(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-25 07:27

How a nation protects its disabled people should indicate how civilized it is. The adoption of the amendment to the Law on Protection of Disabled Persons by the National People's Congress Standing Committee yesterday is a sign that China is making progress in guaranteeing equal rights in all areas for its 83 million disabled people, who comprise 6.34 percent of its population.

The disabled people's vulnerability makes it necessary for a civilized society to provide them with special care, which alone can enable them to enjoy equal rights and opportunities as others.

The adopted amendment is thus of significance to the disabled people and their families.

What is noteworthy about this amendment is the stipulation that disabled people will enjoy favorable tax policies and be exempted from administrative fees for running their own businesses.

This is important because it tallies with the principle of helping the disabled people help themselves. We may give pensions or subsidies to the disabled as long as our State coffers are full. But anything that carries the hint of a dole may hurt the dignity of disabled people and make them feel that their physical disabilities have made them parasites in the society.

The best way to make them feel that there are no barriers stopping them from being normal members of a social community is to create as many conditions as possible to enable the disabled people to participate in whatever economic activities they can possibly engage in.

Being able to earn their own living and thereby to make whatever contributions they can to the society will do a world of good to their self-confidence. The self-esteem and the confidence in themselves that they can thus earn will sustain their belief that they can do their bit for the economic development and social progress of their country.

The sense of equality, rather than a condescending attitude, that epitomizes the amendment marks a great progress in the way we treat our disabled fellow- citizens. All that we need to do for them is let them enjoy the same rights as we do.

The fact that 49.8 percent of the disabled above the age of 18 surveyed face medium-level or serious obstacles in social participation dictates that we must make even greater efforts to make their lives free of social barriers.

(China Daily 04/25/2008 page8)