We adore sunshine. We would also like to explore the big world,” Ma Jingyang, a visually impaired person and president of the Shenzhen Association of Persons with Visual Disabilities, told Shenzhen Evening News on Saturday, the 39th White Cane Safety Day, a day dedicated to visually impaired people.

He said that Shenzhen’s construction on accessible facilities for visually impaired people is improving.

In terms of public transportation, at least 2,809 public buses in Shenzhen have a guide system for visually impaired people installed, which allows them to access bus information such as routes and real-time locations via the “深圳公交助乘” app. Buses that have the system will broadcast the information repeatedly upon running into a station. After a broadcast, people with visual disabilities can find the exact bus they need to take.

A visually impaired resident touches the Braille directions at Meilong Flyover.

In addition, the visually impaired can help themselves locate the right direction at Meilong Flyover in Futian District since every entrance of its staircases has an indicator in Braille. They can also follow sounds from buzzers equipped at many intersections to cross the road.

The second national sampling survey for disabled people showed that China has over 17 million visually impaired residents. Shenzhen’s practices in building a barrier-free environment are pioneering across the country and the city has released a set of regulations on building a barrier-free city, the first of its kind in China, on Sept. 1, 2021.

Over the past year, the practical measures for disabled people have been carried out and facilities have been built, providing them with great convenience.