Program for Mental Disorder and Retardation
According to the results in the second national sampling survey of disabled population, there are 16 million people with mental disorder in China and a population of 1.5 million with autism. The population with mental retardation amounts to 1.3% of China's total population. The "Obstruction-Free Road of Art" program is a civil NGO that operates painting potential development courses and art exhibition projects for people with brain disabilities. Through establishing community studio stations, the program provides art potential development courses in the community service centers available for them at present. They give students who love painting a chance to display their ability and cultivate interests in painting. Relevant activities can also play a role of assisting rehabilitation. Through holding special exhibition and selling franchise products, the program allow the public to learn about and recognize the artistic abilities of this particular community so as to achieve the simultaneous exaltation of the social and economic values of the disabled. They also hope that this program can help to gradually alleviate the misunderstanding and prejudice of the society toward this community so as to contribute to the harmonious and brilliant development of the municipality.
In order to help the people with mental disorder and retardation in the region of Shanghai to achieve social inclusion, the Shanghai Studio of Obstruction Free Road of Art launched and operated this program. Rehabilitation treatment is provided to people with mental disorder and retardation in the form of arts like painting and music to improve the quality of their life. And at the same time, such people can display their talents through painting exhibition and music performance to regain confidence and achieve social inclusion. This is also to encourage normal people to open their mind and accept these people to live in harmony with them.
In 2011, the program became one of the recommended programs in the Dream Choir, a large public interest and charity television program produced by China Central Television. As a sole provider of the public interest and charity funds, the China Merchants Securities provided RMB 600,000 yuan to the program.
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| Painting Exhibition Held for the Students at the Shanghai Xujiahui Art Gallery on June 28th, 2012 |
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