Dedication, professionalism

Volunteers are also playing important roles at the three Paralympic villages in downtown Beijing, the capital's Yanqing district, and Zhangjiakou, Hebei province. Among them is Zheng Weibo, who works at Yanqing Paralympic Village.

"Before the start of the Paralympics, we made many adjustments to the village. We have also conducted many drills. We even covered our own eyes to get a better idea of how a vision-impaired person might use the facilities at the village," said Zheng.

"We also have Braille on the menus at the canteens and restaurants, and we can lower the height of some menus so that athletes who use wheelchairs can read them more conveniently."

Of the 19 volunteers with disabilities who served at the Beijing Winter Olympics, 12 of those will continue to work at the Paralympics, according to Liu Lili, deputy director of the communication and training division of the Paralympic Games integration department.

"The 12 volunteers with disabilities are stationed at five competition venues and seven non-competition venues. Six of them work in downtown Beijing, two in Yanqing district and four in Zhangjiakou," said Liu.

"The youngest of the 12 is just 19 years old, while the oldest is 63. They hail from various walks of life, including university students, retired para athletes, medical workers, teachers and community workers.

"They have different skillsets, and some have experience of serving at sports events in the past, such as the Beijing Marathon. Their participation at the Paralympics is testament to their dedication and professionalism. They personify the ideal of contributing to society and show how much people with disabilities can contribute themselves."

The efforts of the volunteers have already earned high praise from the International Paralympic Committee.

"The facilities are very accessible at the Paralympic Village. We could not be more delighted," said IPC vice-president Duane Kale during the torch relay on Thursday.