Yu Ya'nan, a student majoring in piano performance at Changchun University's Special Education School, studies English at a library on Friday. Yu was one of the first five blind students to take the College English Test. (Photo: China Daily)

Colleges and universities are seeing a rise in the enrollment of students with disabilities over the years, according to the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

A total of 10,818 students with disabilities were admitted into universities last year after passing the national college entrance examination, said Li Dongmei, an official with the federation, at a press briefing held in Beijing last week.

The admission number followed a rising trend from 8,508 in 2015 to 9,592 in 2016. In addition to special schools for the disabled, more Chinese universities and colleges are enrolling people with disabilities in mainstream classrooms.

Li said conditions for education of people with disabilities are getting better as China continues to develop.

"The door of higher education is wide open. People with disabilities are to benefit," Li said.

A student with hearing loss surnamed Cao said at the news briefing that his disability was not an obstacle while studying at the Academy of Arts and Design with the elite Tsinghua University.

"I have good friends and feel the warmth no matter where I go. My hearing loss does not hold me back from enjoying campus life," Cao said.