CRI听力:China Vows More Efforts for Accessibility

The China Disabled Person's Federation has come out with new analysis, suggesting that while a lot of strides have been made toward making China more accessible to people with disabilities, more can still be done.

In making the suggestion, Federation vice-President Lv Shiming does note advancements have been made in recent years.

"It has been more convenient for people with disabilities to take planes and trains. The college admission exams have opened doors for these people and for visually impaired citizens, they can now board subways with guide dogs and use internet-based services provided by some mobile operators and financial institutions."

But at the same time, Lv Shiming says the progress is still far from meeting the overall demands of disabled people.

A recent survey conducted by the Federation among some 30-million people registered as disabled shows there is still a lot of demand for a barrier-free environment.

The analysis is suggesting an overall lack of awareness of accessibility needs, on top of poor construction methods and lax management of public facilities are still the major concerns among the disabled in China.

The Chinese government says it is already taking steps to try to rectify the situation.

Liu Can with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development says the voices of the disabled in China are being heard.

"We will continue to improve regulations and standards related to barrier-free environments and step up the efforts to increase the public awareness of accessibility for the disabled. Efforts will also be made to address the needs of home renovations for these people, especially in less well-off households."

China has more than 80 million people with disabilities, which accounts for over 6-percent of the total population.

Regulations have been in-place for the past few years to try to create barrier-free environments to improve accessibility for the handicapped.

Stats from the State Council show over 500-thousand households across China have been retrofitted over the past 4-years to help make them more accessible for people with disabilities.

This has included the installation of stair-lifts for wheelchairs and barrier-free modifications to bathrooms and kitchens.

Chinese authorities are also pledging to take steps to make the internet more accessible to those who are visually impaired.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.