85 Percent of the Disabled in Beijing Have Jobs

Some 85 percent of handicapped people in the Chinese capital have taken up an occupation and all handicapped urban children capable of studying have entered schools, according to official sources.

The city has placed greater emphasis on providing rehabilitation services for the handicapped in recent years, said Zhao Chunluan, president of the Beijing Disabled Persons' Association.

Over the past five years, more than 100,000 out of the city's total 400,000 disabled people have been rehabilitated to various degrees and improved their lives. Some 15,000 disabled people in rural areas have been lifted out of poverty, sources said.

Culture and sports for the disabled have made substantial progress and the city has been rated first in overall standards related to efforts for improving the living standards for the handicapped for three straight years, Zhao said.

The city has worked out 15 laws and regulations concerning the employment, poverty relief, rehabilitation, facilities and social security systems for the disabled.

(China Daily 05/08/2001)