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China to Launch 1st Industrial Standards on Accessibility for Disabled
Beginning on May 1 "Technical Standards for Airport Passenger Terminal Facilities with Accessibility by Individuals with Disabilities" will be put into trial use, to become China's first industrial standards on facilities accessible for the disabled.
Dozens of government officials and representatives of the needy groups attended a forum on the issue Friday, including Deng Pufang, chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, and Liu Jianfeng, director of the General Administration of Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC).
In his speech, Deng praised the CAAC's efforts to take the lead in the country in publishing the standards for the handicapped and aged.
He expressed the hope that other industries would follow the lead of the CAAC and issue similar standards for the purpose, in order to help the handicapped and aged people participate in social life in an all-around manner.
At the meeting, the CAAC director and other experts made explanations on the background and main contents of the standards.
In the coming five years, his administration will try to make local airports more accessible to the needy groups in accordance with the standards, the official said.
According to official figures, China now has 142 civil airports, but so far, only a small number of them including those in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai have been accessible to the disabled and elderly.
At the forum, representatives of the disabled and elderly spoke highly of the tremendous achievements made in China to assist the handicapped and elderly, but they called for greater concern on the issue.
Inaccessibility to public facilities has brought them more psychological hurts than physical and has hampered their efforts to play a due role in public affairs, according to the representatives.
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