to collect information from both the disabled and visiting experts, finding good ideas, calling on many government departments, and seeking support. Within six months, Peng Tao submitted an investigation report on establishing a school for the disabled to the university authorities. Full of detailed analysis, practical suggestions, and persuasive arguments, his report was unanimously recognized and approved. With Peng Tao’s positive promotion, the construction programme of establishing the school for the disabled received great support from Chinese Disabled Person Federation of Chengdu. In September of 2010, Chengdu RTVU School for the Disabled was established, becoming the first school specializing in higher education for the disabled in Sichuan Province. Peng Tao would be the Deputy Dean, responsible for the operation and teaching management of the School.
Everything is hard in the beginning. All of the details, such as the subjects to be developed, sources of financial support, enrollment of the targeted students, teaching methods to be used, etc…., all needed to be refined and carried out step by step. In order to realize the dream of providing a specialized school where the disabled could enjoy higher education as soon as possible, he took the lead in organizing an investigation into the need to educate the disabled in various communities. He personally attended each event in order to seek funds to implement the transformation of barrier-free facilities on campus. He spent time on all kinds of work, especially on allocation of teachers, teaching arrangement, selection of class teachers, etc….. He always gave up his rest time and spared no effort in going to urban and rural communities to promote education for the disabled. He has tirelessly promoted his dream of making education accessible to the disabled, so that they too can bask in the warm "sunshine" of higher education.
The Reward — More than one hundred disabled students realize their dreams
“Hard work pays off”. In the autumn of 2010, more than one hundred disabled people eagerly enrolled in Chengdu RTVU School for the Disabled with a “college dream” and wonderful hope for their own future. Their college dream could be realized at last.
In the first class meeting, many students burst into tears in class and swore to study hard to repay Deputy Dean Peng Tao, who had helped them to make their dreams a reality, Chengdu RTVU, society, and the country that has brought them warmth and kindness. The oath must be kept. After entering school, these disabled students were wholeheartedly devoted to their studies. They loved each other, helped and inspired each other, and made common progress. One disabled student even bought an electric tricycle so as to be able to pick up another disable student and bring them to and from school. So far, Chengdu RTVU School for the Disabled has enrolled 160 disabled students.
Absolute Sincerity — To develop personalized education and teaching
Among the first 100 disabled students in Chengdu RTVU School for the Disabled, there were not only physically handicapped students, deaf and mute students, but also visually handicapped students. Each student faced different difficulties. How to help them fit in with the new campus life was always a question on Peng Tao’s mind.
He communicated with the students in a very profound way and tried hard to understand each student’s disability. He observed them carefully, so that he could master precisely the actual situation of each student’s ordinary life. Creatively, he put forward a series of customized and individualized special education and teaching programmes: To use two-way video conferencing systems to give lectures and successfully help students that had mobility issues and for those living in remote areas; To create a QQ group to provide technical assistance and help students learn to use the video system correctly so as to remove any obstacles and worries that might interfere with their study and to enhance their confidence; For the convenience of the students, to arrange all courses to be held during the day on weekends, and insist on personally spending time with the students in the School every weekend. Once, he ran into deaf student Li Qian, from Du Jiangyan, on the street. When he learned that she was worried about finding accommodations for the night after missing the CRV Train, and due to her lack of adequate funds, he used money from his own pocket to help her secure lodging for the night.
With the goal of making the School for the Disabled the top platform of “To learn knowledge, find jobs, and make friends” for the disabled, he, together with the “Fengyurensheng (Thick and Thin Life)” Column of Chengdu Radio Station and some other institutions and volunteer associations, have carried out a series of activities related to the support of the disabled, including “Audience Meeting” and “The Summer of Lilies—Dating Party for the Disabled”. He also created a website for Chengdu RTVU School for the Disabled. Also, he compiled and printed brochures and organized the students’ essay writing activity with the subject of “Be Grateful”, and compiled them into an essay collection on the 1st anniversary of the establishment of the School. He called on teachers to give lectures in rural counties and asked his colleagues, friends, and relatives to help recommend positions for the unemployed students.
Great Aspiration — Higher education for the disabled developed all over the world
You reap what you sow. Chengdu RTVU School for the Disabled has created great awareness in society for the plight of the disabled. In 2013, the School was recognized as an “Advanced Unit for Work Concerning the Disabled” by the Working Committee for the Disabled of Chengdu Municipal People’s Government. Many companies went to the School to recruit disabled professionals and many kindhearted people from the community went to the School to care for the disabled students. To date, the School has helped 10 disabled students to get new jobs.
Seeing these gains, Peng Tao feels deeply gratified and his confidence has soared. Looking hopefully at the next five years, Peng Tao expects that the “sunlight” of higher education for the disabled can be much brighter, and wishes that the care, love, and warmth for the disabled can spread over the whole world.
By Chengdu RTVU