Provided to China Daily

"They are very simple, and their world is small. Once they let you enter their world, you become a very important part of their life. They trust you and depend on you so much," she says.

The most frequent question the students ask is "whether you would come to give class next week", Wu says.

The feeling is echoed by other volunteers. That makes them determined to eliminate the public's prejudice about the group.

"Many people wrongly assume that special-needs groups are unpredictable, dangerous and harmful, fearing that they might attack others. In fact, they are no more offensive than ordinary people," Guo Chenggang says.

The NGO is developing a project that aims to help connect people with special needs to their communities.

They plan to invite local stores to display and sell the products made from the students' artworks, such as T-shirts, cards, cups and bags.

"The residents can realize that the special-needs people exist among us and their work can be a part of our life, and thus eliminate their fears about the group. On the other hand, the painters can receive some financial return," he says.

The intellectual-property rights of each painter are strictly ensured, he adds.