Dae-Young Park, left, a resident and food service worker at Helemano
Plantation, shares a light moment with Den Pufang.
Photo by George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin

The younger Deng, who has been a champion of the disabled in China, toured Helemano Plantation, a private residential facility for the disabled.

He came at the invitation of Helemano's president and chief executive officer, Susanna F. Cheung. She met Deng a year and a half ago while touring in Beijing.

"I am happy to be a member of this family. It is a special, warm home," he said.

He became a paraplegic after being forced to jump out a window during mistreatment at the hands of Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution of 1966-76.

Since then Pufang, 52, has become a voice for the disabled, establishing the China Disabled Persons Federation, drafting laws for the disabled and raising awareness through the U.N. Decade of Disabled Persons.

He came to Hawaii after stops at the Paralympics in Atlanta and South America. The trip here, however, was low profile. Deng is still under a gag order from his country, as his father's grip on the country falters.

He broke the gag order to address his own federation in July. During that 40-minute speech he defended his father and his father's policies.

He hailed his father's economic reforms and accused the government of "wholly negating the Deng Xiaoping political line," according to reports from observers at the meeting. In Hawaii, however, Deng declined to discuss problems in China or even the plight of the disabled because his visit was designated as private.