BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China will strengthen support for people with disabilities over the next five years, with a recently unveiled national plan introducing detailed measures spanning improved social protection, legal safeguards and technology-enabled rehabilitation.
The plan for the protection and development of people with disabilities during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) outlines a wide range of priorities and initiatives to enhance comprehensive social protection, life-cycle care and all-around rights protection for disabled citizens, the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) said at a press conference held on Monday.
Cheng Kai, chairman of the CDPF, noted that the plan adds two major targets compared with the preceding five-year plan: creating one million new jobs for people with disabilities in urban and rural areas, and delivering 3.5 million person-times of care services for those with severe disabilities by 2030.
STRONGER BASIC PROTECTION
The plan puts greater emphasis on ensuring basic living standards for people with disabilities, particularly those with severe disabilities, people living in financial hardship and disabled rural residents.
Zhou Changkui, chairperson of the Board of Executive Directors of the CDPF, said China will improve the dynamic adjustment mechanism for living allowances for people with financial difficulties and nursing subsidies for those with severe disabilities.
The country will also improve rehabilitation assistance for children with disabilities, refine the subsidy system for assistive devices and expand care services for people with severe disabilities, Zhou added.
"About 80 percent of people with registered disabilities live in rural areas," Cheng said, noting that during the 2026-2030 period, low-income rural residents with disabilities will remain a key group for dynamic monitoring and targeted assistance.
All eligible individuals will be covered by subsistence allowances, assistance programs for people in extreme difficulty, and temporary assistance, Cheng told the media.
The plan calls for improving community- and home-based care through services such as day care, neighborhood mutual assistance and integrated elderly-disability care.
WHOLE LIFE-CYCLE SUPPORT
Life-cycle support is another defining feature of the new plan, as China moves to better respond to demographic shifts, evolving public needs and rapid technological advances.
The blueprint pushes for improving inclusive and special education, strengthening vocational education and skills training, expanding employment access, and enhancing rehabilitation, nursing and public services for people with disabilities.
In 2025, more than 8.9 million people with disabilities were employed across urban and rural areas in China, according to the CDPF.
To improve employment quality, the plan proposes developing higher vocational education for people with disabilities, providing more demand-oriented training, and delivering tailored support for disabled college graduates, said Li Dongmei, vice chairman of the CDPF.
Supported employment, integrated with care services, will be expanded for individuals facing greater barriers to employment, including those with severe physical, intellectual, or psychosocial disabilities.
For the first time, science and technology have been elevated to a standalone priority in the national disability development plan.
Zhou said China will foster application scenarios for smart rehabilitation devices integrated with non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to support rehabilitation training.
The country will also offer enterprises and innovators real-world environments to advance technological iteration, product verification and business model refinement, Zhou noted.
ENHANCING LEGAL SAFEGUARDS
China will improve legal frameworks regarding education and adult guardianship for people with disabilities during the period, Cheng said at the press conference.
The CDPF will also push to revise the law on the protection of disabled people and support local legislation to implement the law on building a barrier-free living environment, he added.
China has established a legal framework to protect the rights and interests of people with disabilities, comprising more than 110 laws, over 70 administrative regulations, and more than 90 local regulations, according to the CDPF.
Over the next five years, the CDPF will work more closely with courts, procuratorates, public security organs and judicial authorities to improve judicial protection, legal aid and accessible public legal services.
The plan also aims to better safeguard the rights of people with disabilities in cultural, sports, and artistic activities, promoting fuller and more equal participation in society.
"We hope to fully tap the potential of each individual with a disability, create opportunities for them to realize value through work, enjoy deeper participation in social progress, and enable them to contribute to Chinese modernization and share the fruits of development," Li said.