China's Disabled Citizens Celebrate Their Own Festival

National Aid-the-Handicapped Day Marked Nationwide

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China's disabled people had their own festival across the country on Sunday, called "National Aid-the-Disabled Day."

In Beijing, the national capital, over 10,000 people attended exhibitions and art performances at the Sun Yat-sen Park, for the occasion.

Present were Cheng Siyuan, a vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, State Councilor Ismail Amat, and Deng Pufang, chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

In Tianjin, one of the largest cities in China, local people held an auction on 120 artworks donated by local artists. All the sales will be donated to the city's welfare fund for the disabled.

Recently, audiophones were donated to 58 local children with hearing disabilities, while 100 other people who are disabled received wheelchairs as festival gifts.

In Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, local hospitals held medical consultations for local disabled residents, while officers of the armed police helped repair wheelchairs.

Local governments at different levels in Tibet have tried hard to help disabled people, including the setting-up of Tibet's first special school last December.

In the past five years, thousands of local cataract patients have regained their sight through free operations.

In Sichuan Province, one of the most populous areas in southwest China, local governments at different levels have made progress in implementing the law to protect the disabled. Over 230,000 local cataract patients recovered, while over 170,000 local residents with disabilities are employed.

Heilongjiang Province, in the northeast, is working hard to help local children with hearing problems. Beginning this year, the provincial direction center for deaf children will receive 50 children every year.

Sun Yougui, director of the center and inventor of the "fast hearing ability-recovering method," said the children could partially restore their hearing ability after a 20 months of training.

One-third of the country's disabled citizens have hearing problems, Sun said.

Aid-the-Disabled Day Activities

The China Disabled Persons' Federation and other central and local organizations concerned Sunday held exhibitions and art performances at the Sun Yat-sen Park in downtown Beijing to mark the National Aid-the-Disabled Day.

It is the 11th the festival has been put on to celebrate the disabled population in China, which falls on May 20. This year is also the 10th anniversary of the coming into force of the law on the protection of the disabled.

To mark the two occasions, a series of programs have been carried out in the nation's capital, including exhibitions, art performances, seminars and checks on the implementation of the law.

The local media and websites have given full coverage to these activities.

According to official sources, China has 60 million disabled people and they have experienced enormous changes and improvements in education, living conditions and employment since the law came into effect 10 years ago.