Country Profile> People's Republic of China>Statistical Data on Disability Profile

3. Current Situation of Persons with Disabilities

3.1 Definition and Classification
According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Disabled Persons enacted in 1991, the definition of PWDs is as follows:

A disabled person refers to one who suffers from abnormalities of loss of a certain organ or function, psychologically or physiologically, or in anatomical structure and has lost wholly or in part the ability to perform an activity in the way considered normal.

The term "disabled persons" refers to those with visual, hearing, speech or physical disabilities, mental retardation, mental disorder, multiple disabilities and/or other disabilities.

The Government has also adopted the Disabled Person's Rights and Declaration as published by the United Nations Assembly in 1975, while in 1987, the State Council established a disability classification system with five sub-classifications for the national census.

Visual Impairment

Blind

Grade I - Single eyed vision is no greater than 0.02 or visual field is no less than 5 degrees

Grade II - Single eyed vision is no less than 0.05 and no greater than 0.02 or visual field is not less than 10 degrees

Low Vision

Grade I – Single eyed vision is not les than 0.05 and not greater than 0.02

Grade II – Singe eyed vision is not less than 0.;03 and not greater than 0.1

Hearing Impairment

Deaf

Grade I – The loss of hearing is greater than 91 decibels

Grade II – The loss of hearing is no less than 71 decibels and not greater than 90 decibels

Hearing Impairment

Grade I – The loss of hearing is not less than 56 decibels and not greater than 70 decibels

Grade II – The loss of hearing is not less than 41 decibels and not greater than 55 decibels

Mental Retardation

Very Severe – SD is less than 5.01 and IQ is between 20-25
Severely – SD is between 4.10 – 5.0 and IQ is between 20-35 or 25-40
Moderate – SD is between 3.01 – 4.0 and IQ is between 35-50 or 40-55
Less – SD is between 2.01 – 3.0 and IQ is between 50-70 or 55-75

Physical Handicap
- Loss of upper or lower limbs due to trauma, disease or congenital factors
- Anamorphosis or dysfunction of upper or lower limbs due to trauma, disease or congenital factors
- Anamorphosis of dysfunction of spinal cord
- Anamorphosis or dysfunction of trunk or limbs due to trauma, disease or congenital factors
Mental Disorder
- Organic psychosis with psychotic symptoms
- Psychoactive substance-induced residual disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Disability due to affective, paranoid, response, schizotypal attentive, periodic psychotic disorder
3.2 Government Policy and National Plan Towards Persons with Disabilities
According to the United Nations, China has adopted an overall development policy in its work for people with disabilities. The Government takes the lead in this initiative and society offers its support with the full participation of disabled persons. The United Nations goes on to state that the policy has proven to be sound and effective.

The Government's national policies, objectives and strategies on PWDs are revised every 5 years. In the latest Five-year Plan (the 10 th Five-year Plan), priority issues include the improvement in the quality of the life of PWDs, rehabilitation, formal education, employment and the construction of regional facilities.

Deng Pufang, President of the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), announced at the opening session of China's National Work Conference on the Disabled, in 2001, that PWDs would be able to receive better support over the next five years.

"We will help another 12 million rural disabled people who are still destitute to live a better life by the end of 2005. We want to see a rise in the employment rate of disabled people to 85 per cent. Meanwhile, special recuperative projects will allow 5.1 million more people to recover from illnesses."

The paramount goal, according to Mr. Pufang was:

"to create equal opportunities for the disabled to participate in society. The central government and the association pledge to enhance social awareness in caring for the disabled, increase financial support and ensure more disabled people are educated. Relieving poverty among disabled people, as well as providing basic social security, should be given special priority. One big project to be launched soon will equip every municipality and county with at least one home for the disabled to provide comprehensive care, education, and job training."

According to the China Daily newspaper, Li Ruihuan, Honorary President of the CDPF and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, praised the country's achievements in the field of disability over the past five years, saying there has been a considerable improvement in disabled people's lives.
3.3 Government System
As a result of the Government's policies and stated National Plan towards PWDs, many governmental Ministries and agencies have a role in the support of PWDs. The following is a brief description:

National Coordination Committee of Disability

The committee was established in 1993 and consists of 34 representatives from each Ministry and executives of the CDPF. Tasks include policy-making, theory formation and the drafting, implementation and coordination of laws.

The China Disabled Persons' Federation

The CDPF was established in 1988 and is one of the major members of the National Coordination Committee on Disability (NCCD) and is the preeminent agency overseeing disability issues in the country. CDPF was established through the law, which was ratified by the State Council and is the unified national organization for PWDs in China. It represents the common interest and protects the lawful rights of PWDs while promoting humanitarianism, protection of the human rights of PWDs in order to ensure their equal participation in society and contribution to economic growth and social development.

According to the CDPF, it has made all efforts to participate in the processes of legislation on disability and of the implementation of laws and regulations so as to protect the lawful rights and interests of persons with the disability-related national development plans of the Government, raise the needs of persons with disabilities to the Government and promote the multi-sectoral collaboration in the disability field among the relevant governmental departments.

The CDPF manages The China Rehabilitation Research Center, which was established in 1983. The Center undertakes clinical rehabilitation, research and education with the technical support from countries such as Japan, Canada and German, among others.

