Remarkable achievements in China’s cause of people with disabilities

The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government have always put the people first, provided care for groups with special difficulties, respected the will of people with disabilities and safeguard their rights and interests. Taking "equality, participation and sharing" as the goal, China pays great attention to their participation in society and helps them to become participants in, contributors to and holders of economic and social development. After 70 years of exploration and practice, China has developed a road for the cause of people with disabilities with Chinese characteristics, made huge progress in that regard and greatly improved their lives.

The development of the cause of people with disabilities in China has gone through three stages.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), people with disabilities have obtained equal citizenship and their cause has begun to enter the normal development track.

To date, it has experienced three phases:

The first is the progressive development phase. After the founding of the PRC, the fundamental rights of people with disabilities, as citizens of the State, were guaranteed and gradually expanded. Based on the situation of economic and social development at that time, the state adopted the classified protection principle and gradually established the life guarantee system for the specific group. The cause of the people with disabilities witnessed initial development. China established and improved the pension system and elevated the welfare of revolutionary servicemen with disabilities; China established welfare institutions for the adoption or placement of vulnerable persons with severe disabilities, orphaned people with disabilities, elderly people with disabilities and soldiers with disabilities, and guaranteed their basic lives; China established the rural "Five Guarantees" system so that people with disabilities who were homeless, helpless and jobless could be properly cared for in such aspects as daily life, education and medical treatment; China developed welfare production units, supported the employment of people with disabilities, and developed a working welfare system for the cause with Chinese characteristics; China also set up an association of the blind and the deaf and encouraged people with disabilities to participate in the management of their own affairs.

The second is the rapid development phase. Since the reform and opening-up, the living conditions of the people with disabilities have been fundamentally changed. China has vigorously advocated the concept of humanitarianism, which lays the foundation for China’s cause of people with disabilities. China established the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, which has gradually become a mainstay of the development of the cause of people with disabilities in China; China enacted the Law on the Protection of People with Disabilities, which extends legal protection; and China set up the State Council Working Committee on Disability and made clear the administrative functions of government departments. Work for people with disabilities was listed as an important agenda of the government, and comprehensive growth was achieved in rehabilitation, education, employment, poverty alleviation, social security, cultural and sports and construction of barrier-free environments. The social security and service systems for people with disabilities were preliminarily set up and improvement seen in their survival, development and participation. Two national sample surveys of people with disabilities were conducted to fully understand their basic situation and to provide strong support for their cause.

The third is the high-quality development phase. In the new era, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have been particularly concerned about people with disabilities and under the stronger atmosphere of supporting them their basic living conditions have been further guaranteed and their benefit levels raised. The government has focused on their poverty alleviation and made efforts to ensure not a single person with disability will be left behind in the course of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. China has issued Outline of Healthy China 2030 and Regulations on Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities to protect health rights and interests, and has implemented two consecutive special education promotion plans and amended the Regulations on the Education of People with Disabilities to guarantee their education rights in accordance with the law. Furthermore, China has established a specific subsidy system for people with disabilities, implemented a rehabilitation assistance system for children with disabilities, strengthened the construction of barrier-free environments, and through local administrators stipulated subsidy policies for assistive devices for people with disabilities and strived to improve their welfare levels. China has promoted basic management and big data construction in the service of people with disabilities.

Significant changes have been made in the economic and social status of people with disabilities in China

After 70 years of development, the cause of people with disabilities in China has made remarkable progress, and their economic and social status has changed significantly.

First of all, the right to life of people with disabilities is effectively guaranteed. In response to the living conditions of people with disabilities, the government has formulated a series of policies and measures to secure life support networks for people with disabilities that effectively protect their right to life.

Second, the right to development of people with disabilities is being realized individual by individual. In order to protect the development rights of people with disabilities, China has established a legal guarantee system with the Constitution as the core and the Law on the Protection of People with Disabilities as the mainstay, and has formulated important regulations, such as the Regulations on the Employment of People with Disabilities, Regulations on the Employment of People with Disabilities, and the Regulations on the Building of an Accessible Environment .

In recent years, the State Council published the Regulations on the Prevention of Disability and Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities, revised the Regulations on the Education of People with Disabilities, and strengthened the barrier-free transformation of homes. The right to health, education, employment, and independent living of people with disabilities was rapidly realized.

Finally, a social atmosphere of “equality, participation, and sharing” was formed. With the rapid development of the cause of people with disabilities and the improvement of the level of social civilization in China, society's views of people with disabilities are changing. NPC deputies and CPPCC members have proposed to replace “disabled” with “disability”. In order to promote the social participation of people with disabilities, the government adopts convenient measures to promote the realization of political rights of people with disabilities. The government is also promoting urban and rural barrier-free environment construction and eliminating barriers to their social participation. People with disabilities have also begun to fully realize their own values and evolved from “passive receivers” to “positive creators”. A large number of people with disabilities are constantly striving for self-improvement and promising futures.

Building a development path with Chinese characteristics for the cause of people with disabilities

In the process of developing the cause of people with disabilities, the government has embarked on a development path with Chinese characteristics.

First, a leadership system with Chinese characteristics for the cause of people with disabilities has been established. After many years of practice, China has formed a system based on the leadership of the Party committee and the government, and established a working mechanism led by the government and extensively participated in by society and fully supported by dedicated organizations.

Second, a development mechanism with Chinese characteristics for the cause of people with disabilities has been formed. Since 1988, the State Council has promulgated seven relevant five-year development plans and made overall arrangements for the protection of their rights and interests. In the 21st century, the cause of people with disabilities has gradually been incorporated into the government's five-year plan. In addition, the government has specially formulated a special plan for people with disabilities to further refine tasks and responsibilities for their development.

Third, the development of the cause of people with disabilities with Chinese characteristics has a strong ideological guarantee. China has established a rehabilitation system and adoption institution for people with disabilities. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the country developed welfare production units based on the economic and social development situation at that time, established a labor welfare system for people with disabilities, and promoted their employment.

After the reform and opening-up, the government focused on the rehabilitation, education, employment, and poverty alleviation of people with disabilities and formed a framework system for people with disabilities with Chinese characteristics. In the new era, the concept of "equality, participation, and sharing" has gradually been integrated into the core values of socialism. Under the guidance of people-centered development thinking, poor people with disabilities are regarded as the key group, while strengthening rehabilitation services and promoting comprehensive development and common prosperity for people with disabilities are seen as the key goals.

The author is Yang Lixiong, vice-president and Professor of the Institute for the Development of the Cause of People with Disabilities, Renmin University of China.

This is a translation of an excerpt of a Chinese article.