发布时间：2026-05-17
May 17 National Day for Assisting Persons with Disabilities
Break Down Prejudice Through Understanding
Support the “Star” Journey Through Inclusion
Protecting the Autism Community Promoting Equality and Inclusion
Every year on May 17th, we observe National Day for Assisting Persons with Disabilities. This year, we are focusing on the core theme of “Safeguarding the Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Promoting Their Inclusive Development”—this is not merely a slogan to be widely disseminated, but a solemn commitment that countless professionals at autism rehabilitation centers and families of children with autism are quietly upholding through their daily dedication and hard work.
In our everyday lives, there is a group of “children of the stars”—children who, while living in their own worlds due to autism, yearn to be treated with kindness by the world around them. We have seen children who should be speaking clearly, yet when parched with thirst, cannot articulate a single word: “I’m thirsty”; We have seen parents quietly wipe away tears in secluded corners, only to turn around and put on a gentle smile as they patiently accompany their children through every small step; we have also seen, on buses, in supermarkets, and at neighborhood playgrounds, those tiny figures receiving strange glances due to their unique behaviors—the misunderstanding and alienation hidden behind those stares quietly piercing the hearts of each family.
On this special day, we will not pile on technical jargon or list rehabilitation statistics. We simply wish to tear down the walls of prejudice and, on behalf of the autism community, ask everyone for a chance to be “truly understood.” Many people are not indifferent; they have simply never truly engaged with autism, never deciphered the helplessness and struggle behind those “unusual behaviors.”
Without understanding, we mistake a child’s “uncooperativeness” for “poor parenting”; without understanding, we dismiss their repetitive behaviors as “incorrigible quirks”; without understanding, we cast judgmental glances at a mother and child breaking down in public, rather than offering a word of comfort or a measure of acceptance. In reality, understanding autism doesn’t require much time—just five short minutes. These five minutes are enough to break down the walls of prejudice, enough to understand their world, and enough to give an autism family an extra measure of strength to carry on.
Those moments you find “baffling” are actually their silent cries for help:
“If he suddenly covers his ears and crouches down on the subway, it’s not because he’s being rude—it’s because the announcements sound like alarms to him.”
“The next time you see a child throwing a tantrum at the supermarket, please don’t immediately say, ‘Why aren’t the parents keeping an eye on them?’ It might just be because the lights are too bright.”
“They aren’t deliberately avoiding eye contact; for them, looking at a person’s face is like staring directly at the sun.”
“Ritualistic behaviors aren’t ‘bad habits’; they’re the way these children comfort themselves and make sense of the world. Please don’t force them to stop.”
“He’s not ignoring you because he doesn’t like you. He’s just learning the hardest lesson of all: how to get along with others.”
“You can do something very simple: tell your child that the classmate who doesn’t speak up just needs a little more time.”
“The next time you see a child acting out of the ordinary at a mall or hospital, please give that family a seat, a green light, or a smile.”
“Did you know? It’s not that some children don’t speak; it’s just that every word you say sounds to them like twenty radio stations playing at once.”
“What’s as simple as ‘playing together’ for most people is like asking him to take apart an engine with his bare hands. It’s not that he doesn’t want to—it’s just that he really doesn’t know how.”
Safeguarding the equal rights of people with disabilities has never been an empty slogan; promoting their inclusive development has never been the responsibility of a single group alone. The more people who understand autism, the more understanding there will be; the more understanding there is, the more tolerance there will be; and the more tolerance there is, the less this world will feel like a thorny obstacle course for “children of the stars”—instead, it will become a warm journey where they are accompanied and protected by others.
On May 17, National Day for Assisting Persons with Disabilities, we thank you for taking the time to understand the silent pleas of the autism community. Here, we sincerely call upon everyone: May each of us set aside our prejudices, treat them with kindness, and protect them with tolerance; may every family affected by autism be gently embraced by the world, no longer walking alone; May we join forces to ensure that “equality” and “inclusion” take root, so that every person with a disability can participate equally in society and share in its fruits of development.
If you are willing, please pass on this understanding and tolerance, so that more people may see the “children of the stars,” and let love and warmth illuminate every step of their journey.
