A small massage clinic in Lhasa celebrated its tenth anniversary on November 16. Qamba Chilai, the owner of the clinic who has been blind for many years, stood in front of the small clinic welcoming customers.

Ten years ago, with the help of the civil administration department in Lhasa, Qamba and two of his blind friends opened Tibet's first massage clinic.

More and more handicapped people in Lhasa do not want to rely solely on government financial support and have managed to set up their own businesses.

Lhasa has more than 21,000 disabled people, amounting to four percent of the total population. Their per capita income is much lower than the average level.

With support from the local government, some 35 disabled people have learned special techniques in a local welfare school. They make Tibetan handicrafts and sell them in the market.

Lobsang has set an example by establishing a language school. Lobsang was also one of ten outstanding young people in Tibet who received an award for his hard work in promoting education for the disabled.

To create more job opportunities for the disabled, a law to protect the handicapped will soon be implemented in Lhasa. The law guarantees that the handicapped will have equal education and employment opportunities.