According to the CDPF, China is committed to the protection of the rights of people with disability, helping them participate in social life on an equal footing and share the benefits of the country's material and cultural progress. Along with the rapid economic growth and social transformation, in China:
- People no longer regard those with disability as "the disabled and useless", recognizing that they are equal creators of material and spiritual wealth
- The society is giving more and more understanding, respect, concern and assistance to people with disability, fostering an environment of love and harmony
- People with disability have treasured their own worth as contributors to the society in the spirit of self-respect, self-confidence, self-improvement and self-reliance
- Disabled people's organizations pursue a vigorous program in booth rural and urban areas, representing and safeguarding the rights and interests of people with various disabilities
- Coordinating bodies on disability bring government agencies, disabled people's organizations and other social sectors together to work for the advancement of the endeavor for people with disability in a comprehensive and effective manner
- The State promulgated legislation to protect the human rights of people with disability; formulated, concentrating on effective measures, and carried out consecutively five-year work programs and achieved remarkable improvement of the situation of people with disability.
Local organizations of the CDPF have been established in provinces, prefectures, cities, counties, districts, townships in the mainland of China, including:
- 31 disabled persons' federations at the level of province/autonomous region/municipality directly under the Central Government
- 780 disabled persons' federations at the city/prefecture level
- 2,413 disabled persons' federations at the county/district level
- 53,537 disabled persons' federations at the township level
Group members under the CDPF include:
- China Welfare Fund for the Handicapped (CWFH)
- China Rehabilitation Association for Persons with Disabilities
- China Massage Association of the Blind
- China Disabled Persons Sports Association
- China Sports Association of the Deaf
- China Association for Promotion of the Press and Publicity on Disability
At the province level, the CDPF oversees each federation in order to ensure that programs are carried out in accordance to the National Policy. An organizational chart for the CDPF was not readily available. An example of an organizational structure of one of the province level Federations is provided as follows:

Figure 4

Organizational Chart of the Guangzhou Disabled Person's Federation

Description

Source: Guangzhou Disabled Persons' Federation, Last updated May 7, 2003

Ministry of Heath

According to the State Council's “Regulations for the function, internal structure and staff allocation of the Ministry of Health”, there are 225 administration officers and 10 departments. Additionally, the Ministry operates 11 medical colleges, research institutes, such as the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine and the Beijing Hospital and the China-Japan Friendship Hospital. The Ministry manages 78

Ministry of Civil Affairs

The Ministry controls welfare services for the elderly, orphans and PWDs. Its main tasks include social security, registration of social organizations and the manufacture of assistive devices. The Ministry manages 41 artificial limb factories and 12 artificial limb-assembling plants. There are 23 artificial limb assembling plants managed by the medical and other sections, for a total of 76 assistive-device production factories in China.

Ministry of Education

Many institutions and administering organizations deal with the educational affairs of the disabled including the CDPF and the National Co-ordination Committee on the Disabled at the State Council Level. The Ministry of Education has an office of Special Education which deals with educational issues of the disabled. Additionally, special agencies in educational departments at the central and local levels oversee special personnel administrating, pre-school special education and compulsory education of the disabled children.

According, to the national laws, any district with a population of 400,000, a school of special education must be erected. The Ministry supports special education through classes in formal schools while mainstreaming them into the formal educational system.
3.4 Regional Cooperation

At the invitation of United Nations (UN) bodies or agencies, a number of experts and resource persons with disabilities attended disability-related conferences or seminars sharing their information, view points and experience with other participants.

The CDPF has implemented the World Program of Action concerning Disabled Persons as adopted by the UN General Assembly and actively participates in the activities of the UN Decade of Disabled Persons. The CDPF initiated and has promoted the actions of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002 and carried out, in all aspects, the Agenda for Action of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons. It actively supported and participated, during the Period of 1991-1992, in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. It participated actively in the Special Plenary Session on Disability of the 47th UN General Assembly, NGO Forum of the World Summit for Social Development, the Sessions of the Commission on Social Development and meetings on social development of disability convened by ESCAP.

CDPF has attended meetings and hosted regional events such as the International Meeting on the Roles and Functions of the National Coordinating Committee on Disability in Developing Countries, it hosted the meeting to Launch the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons in 1992, the Seminar on Quota Scheme for the Employment of Disabled Persons, China Workshop on Placing Disabled Persons to Employment and the Asian and Pacific Seminar on Special Education among others.

A series of projects on the rehabilitation of children with disabilities has been successfully completed or are well under way. To mark the end of the UN Decade of Disabled Persons, 1983-1992, the CDPF, in conjunction with UN bodies sent the China Disabled Persons' Performing Art Troupe to visit Austria, Holland, Norway and Sweden with the goal of advocating and promoting the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons. Additionally, the Art Troupe was sent to visit Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand and Philippines in cooperation with the UN ESCAP and the visited nations. The CDPF, the Beijing Municipal Government, the Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation and UNESCAP jointly conducted the Promotion of Non-handicapping Physical Environment for Disabled Persons which was completed in 1998.

Developing International Exchanges

Bilateral exchanges have been developed between the CDPF and over 60 countries, which have promoted the mutual understanding, learning experience from each other, furthering collaborating and advancing the work for PWDs.

