The Ability to Assist Disability

By Lan Xinzhen

Caring for those with disabilities demonstrates a societys people-centered culture. The living conditions， rehabilitation， education， employment， poverty alleviation， and rights protection of the differently abled have a direct bearing on their quality of life and the happiness of their families.

On July 23， Chinas State Council issued a document on the protection and development planning for people with special needs during the 14th Five-Year Plan （2021-25） period， proposing to cement the achievements of poverty alleviation among them. The aim is to avoid those facing the challenges of disability getting left behind by the countrys aim to basically reach socialist modernization and overall prosperity by 2035. The document outlines just how the Chinese Government will encourage the personal development of those 85 million with disabilities.

That some disabled people emerge from hardship and become successful is nothing new in China， but the vast majority of them live in a different world from the rest of society. Consequently， both the government and society at large need to pay special attention to this group to guarantee a healthy life for all.

In the past five years， to make sure the goal of building a moderately prosperous existence does not leave behind a single differently abled person， governments at various levels have extended extra assistance. In Chinas rural areas， 7.1 million registered disabled people were lifted out of extreme poverty， and another 1.8 million in both rural and urban areas got jobs. Another 10.76 million physically challenged people living in a bind were brought under the minimum living-standard umbrella. Moreover， 12.12 million people received living allowances， and 14.73 million people with severe disabilities obtained homecare stipends.

Today， basic rehabilitation services and assistive devices have reached 80 percent of the disabled. Some 95 percent of special-need children and adolescents have access to compulsory education， and more than 50，000 have entered colleges. Accessibility in both rural and urban areas has been upgraded， while the social atmosphere， too， is getting more disabled-friendly. The past five years have seen more than 20 laws and regulations safeguarding the rights and interests of the disabled come to life. Furthermore， practical advancements， too， have been made. A lot of libraries put braille books on their shelves and even the construction of sports centers for the disabled really took off， encouraging more disabled people to live life to the physically fullest. These developments in China have won acclaims from the United Nations Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization.