China has achieved much in the tenth five-year plan (2001-05) in
assisting disabled people. The living conditions, educational
achievements and employment levels of the disabled have all
improved significantly and general attitudes towards them are
changing with recognition being given to the valuable contribution
they make to society and the country as a whole.
The Ministry of Health issued a document in August, 2002 which
emphasized the need to assist in the rehabilitation of the
disabled. The document stated that by 2015 disability suffers would
have access to rehabilitation services. The document defines the
general aims of the initiative and offers general guidance on how
disabled people can be assisted. .
During the tenth five year plan 6.3 million disabled people have
been assisted in some way or another—in total 24.3 percent more
than had been envisaged. Within the total figure of those being
assisted 2.71 million cataract operations were carried-out which
was 35 percent more than planned; 150 thousand people with poor
eyesight were tested and supplied with visual aids—one and a half
times more than initially planned; more than 90 ,000 deaf children
were taught how to communicate--21 percent more than planned; 5.39
million pieces of equipment were provided to the disabled—twice the
plan and 420 thousand people with various difficulties received
assistance with their education. This figure was also well above
what had been originally planned.
The education system designed to assist disabled people has
continually improved over the past five years, the quality of what
is on offer has risen and wide range of activities have especially
developed to meet their needs. In 2003, a document jointly
published by China's Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), Ministry of
Education and Ministry of Health cancelled the former standard of
physical fitness expected and set a new one more suitable for those
with disabilities.
A notice released by the Ministry of Education said students
with hearing problems didn’t have to participate in the English
‘listening’ examination which forms part of the college entrance
examination. And
Guangdong Province and Shenzhen City have implemented
long-distance network education.
In the five years the CDPF and Ministry of Education have
developed various projects to help blind children and those with
disabilities to access education and improve their standard of
living. ?The establishment of classes for deaf people at Xi'an
Academy of Fine Arts and the special teaching school in Chongqing
Normal University opened new doorways for disabled people in the
western region of the country.
Eighty percent of children with eyesight problems have secured
educational places and those with difficulties in oral
communications or general intelligence have earned a similar
success rate. In ?the past five years Universities have
recruited more than 16,000 disabled students with 90 per cent of
them passing the entrance examination. China now has 10 special
education colleges which is four more than in 2000.
The disabled persons' employment and social security situations
have been strengthened and clarified. Over the past five years laws
to protect and improve the rights of disabled people havee been
adopted and they provide a policy guarantee for them.
From 2001 to 2005, 2.58 million disabled people received
vocational education and training. More than 1.6 million were
helped in finding work--an increase of 50 percent over the ninth
five-year plan; around seven million disables people received
various forms of social help and over 7 million were able to
improve their lives with help from poverty relief projects. Up to
the end of 2005 more than 4.2 million disabled people living in
cities or towns were employed and around ?17 million living in
the countryside had found work...
Attitudes toward the disabled people have changed remarkably
over the years which indicates that modern civilization and society
in general have developed significantly. The social administrative
departments and public service organizations responsible for
education, sanitation, civil administration, labor security,
judicatory, culture, physical education and many others will now
need to pay more attention to the needs of disabled people and
create equal and shared opportunities for them.
If all circles of society assisted disabled people many of the
difficulties they have in coping with everyday life would be
swiftly solved. General living conditions, access to medical
treatment, education and employment were all areas where society
could assist. The construction of modern buildings with ‘disabled
access’ greatly assisted the daily lives of these people.
?
The legal system for the disabled has achieved many, very good
things. Taking the Constitution as the core and the Law on the
Protection of Disabled Persons as the basis an advanced legal
system catering for disabled people has been defined.
During the lawmaking process legislators pay particular
attention to the views and opinions of disabled people. Some of
their views have been adopted in the lawmaking process of Civil
Servant Law, Law on Road Traffic Safety, Administrative Licensing
Law and Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women. The
country has also started to work on amending the Law on the
Protection of Disabled Persons and constituting the statute on
employment of disabled people. ??
Being optimistic and self-sufficient many disabled people appear
to want to constantly improve themselves and make a real
contribution to their country's future. More and more disabled
people are going to be in a position to earn a living and some,
perhaps, become wealthy by their hard work.
Disabled people have already emerged in every walk of life and
many more will follow. Some are representatives—at all levels--of
the people' congress and at political consultative conference
levels; some are athletes who’ve won honors for their country at
international events and quite a number are involved in
representative groups who look after the interests of the
disabled.?
Up to the end of 2005, 28 provincial and municipal TV stations
opened the news programs with sign language to assist people with
hearing difficulties. ?
Disabled athletes have so far won 676 gold medals in
international competition. My Dream, a large-scale music and
dance show created by the China Disabled People's Performing Art
Troupe has caught the imaginations of audiences at both at home and
abroad. The troupe have visited more than 40 countries and have
been a huge reception wherever they’ve been.
(China.org.cn by Zhou Jing February 28, 2006)