Premier joins deaf children in celebrations for festival

Premier Wen Jiabao has called on all Chinese society to help disabled children. China has 60 million disabled people, including 10 million children.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) chats with a girl in the Deaf Children Rehabilitation and Research Center of China in Beijing, May 27, 2005. Wen visited the center to spend the International Children's Day with the children there.

The premier made the appeal, while visiting the China Rehabilitation Research Center for Deaf Children, where he joined in the celebrations for International Children's Day with the children.

He said organizations and individuals from all sectors of society should work together with the government to help the disabled, to give them more confidence and greater opportunities.

Referring to education, he said schools for the disabled should not only train them in physical skills, but "nurture their minds and create a positive spirit."

China has 60 million disabled people, including 10 million children.

The China Rehabilitation Research Center for Deaf Children was established 10 years ago and since then it has helped around 30,000 deaf children, by giving them hearing aids and training them in sign language.

Nearly one thousand are now able to attend mainstream schools.

Source: CRI News