China improves living conditions for disabled

2017-08-01
Xinhua

BEIJING — More than 5,600 disabled examinees submitted applications for supportive treatment in the gaokao, China’s college entrance exam, in 2017, according to the China Disabled Person’s Federation (CDPF) on Aug 1.

The supportive treatment includes giving access to Braille or large-font exam papers to visually impaired students, and exempting students with hearing impairments from foreign language listening tests or giving them a longer time to complete the exams.

The CDPF said that China had renovated the homes of nearly 1.4 million disabled people since the regulation on constructing barrier-free environments issued on Aug 1, 2012.

The renovations include modifications to bathrooms and kitchens, such as lowering cooking benches, and installing safety rails and ramps.

China has introduced more than 20 favorable policies aimed at making areas more accessible disabled people, such as implementing barrier-free facilities on buses, trains and airplanes.

Over 800 reading rooms featuring Braille books and audio materials were established at public libraries in cities above county-level by the end of 2016, according to CDPF.