Multimedia technology provides ordinary people with a variety of channels to watch the upcoming Paralympic Games, but for the blind, audio is the only means of staying up on the games.

Qing Feng and Xie Yan are two disabled men whose broadcast Web site serves a large number of visually-impaired people.

"We called our special program 'Our Paralympic Games,' through which our listeners can get the latest games news and feel the tension of the competitions by listening to sound bites."

Qing Feng and Xie Yan both formerly worked as IT professionals. They joined forces in 2006 when they established the Beijing One Plus One Cultural Exchange Center to help disabled people better acclimate to society.

After years of efforts, the studio has become a member of the China Association for NGO Cooperation, and its staff has expanded to eight people.

The men said their Paralympic broadcasts will last for about an hour every day and have already aired on some public radio stations.

The producers use specially-designed equipment to record sound clips.

"Unlike ordinary recorders that bear LCD screens and a digital menu to simplify manipulation, our device has a large size and large buttons, but few digital functions."

Convenient access to facilities will also ensure that handicapped reporters like Qing and Xie can cover the event without overcoming major obstacles.

"We were invited to use facilities at the Main Press Center and hotels that will house the games participants before the normal operation. The preparation was considerate and everything was adjusted to make it friendly for the handicapped athletes, such as lowered desks and specially designed ATM machines."

The two men still remember the smiling faces and warm-hearted help volunteers provided when they went to watch a wheelchair match at the Wukesong Basketball Gymnasium.

"They usually asked us whether we needed help, and we were relieved to know that we could ask for help anytime and anywhere."

(CRIENGLISH.com September 3, 2008)