THERE are over 1 million volunteers in Shenzhen, but few of them have professional knowledge about assisting the visually impaired.

    A new team aiming to offer volunteer services for the visually impaired will be set up in Futian District.

    A workshop to train volunteers to help those with visual disabilities started recently at a rehabilitation center in Futian. Eighty-five trainees from the workshop will be selected to form a professional volunteer team.

    The workshop was organized by three NGOs, including the association of the blind, and has invited professionals to teach volunteers how to assist the visually impaired. An experienced Hong Kong social worker, Lu Weiqiang, the former director of an association for the blind in Hong Kong, will be one of the mentors.

    During the workshop, the experts will demonstrate how to assist the visually impaired when using computers and the trainees will learn basic skills, such as how to become a pathfinder for a visually impaired person.

    Through games, the new volunteers are also expected to learn skills to communicate with the visually impaired.

    Lu said the volunteers will greatly benefit the over 4,000 visually impaired people in Shenzhen. (Zhang Qian)