Bureaus Exclusive

Training for disabled enhanced in Shanghai

By Jiang Xueqing (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-10-22 15:41

SHANGHAI - The financial center of China has surpassed other Chinese cities in providing subsidies and various services for people with disabilities, according to the latest on-site investigation of the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010), conducted Oct 12-15.

A total of 83 million Chinese have disabilities or learning difficulties, and Shanghai alone has 942,000, which accounts for 5.29 percent of the population of the city.

The local government has invested 4.42 billion yuan ($665.65 million) in the development of all kinds of services for people with disabilities since 2007 and built more than 2,000 institutions to serve them, according to the Shanghai Disabled Persons Federation.

More than 1.2 million people with disabilities have received services including physical rehabilitation, vocational training and education subsidies, and about 100,000 people have received basic living allowances and other financial assistance.

Wang Lihua has been taking her 6-year-old son to the Shanghai Rehabilitation and Employment Training Center for Disabled Persons since he was 3. The boy, who has cerebral palsy, received different types of training including acupuncture, massage and physical therapy. When he first arrived at the center, he was unable to crawl or kneel down, but now he can do both and even walk a little.

"I had no idea how to teach him to crawl and walk before, but now I've learned from the physician and adopted her method to teach my son at home step by step," said Wang. "The result is quite significant."

On average, 120 children with cerebral palsy have been receiving rehabilitation training at the center every day since 2001. The rate of recovery reached 95 percent, according to Xu Shenglin, deputy director of the center.

Wang's family spent 10,000 yuan for rehabilitation training in 2009. Medical insurance covered 60 percent of the expenses. She also receives a subsidy of 10,000 yuan a year provided by the Shanghai Municipal Government to children with cerebral palsy who are under age 7 and registered as permanent residents of the city. She is considering sending her boy to a normal school as he will reach school age next year.

Shanghai is one of the first Chinese cities to pledge that all people with disabilities should have the right to receive an education. Based on this guideline, Shanghai Pudong Special Education School started exploring systematic educational methods for people aged 7-16 with cerebral palsy.

The school has admitted 95 such students since 2002. Forty-one of them cannot go to school due to serious physical problems but still receive education with teachers going to their homes instead. To allow the students to enjoy free tuition, the government spends an average of 48,000 yuan on each student every year, excluding expenses for hardware facilities.

"We're targeting making it possible for our graduates to integrate into mainstream society and make a living," said Zhou Meiqin, the school principal. She is planning to build a vocational training base within five years for her graduates to continue their education.

According to Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau, the city offered job opportunities to 21,000 people with disabilities. The average individual disposable income for such a family has increased 16.5 percent year-on-year.

During the last 20 years, Chinese people's attitudes toward those who have disabilities have changed in many ways, but still needs to be further improved, some experts said. More publicity work should be done to increase public respect for people with disabilities, by making it well-known that they can still make great contributions to society after receiving medical treatment and special training, according to Zhou.

"The key for government and social assistance to disabled people lies in restoring their confidence and helping them find dignity as a human being," said Wu Yaoliang, director of the Jing'an District Disabled Persons Federation.