Commendation by the International Community

To commend the CDPF's efforts and achievements in promotion of equality and participation of persons with disabilities, the UN and other international organizations, have awarded the CDPF and its Chairman: UN Peace Messenger, special testimonial of the UN Decade of Disabled Persons, Special Award of Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, Henry Kessler Award (by A/P Council of Disabled People's International), Paul Harris Humanitarian Award (by Rotary International) and Alexander Gralnick Memorial Award (by the American Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation).
3.5 Statistics Data

Based on figures released by the CDPF, there are a reported 60 million people with PWDs in China. However, this represents only 4.8% of the total population as of the 2000 census. The WHO estimates that approximately 10% of the world's population suffers from disabilities. In the context of China, that would represent approximately 125 million people based on the 2000 census. Information on NGO surveys or other studies on the number of PWDs was not readily available.
3.6 Law and Legislation

The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Disabled Persons was passed in 1991 and is the most comprehensive piece of legislation on the rehabilitation, education, employment and welfare of PWDs. The Law is broken down into 54 separate articles covered in the following 9 chapters: The full translation can be found from CDPF's website as follows:
- General Provisions
- Rehabilitation
- Education
- Employment
- Cultural Life
- Welfare
- Environment
- Legal Liabilities
- Supplementary Provisions
Other legislative initiatives have been taken by the Government to support PWDs, as follows:

Rehabilitative Medical Education Plan

Was initiated in 1992 and provides regulations on training and education of rehabilitation doctors and therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

Persons with Disabilities Education Act

The Act was established in 1994 to ensure the rights of PWDs to education and aims to develop PWDs related educational projects. The Act also provides regulations on pre-school, formal, occupational, and adult education. The Act provides that “The Provincial Government shall establish special schools (classes) for children with visual, hearing, speech and mental disabilities.”

Provisional Regulations of the Qualification System for Prosthetists and Orthotists

The regulations were passed in 1997 to improve the production of artificial limbs, assistive devises, wheelchairs and canes, while standardizing production.

Regulations Related to the Control of Rehabilitation Services in General Hospitals

The regulations were passed in 1997 obliging large hospitals to establish rehabilitation units and make arrangements for physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

As part of the 10 th Five-year Plan, the objectives for additional legislation to support PWDs are as follows:
- Development of disability-service-related laws and protection of persons with disabilities rights and benefits
- Formulate an employment act for PWDs, rehabilitation laws and regulate transportation for the safety and security of persons with visual impairments
- Formulate disability standards
- Continue to reduce and exempt impoverished PWDs from agricultural taxes, even after rural tax reform
- Continue to exempt import taxes on disability-related products
- Grant preferential treatment to PWDs in legal service institutions and provide financial support for legal services required by PWDs.
3.7 Social Services
The Governments' commitment to social security schemes for PWDs is outlined in the 10 th Five-year Plan as:
- The improvement of PWDs social security, in accordance with reform of the national Social Security System
- Provide support to PWDs who are not able to engage in productive activities, do not have a legal guardian, or have a legal guardian, but one that is not able to support PWDs or do not have a source of income
- Assure the basic social security system is in place and continue poverty alleviation projects for PWDs in rural areas
- Encourage disabled workers to join social insurance and apply for endowment, medical and unemployment insurance, as well as workmen's compensation
- Establish and manage social welfare organizations for PWDs.
3.8 Medical Services, Rehabilitation and Assistive Devices

Rehabilitation

According to the Ministry of Health, there are 78 rehabilitation centers or hospitals, with over 11,000 beds and 6,100 rehabilitation personnel in China. Additionally, there are approximately 600 additional hospitals which are equipped with rehabilitation units.

Rehabilitation training and community-based rehabilitation services have been provided for by the CDPF. The China Rehabilitation Research Center (CRRC) was established in 1983 and is directly managed by the CDPF. The center plays a leading role in rehabilitation practices, scientific research and personnel training.

The CRRC undertakes clinical rehabilitation, research and education with the help of technical support from countries such as Japan, Canada and Germany. It is involved in PWDs medical care and training, the use of rehabilitation technology and medical equipment and research and development. It is also involved in the development and provision of disability-related products and rehabilitation facilities, the training of rehabilitation personnel, research and recommendation of disability-related policy and regulations, as well as the production and publication of audio-visual products. The facility provides the following services:

Rehabilitation Services

Combining modern rehabilitation medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, CRRC provides medical, educational, occupational, psychological and social rehabilitation and engineering services to disabled people in order to maximize or restore their functional abilities and facilitate their reintegration into society.

Scientific Research

CRRC conducts scientific research in the field of rehabilitation medicine and practical technology. Medical research is directed towards clinical rehabilitation such as functional regeneration and restoration following spinal cord injury, neural system injury or musculoskeletal injury. Technical research is focused on the utilization of biomedical poly-molecular material and the development of health care medicines.

Aids and Equipment Services

CRRC develops, produces, and supplies aids and equipment to disabled people nationwide and provides maintenance and quality monitoring services. It also develops and produces rehabilitation training equipment, prostheses, orthoses and aids for activities of daily living.

Professional Training

In order to disseminate rehabilitation technology throughout the entire country, CRRC both offers professional training (including graduate students' and undergraduate students' training), and undertakes the compilation of authoritative rehabilitation text books and training materials.

Information and Social Work

CRRC exchanges and researches information concerning rehabilitation, including relevant standards, methods, rules, policies, and prospects of, about, or for the disabled. It also makes suggestion to the government and the CDPF, and offers consultation and guidance to the public.

