Headcount for impoverished and disabled population drops

The number of people with disabilities who live in poverty in China stands at about 1.7 million, down from 2.81 million in late 2017, the China Disabled Persons' Federation said at a news conference on Thursday ahead of the 19th National Day for Helping the Disabled.

The National Day for Helping the Disabled falls on May 19 in China.

Guo Liqun, spokesman for the federation, said China has seen great progress in lifting people with disabilities out of poverty in the past five years thanks to a string of measures, including improved medical insurance programs, wider coverage of subsistence allowance systems in rural areas and accelerated efforts to renovate crumbling homes for families with disabled members.

China is also striving to enhance public services for all people with disabilities, according to the federation.

More than 660,000 students with disabilities have been enrolled in primary or high schools in 2018, up 15 percent from 2017. Also, 118,000 people with disabilities found employment last year, and nearly 500,000 received useful technical training.

There are 8.5 million people with disabilities in China, the federation said.