May 31, 2022 -- Statistics published by the China Disabled Persons' Federation show, there are more than 85 million disabled people in China, accounting for more than 6.3 percent of the total population. Attending to the needs of this special group has always been one of the key policies in China. CGTN's Cao Chufeng visits a rehabilitation base in Guangdong Province, which aims to provide comprehensive rehabilitation services.

 

Song Caifeng is now giving a one-on-one speaking training to a child with hearing impairment. A job that requires compassion and patience.

 

SONG CAIFENG Language Rehabilitation Dept. Guangdong Rehabilitation CTR. for Persons with Disabilities "Children aren't like adults. Our training needs to be done while playing games with them."

 

This center inside the base is rather like a special kindergarten, where kids can choose to stay for the whole day. From physical disability, to autism or hearing impairment, staff members are taking care of over 300 under-six-year-olds with different special needs.

 

HE LIHUI Director, Guangdong Rehabilitation CTR. for Persons with Disabilities "Our job is to give these children rehabilitation sessions and education, as well as adaptive training, and it's all for free."

 

Nearby, at the assistive devices center, Fu Yanxin is working on a prosthetic that is specially designed for a person with disabilities.

 

FU YANXIN Guangdong Cultural Sports & Rehabilitation Assistive Devices CTR. for People with Disabilities "For many disabled people, they can't really come here. So I spend a lot of time going to different households, and design the prosthetic according to different people's needs."

 

The center is also a training institution for medical service practitioners, as well as a research and development center for assistive devices.

 

HE BO, DEPUTY DIRECTOR Guangdong Provincial Cultural Sports and Rehabilitation Assistive Devices CTR. for People with Disabilities "One of our developments is a portable visual aid for those with visual impairments, which has a national patent."

 

The Rehabilitation Base for the Disabled in Guangdong Province, where these two centers are located at, is still expanding. Final construction area is estimated to be more than 120,000 square meters. It will house various facilities such as educational institutions, sports facilities, and a hospital. The Guangdong Disabled Persons’ Federation says the base is built in accordance with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, or ICF.

 

ZHANG YONGAN President, Guangdong Disabled Persons’ Federation "The ICF system believes the understanding of disability should not be limited to the biological individual. It must have a comprehensive consideration of the individual inside the environment, so according to the system, rehabilitation refers to the comprehensive and coordinated application of a range of measures, such as medical, educational, social and vocational."

 

CAO CHUFENG Guangzhou "The rehabilitation base is just one of Guangdong's efforts to better serve people with disabilities. The local government also has subsidy programs for those facing financial difficulties, training programs to promote employment, as well as a legal support system. It hopes that, in these ways, Guangdong is able to provide well-rounded protection for the rights and interests of people with disabilities. Cao Chufeng, CGTN, Guangzhou."