The CDPF has established rehabilitation departments and sections within hospitals along with 10,469 rehabilitation service guiding centers and rehabilitation stations at levels of province, city and county as well as townships. Additionally, 3,400 rehabilitation-work-treatment stations have been established in order for PWDs to participate in rehabilitation training and services throughout the country. According to the CDPF, 3.84 million PWDs have been rehabilitated through major rehabilitation projects including:
- Over 2 million blind people have regained their eyesight's through cataract surgeries
- Approximately 600,000 people with polio have undersign orthopedic operations
- Over 90,000 deaf children have received hearing and speech training
- Approximately 60,000 persons with physical disabilities have received systematic rehabilitation training
- 140,000 children have been rehabilitated
- 870,000 people with severe mental illness have received treatments and rehabilitation
- Over 2 million pieces of assertive devices have been provided for customers with disabilities
The 10 th Five-year Plans calls for the following actions by the Government:
- Provision of rehabilitation to 5.1 million PWDs
- Conduct 400,000 cataract operations annually. Dispatch staff to remote areas and areas with concentrations of ethnic minorities
- Study and develop low vision devices and provide devices to 100,000 people
- Provide hearing and speech training to 80,000 hearing impaired children. Establish a hearing and speech rehabilitation institute in Beijing. Include training of rehabilitation specialists for children with hearing impairments into the national education plan
- Conduct operations for persons with leprosy
- Strengthen rehabilitation activities in the community. The local government shall formulate action plans and construct rehabilitation institutions in each area
- Rehabilitation societies and rehabilitation units of general hospitals shall make efforts to improve technical training of staff and the provision of services
- Provide physical rehabilitation training to 120,000 physically disabled and 80,000 intellectually disabled persons
Assistive Devices

The Ministry of Civil Affairs is responsible for the production of artificial limbs, prosthetics and canes and manages 41 artificial limb factories and 12 artificial limb-assembling plants. The China Association of Artificial Limbs manages national or international communication in the industry. Related organizations include:
- The Beijing Institute of Artificial Limbs
- The National Technical Committee for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled and Standardization of Special Facilities
- The National Center for the Quality Inspection of Artificial Limbs
- Beijing Contemporary Artificial Limb and Assistive Device Technology Development Company
The Government has planned to develop 2.4 million pieces of 100 types of user-friendly assistive devices in order to meet the growing demand for assistive devises. Additionally, China plans on developing double-spelling Chinese Braille and Chinese sign language. As part of the 10 th Five-year Plan, the Government plans on:
- Provide artificial limbs to 60,000 people
- Construct 200 distribution bases for disability-related products and provide 2.5 million of these products to satisfy expected demand
China's law stipulates that the relevant government departments should organize and support the research, production, distribution and maintenance of assistive devices. The Government has also allocated funds for these purposes. These have been listed as items of support in the Eighth and Ninth Five-Year National Plans.

The State Tax Bureau has a policy to reduce or relieve taxes on the production and management of wheelchairs, orthoses and prostheses. Some articles are also imported duty-free. Preference in policy is given to the production or import of assistive devices that have passed technical examination. The National Technological Quality Control Centre for Assistive Devices and the Rehabilitation Equipment and the National Standardization Committee for Rehabilitation Equipment and Special Devices have been established in recent years. Some national standards for assistive-device production have also been developed.

The research in new types of assistive devices is mainly conducted by the Assistive Device Service Centre. More than 30 kinds of devices have been developed. Many others, besides this main service network, have been involved in work for people with disabilities. Some universities, research institutions and company technological development units have been conducting research and development in the field of assistive devices.

Organized research in new types of assistive devices has only been conducted more recently. The United Nations estimates that Chinese products include only 25 to 33 per cent of the types recognized in the world. Special parts of high-tech prostheses, and core-plates for integrated circuits in some electric devices, are being imported into the country.

In recent years, China has started the work to train professionals in the field of assistive devices. They include DS, graduate and undergraduate students in rehabilitation engineering, and students in special technical schools. After graduating from these schools and being employed by rehabilitation engineering institutions, these professionals receive on-the-job training including document reading, social investigation, academic activities and on-site practices. Research staff and technicians in the Assistive Devices Service Center have received training from foreign experts while some have trained abroad. The Services Center also compiles training materials such as handbooks, product catalogues and videotapes for local professionals and people with disabilities.

Most funding for assistive devices comes from the CDPF and the Ministry of Public Administration. China hopes to enhance its technical cooperation with other developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region in the area of assistive devices. This cooperation can include normal imports and exports, product exchange and technique exchange, as well as offering parts and elements, fitting services and joint ventures. China hopes to obtain knowledge of advanced designs and techniques and the possibility of technical support and technical co-operation.
3.9 Community Based Rehabilitation
A CBR program, entitled “Building Healthy Communities and Populations”, was carried out at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Rehabilitation from 1987 to 1991 and re-designated in 2003 and is due to expire in 2007. The program was in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of the Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Sciences. The purpose of the program is to:
- Conduct and develop projects on Community-Based Rehabilitation
- Conduct and develop training of different categories of personnel for rehabilitation medicine and services
- To develop applied research in rehabilitation medicine, including research on appropriate organization and management of rehabilitation
- To exchange information in rehabilitation medicine and community-based rehabilitation
A check-list of particular rehabilitation needs for children with disability in CBR was developed by the head of the WHO Collaborating Centre after consultation with CBR workers and the parents of the children in the program. The list is used by the local supervisor to take a more goal-oriented approach in planning the rehabilitation measures for the children while helping the teachers design their courses to address the needs of the individual children. The list includes the following:
- Massage and passive range-of-motion exercises for the limbs
- Training in activities of daily living
- Gait and walk training
- Simple speech training
- Balance training and control of posture
- Acupuncture, medication;
- Referrals to medical/rehabilitation hospital or clinic, orthopaedic shop, welfare agency or vocational rehabilitation centre
- Hearing aids, walkers, crutches, canes, orthosis - splints for the upper limb, orthosis - braces for the lower limb, orthopaedic shoes, artificial limbs, wheelchairs, special seating appliances, aids for ADL, locally-made parallel bar for use in walk training
- Psychological caring and support
- Family care, psychosocial encouragement and removal of attitudinal barrier
- Nutritional care for a better state of nutrition
- Training the parents
- Pre-school special education, special education, inclusive special education
- Equal opportunity for community children's social life
- Removal of poverty for the family, improvement of housing condition
The WHO Collaborating Centre also offers consultation and advice to the Guangdong Federation of Disabled Persons concerning the construction of the Guangdong Provincial Centre of Rehabilitation Service for People with Disability in terms of its arrangement, facilities, equipment, programs of services and the training of staff.

