A senior official has hailed China's efforts to give disabled people a better quality of life.

More than 11 million Chinese people with physical disabilities have been rehabilitated to some extent and 80 percent of disabled children have started school, said Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), at Wednesday's meeting in Beijing to elect the new board of directors of the China Welfare Foundation for the Disabled.

The employment rate of the disabled population is on the rise and the environment for the disabled to participate in public life has constantly been improving, he added.

Jia urged governments of all levels to show their support and concern for the disabled, by taking them into consideration in their plans for economic development and social progress during the 11th Five-year Guidelines period (2006-2010).

The foundation was established in 1984, and over the past 22 years, it has raised a total of 3.34 billion yuan (about US$420 billion).

Also present at Wednesday's meeting were senior officials including Hui Liangyu, Ismail Amat, He Luli, Liu Yandong, Bai Lichen, and Luo Haocai, as well as Bu He, Wu Jieping, and Peng Peiyun.

(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2006)