Blocked pedestrian areas, poorly designed sidewalks and construction frequently force pedestrians onto roadways, often resulting in serious injury, advocacy groups for the disabled said yesterday.
At a press conference, the groups -- including the Federation of the Disabled of the Republic of China -- urged the government and the public to "return the sidewalks to pedestrians."
Wen Chi-hsiang (
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
Because the sidewalk he was on was filled with motorcycles and vendor stands, he had to drive his electric wheelchair into the slow-traffic lane on the road and was hit from behind by a taxi, dislocating his left shoulder, breaking his pelvis and receiving facial injuries when his wheelchair overturned, he said.
Wen, who is left-handed, said he could no longer use the hand to write or do other things.
To protect himself, he has now installed a light on his wheelchair.
Eden Social Welfare Foundation's deputy CEO Lin Chin-chuan (
While using a car lane he was seriously injured in an accident.
He ended up with tens of stitches in his head and was hospitalized for three months; his brain injury continues to impact on his sense of smell, he said.
Lu Hung-wen (呂鴻文), chairman of the Taipei Association for the Promotion of Welfare for the Blind, said one of the association's members was also injured after being forced to walk in a slow-traffic lane two years ago because the sidewalk was blocked. However, the road was being repaired, but the warning signs were beyond the reach of the blind person's white stick. The person then fell into sewage that was five stories deep and, after being rescued, had to remain in hospital for two weeks to recover from the effects of the sewage, Lu said.
Hsieh Tung-ju (謝東儒), secretary-general of the Federation of the Disabled, suggested that government officials regularly update themselves on regulations to help ensure the safety of the disabled.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
The government would cancel kendo practitioner Su Yu-cheng’s (蘇郁程) nationality if he is confirmed to have represented China in the World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy, last week, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. “We have consulted the Sports Administration and were told that athletes participating in the championships must have the nationality of the country that they represent. They must also present their passports as proof,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a weekly news conference. “If Su indeed represented China in the championships, we suspect that he has obtained Chinese nationality.” The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from