In conjunction with the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the WHO Collaborating Centre also co-sponsored the first Pan-Pacific conference on rehabilitation which was held in Guangzhou. One hundred and twenty participants from nine countries attended the workshop on manipulative physiotherapy for low back pain.

Some of the achievements of the WHO Collaborating Center included, among others:
- At the request of WHO Rehabilitation Unit, the head of the Centre reviewed the document Promoting The Recovery of Movement After Stroke - a guide for mid-level rehabilitation workers
- In conjunction with the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation the promotion of the CBR video series, which was jointly produced, was carried out
- Several staff made presentations at both national and international conferences
- The Head of the Centre was the editor of the book Disability Prevention in China which was published in 1998
- Contributions were made by 50 experts specializing in rehabilitation medicine, preventive medicine and clinical medicine
- The Head of the Centre was invited to serve for additional period of three years as a member of the WHO expert advisory panel for rehabilitation.
3.10 Independent Living Movement
There currently is no formal independent living (IL) movement in China. However, a workshop on the IL movement was included for the first time at the DPI Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly, held in China. Additionally, a Chinese delegation, representing The Chinese Academy of Science and the China Association for the Blind attended the International Summit Conference on Independent Living in Washington D.C., in September 1999.
3.11 Public Awareness
According to the 1991 legislation on the protection of PWDs, the third Sunday of May each year is the National Day of Assisting Disabled Persons. The law also provides the following articles, which provides increased awareness of PWDs through a variety of media:
- Reflect the life of disabled persons through radio, film, television, press and periodicals, books and other media in the interests of disabled persons.
- Organize and support the compilation, writing and publication of Braille books, talking books for blind persons and reading materials for deaf and mentally retarded persons; offer TV programs in sign language and put in subtitles or narrations in some movies and TV programs.
The CDPF also promotes UN documents and activities via various kinds of media, including newspapers, periodicals, books and exhibitions as well as at conferences. It publishes articles and news in its own magazines Disability in China, Spring Breezes and The Blind, announcing important UN documents and activities on social development, especially in the disability field. The Huaxia Publishing House and Kanhyi Audio and Video Publishing House are operated by the CDPF, which publish the World Program of Action concerning Disabled Persons (in Chinese), Guidelines for the Establishment and Development of National Coordinating Committee on Disability or Similar Bodies (in Chinese) and The Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (talking books in Chinese) as well as ILO's Job Evaluation (in Chinese).
3.12 Sports
The 1991 legislation on the Protection of Disabled Persons' includes Article 38, which was adopted to enrich the spiritual and cultural life of PWDs:
- Organize and support disabled persons for mass cultural, sports and recreation activities, stage special art performances, hold special sports meets and participate in major international sports games and exchanges
- Provide facilities and accommodations for disabled persons at places of cultural, sports, recreation and other public activities and set up in a planned way activity centers for PWDs
The CDPF oversees The China Disabled Persons Sports Association along with the China Sports Association of the Deaf which provides various competitions and activities for PWDs. The China Sports Association of Persons with Disabilities was formed in 1981 and provides opportunities for PWDs to participate in a variety of sport activities, including those who are amputees, spinal-cord injury victims, people with visual, hearing and mental disabilities.

China hosted the 1994 Far East and South Pacific Games for Disabled Persons and is hosting the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai. That will mark the first time the Special Olympics will be held in Asia. According to the CDPF, 118 separate sport games and matches were conducted while as many as 210,000 PWD athletes participated. These athletes participated in international games such as the FESPIC games, Special Olympics, World Games of Disabled Youth and won more than 1,200 medals and broke or surpassed 112 world records.

The 10 th Five-year Plan further supports sport for PWD by stating its strategies as:
- Organize artistic groups for PWDs and conduct performances at home and overseas
- Systematically train PWD athletes and establish teams and find coaches, referees and medical staff
- Organize the 6 th Sports Festival for PWDs

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Biwako Millennium Framework Seven Priority Areas:

3.13 Self-help Organizations of persons with disabilities and related family and parent associations
The Government has established several federation organizations that are essentially quasi-government agencies that promote the prevention, rehabilitation, education and employment programs for PWDs. The CDPF is the most prominent such quasi-governmental agency. This is consistent with the general direction of social welfare policy, towards mobilizing social forces in the funding and provision of services. As a result, there are not many formal self-help advocacy non-profit service providers in the country. Many of the organizations that do exist, have found legal difficulties in the establishing of their enterprises as independent channels for individual activism and volunteer efforts and as such often have to register as a business offering commercial services. Private citizens find it difficult to establish mutual support and service groups which hinder organizational development and long-term planning. Therefore, many organizations are becoming informally networked.

