China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe (CDPPAT)

Symbol of Hope and Solidarity for Disabled Persons in China The China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe was founded in 1987, as about 30 disabled persons who loved the arts where approved to participate in the 1st China Art Festival. The first 13 years of the organization was more amateurish, and the main idea behind the organization was "Equality and Participation". In 2002, the CDPPAT made their commercial shows pretty successful and finally got recognition by the audience. The group is composed of performers with sight, hearing, mental or motor disabilities or speech impairment. The group can be seen as an example of cultural diplomacy in practise, as it give people with disabilities an opportunity of artistic expression. Especially because there has been a great deal of stigma attached to disables persons in China, the CDPPAT is a symbol of hope and solidarity and it definitely enhancing the work of UNESCO with regards to promoting the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.