The Guangdong Special Children & Parents Club is an example of a parents association that has informally formed in order to meet the needs and rehabilitation of their children. The association was formed five years ago and is supported by the Keswick Foundation in Hong Kong and Save the Children Foundation of the United Kingdom. The association is a charity for intellectually disabled children in China and currently has 300 members. It holds annual national conferences for the parents of children with disabilities and explores various training techniques and treatments for children who suffer from conditions such as autism, cerebral paralysis and Down's syndrome. According to the association, Guangdong has 2 to 3 million children with mental and/or physical disability.

The HANDA Rehabilitation and Welfare Association is another group that works outside of the governmental social agency network located in Guangzhou. HANDA works to ensure a quality of life and the self-confidence that results from the prevention of disabilities as well as the loss of eyesight, usually resulting from Leprosy. It is therefore, that many people cured of leprosy will still be left with some degree of disability. According to HANDA, physical empowerment is one of its priorities as physical, psychological and social well being are linked in order for individuals to achieve the goals of leading an independent and productive life.

108 people received skill training in sewing at the HANDA/IDEA Sewing School and most of the individuals have been integrated into the labor force of Guangdong. Additionally, an income generating business has been established for individuals who have not been able to enter the general workforce for various reasons. As such HANDA aids such people in activities including women who create quilted baby blankets, which are then sold on the international market including leading Hong Kong hotels.
3.14 Women with Disabilities
There are many organizations that have been established in China that advocate protecting the rights and interests of women with disabilities. The Government oversees the State Council Working Committee on Women and Children along with the State Council Coordinating Committee on Disability, whose main responsibilities are to stipulate guiding principles and settle important problems with a view to promoting the development of the undertaking for women with disabilities in coordination with the national economy. Three five-year work programs for disabled persons and one work program for women have been promulgated and implemented since 1990s.

There are additionally a number of quasi-governmental federations established, which include the All China Women's Federation and the CDPF. The two organizations represent and serve for the rights and interests of women and persons with disabilities respectively and at the same time perform administrative functions of the Government.

Women with disabilities have received rehabilitation service for sight recovery from cataract, low vision correction, polio orthopedics and treatment of mental illness. Currently women with disabilities can receive employment through three primary means, which include welfare factories, quota schemes and self-employment. The Government also provides small bank loans for the rehabilitation and poverty alleviation of persons with disabilities.

Non-governmental, or quasi-governmental agencies also provide support services to women and women with disabilities, including the Zhaowuda Women's Association for Sustainable Development. The association receives grants from the World Bank and is an organization in Inner Mongolia, that provides capacity training workshops and mobilizes domestic and international resources to provide funding, technology, capacity building, market information and children's education services to local women, especially poor rural women, help develop rural women's self-help organizations and promote poverty alleviation and rural, environmental and women's sustainable development. The association operates a project which organizes a series of training workshops for poor women, enabling them to learn farming or animal raising skills. Through this program, women are able to increase their self-confidence and engage them in productive, income-generating activities. Additionally, the association aims to provide micro-credit lending.

3.15 Early Detection, Intervention and Education

Early Detection/Prevention

The CDPF and its local disabled persons' federations provide iodine capsules for the key groups: newly-wed women, pregnant women and babies of 0-2 years of age as a means to prevent mental retardation, and it, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health, conducts regular immunization schemes.

Additionally, international organizations, such as UNICEF and the WHO, have conducted immunization campaigns as part of disability prevention. Handicap International has been active in China since 1998 and offers training in the areas of disability prevention and rehabilitation in the Guangxi region while providing orthopedic workshops, training and community rehabilitation services in Tibet.

Education

The legislation passed in 1991 for the Protection of Disabled Persons provided for articles outlining the need to

“Regular primary and secondary schools shall accept children with disabilities who can adapt to these situations. Regular high schools, occupational and technical schools, and tertiary educational institutions shall admit, and not be allowed to refuse enrollment for reasons of disability”

“Children with disabilities receive pre-school education in classes established by educational organizations for children with disabilities, classes of children with disabilities established by regular educational organizations, special classes established in regular educational classes, special schools, children with disabilities care institutes, or parental education for pre-school children with disabilities. Children with disabilities who are not eligible for regular education can receive formal education in special classes at special schools, or special schools established in secondary or lower-level regular schools.”

As part of the 10 th Five-year Plan, the Government has outlined its objectives and strategies for the promotion of education for PWDs:

Objectives

To improve the formal education for children with disabilities enrollment ratio
To establish special schools in appropriate areas
To provide PWDs vocational training in accordance with the demand for labor

Strategies

Integrate children with disabilities education into the formal education system
Establish special education high schools and special classes in universities, as well as develop a correlating special educational system, from the primary to university level
Set a separate PWDs entrance standard to universities, and accept more PWDs
Provide occupational education and training in vocational training institutions for PWDs. Priority will be to the quality and diversity of training in urban area and direct connection to poverty strategies in rural areas
Establish a university concentrating on special education, or add special education courses to the curricula at existing universities
Train core teachers through newly established training institutes for special education
Introduce scholarship systems, and consider exemptions for PWDs
Promote sign language and Braille and establish a technical (computer) sign language

The Government has integrated the education of children with disabilities into the overall plan of compulsory education for synchronous implementation. According to the CDPF, enrollment rates of children with visual, hearing impairments and mental handicaps rose from less than 6% in 1987 up to 64.3% in 1997.

The enrollment rate of disabled students whose marks reached that of enrollment standards of colleges and technical schools was 92%. The total number of enrollees with disabilities of universities and colleges was reported to total 10,884 since 1985, and 14,475 students with disabilities have been enrolled by ordinary middle technical schools since 1989.

Special Education College of Changchun University, Engineering College for the Deaf of Tianjin University of Science and Engineering and the Massage Specialty for the Blind in Nanjing Chinese Medicine College were established, Special Education Specialties were set up in 7 normal universities, and it has been calculated that 34 institutions have been training special education teachers for middle schools, 783 vocational training institutions have been set up for persons with disabilities and over 2.5 million disabled trainees have received vocational training.

The Persons with Disabilities Education Act in 1994 establishes that the provincial governments will establish special schools or classes for children with visual, hearing, speech and mental disabilities. Table 16 indicates the number of children in special schools as of 1997.

Table 16

Schools for Children with Disabilities (1999)
Schools for the Visually Impaired	101,100
Supplementary Schools for Children with Learning Disabilities	34,100
Special Classes in Regular Schools	236,400
Total Number of Schools for CWD	371,600

Source: JICA (2001), Country Profile on People with Disability in China
Ministry of Education, Statistics of National Educational Development in 1999

The Golden Key Research Center of Education for the Visually Impaired was established in 1985 and is based in Beijing. It provides assistance to visually impaired children to attend school and provides them with the necessary special education so that they can make their own living in the future and return to society equally. The Center established a project in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 1999, which ran through the 2002-2003 school year. According to UNICEF, there were only 2 schools for the blind in Inner Mongolia in 1999 with a total of 20 students. According to the project team there were approximately 2,230 school-aged visually impaired students in Inner Mongolia of which 378 were blind.

The project in Inner Mongolia was set up at four local levels (region, prefecture, country and town) and received support for the national center in Beijing and was led by the regional Education Department, and received financial support from the regional Health Department, Civil Administration, the Disabled People's Federation and Women's Federation. The project also supports the concept that training of regular mainstream teachers is the most practical and efficient approach to visually impaired education. In each area, consisting of a group of prefectures and supported by one resource center, the centers provide equipment to support the dissemination of materials, including computer, copiers, and printers for Braille script. The resource center provides supplementary Braille materials including Braille versions of revised textbook sections that are not available from the national education system.

Although official statistics indicate a relatively high national rate of inclusion of children with disabilities into mainstream schools, the rate in most rural and remote areas are low. According to the project documents, the State Education Commission of China estimated that in the mid-1990s, 9 western provinces, including Inner Mongolia, the enrolment rate for visually impaired children was only 0.31%, or only 497 students out of more than 19,000. According to UNICEF, as of 2002, the Golden Key project had integrated 783 visually impaired children into 641 mainstream schools in 48 counties of Inner Mongolia, which increased the enrolment rate of children identified with visual impairments to over 98%. In a similar project in Guangxi, 2,154 visually impaired children were integrated into mainstream schools, raising the enrolment rate for visually impaired children in that province to 82%.

The project has promoted participation of several national organizations with presence at the local levels including the provincial Education Department, Health Department, Civil Administration, Disabled People's Federation and the Women's Federation. Through this coordination, the work is being carried out by organizations already in place in targeted communities with the strong support of the Government. It is the goal of the project's coordinators that the Golden Key Project will lay the foundation for inclusive education in the western provinces of China.

3.16 Training and Employment

According to the CDPF, 2,038 employment service facilities for persons with disabilities have been established by the CDPF, which investigate disabled persons waiting for jobs. CDPF registers the labor resources, determines the employers' needs, train and recommend PWDs and provide employment services for PWDs.

More than 1.5 million PWDs have been employed, through quota schemes by public and private sectors. According to the CDF, welfare enterprises for centralized placement of PWDs have increased to approximately 70,000, which are entitled to the nation's preferential policies of tax reduction or exemptions. 5,022 blind persons massage hospitals and clinics have been established, in which nearly 20,000 people have been trained with visual disabilities have been engaged in medical treatments. Nearly one million PWDs have been assisted and aided self-employment.

The CDPF provides comprehensive services for PWDs in rural areas while medium-term and short-term technical training courses have been organized. Production guides have been provided, preferential treatments have been given to PWDs in purchasing farm-use materials, selling farm commodities while receiving credit as well as other assistance. The employment rate of PWDs in urban and rural areas rose from less than 50% in 1987 to 72 % in 1997.

One method of employment of PWDs is through the China Deaf and Blind Association, which provides training courses. By the middle of the 1990s there were more than 20 schools for the visually impaired that provided vocational training courses, as well as 4 technical schools and a massage center for the visually impaired at the Changchun University. The China Massage Association for the blind was established as an academic organization.

The 10 th Five-year Plan outlines objectives and strategies for the massage business as:
- Development of the massage business for persons with visual impairments
- Train 35,000 masseurs
- Edit and provide audio recordings and study materials in Braille
- Promote new individual massage businesses, employment in medical institutions with massage units and encourage the establishment of massage stations in communities
- Provide financial support for training and business start-ups
- Establish massage instruction institutions, training plans, proficiency tests, efficiency ratings and management of the massage businesses
The Government initiated a rural training program, named the “Green Certificate Training Project”, which aimed to teach farmers how to improve their skills and increase their agricultural output. Through this training, farmers are able to increase their incomes while providing a way for poverty alleviation. However, According to the CDPF, an estimated 40% of rural PWDs had the capability to work, however lacked the necessary skill sets. The Green Certificate Training Project therefore provided the necessary skill sets to PWDs in order to make them production income earners. While government hiring quotas helped PWDs find jobs in the formal sector, the same quotas had less of an impact in the rural provinces.

The Heilongjiang province has a population of approximately 38 million people, including an estimated 1.3 million PWD. Of those, it is estimated that approximately 10% live in poverty. Agriculture is the main form of business in Heilongjiang. In an effort to improve and increase training opportunities for PWDs, CDPF along a local co-ordination committee comprised of officials from the Department of Education, Labor and Social Security and Agriculture, Fishery and Animal Husbandry worked to make the project available to PWDs. As a result many PWDs in Heilongjiang joined the Green Certificate project, while various governmental agencies made poverty alleviation loans available to PWDs to help them apply their training. According to The International Labour Office, as of 2002, the Green Certificate project had trained more than 6.7 million farmers nationwide, of which over 80,000 had some type of disability. Other achievements of the project include:
- The number of PWDs who received any type of agricultural training increased from 2,357 in 1996, trained by CDPF, to over 20,000 by 2000.
- The project has helped 87% of the 80,000 PWS, who have received training since 1998, rise out of poverty
- The project accounts for 63,000 training sites, 19,000 stations for apprentice-type training, 15 million textbooks and the production of more than 1 million sets of audio/visual teaching materials.
Regarding other training and employment objectives and strategies, the Government outlines its plan as:
- Improvement of the employment system for PWDs
- Strengthening of vocational training and provision of occupational instruction and training to all PWDs who are registered as unemployed
- To provide employment and training to the unemployed and to achieve an employment rate of 85%
- Give preferential treatment and support to new businesses for PWDs
- Improve welfare companies and promote employment of persons with intellectual disabilities
- Establish of employment services and information networks for PWDs, which cover the entire country
- Establish training institutions an provide vocational training on demand
- Subsidize training fees for PWDs who cannot afford them
- Introduce the forecasting of labor markets, proficiency measurements and an occupational certificate system
Additionally, PWDs from China have participated in International competitions while the Government will host the 2008 Summer International Paralympic games in Beijing.

The Government provides tax incentives for companies that employ PWDs. The following summarizes some of the incentives:
- Companies employing more than 35% of its workforce with persons with disabilities, can receive corporate tax credits
- Companies employing more than 50% of its workforce with persons with disabilities, can receive credit against many kinds of taxes
- PWDs who operate their own businesses can receive tax exemptions
3.17 Access to Built Environment and Public Transportation

The 10 th Five-year Plan outlines its objectives for the promotion of Barrier-free environments as:
- Realization of barrier-free roads and buildings and informational and cultural exchanges.
- Introduce barrier-free standards for newly built city roads, transportation facilities, public buildings and housing
- Strengthen the management of public information on barriers to the disabled
- Provide subtitles for movies, TV news and dramas
- Encourage service industry personnel to learn basic sign language
- Develop communication facilities for persons with visual and hearing impairments
3.18 Access to Information and Communication

According to CDPF, PWDs have equal access to public culture facilities, while more than 3,000 culture and recreation facilities for disabled people have come into use.

The China Central Television Station and 20 other TV stations at provincial levels have established regular special programs and sign-language-interpreted programs for PWDs. The Central People's Radio Station and 30 other radio stations at provincial levels have established regular special programs for PWDs. Films and TV plays have been sub-titled and focus on PWDs lives, while the magazine, book and audio and video publishing houses of the CDPF provide publications for PWDs.

The 10 th Five-year Plan outlines its objectives for access to information as:
- Open public facilities for PWDs, including libraries with sound services for the visually impaired and literatures for PWDs
- Automation of offices and improvement of information networks and the establishment of a databank of PWDs projects in the Disabled Persons' Federation
- Set up a special network between the Central Disabled Persons' Federation and organizations of the federation in each Ministry
- Obtain accurate statistics and establish an automated information system
3.19 Poverty Alleviation through capacity-building, social security and sustainable livelihood programs

Poverty alleviation was one of the objectives included in the 9 th and 10 th Five-year Plans. It is estimated that 80% of PWDs live in rural areas of which half live in impoverished conditions. According to the 9 th Five-year Plan, PWD projects were required not only for adjustment to the market economy, but also for poverty eradication and improvement of their quality of life. Projects were aimed to narrow the economic disparities and solve the physical and mental barriers to the social participation of PWDs.

The 10 th Five-year Plan outlined the Strengthening of PWDs projects, support for rehabilitation, school entrance and employment support, as well as the preparation for social participation. Objectives for the five years are as follows:
- To achieve economic security for persons with disabilities in economical developed areas. In developing areas, people shall achieve basic subsistence.
- To deliver rehabilitation services to 5.1 million people
- To improve enrollment rations of formal education
- To extend the construction of facilities for PWDs to cities and municipalities

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