Disabled people will now have access to free legal services, thanks to a law center set up yesterday in Beijing.

The center, affiliated to the Law School of Renmin University of China (RUC), is the country's first public organization to specialize in providing legal services for the disabled.

For some time now, disabled people have suffered from a lack of legal protection, said center Director Li Jianfei, who is also a professor at RUC Law School.

Li said this had affected their basic human rights, such as the rights to work and to education.

"Many disabled people don't know how to protect themselves through legal means," he said. "We want to change that."

If necessary, the center will offer free attorney services for the disabled who can access the center by phone, visiting or writing.

The center will also serve as a think-tank for disabled legislation.

The existing Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons came into vigor in 1990, and some items are now regarded as too general to be properly implemented, Cheng Kai, vice president of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, said at a seminar yesterday at RUC.

The Second National Sample Survey on Disability, released last month, found that China has about 83 million disabled people, totaling 6 percent of the country's 1.3 billion population, or 13 percent of the disabled worldwide.

However, official figures indicate over 12 million of them still living in poverty, and only 4.47 million had social security back in 2005.

In schools and families, the disabled often face discrimination; while in the job market, some employers deliberately exclude them, said Li.

For some time experts have been calling for an improvement of the legal system to better protect the disabled. Special regulations have been put forward, regarding their employment, social security, medical care and the development of a barrier-free environment is needed.

About 25 scholars from home and abroad attended the seminar, discussing possible legal changes.

William Alford, professor at Harvard Law School, spoke of being glad at seeing China safeguarding the rights of its vulnerable groups in society, such as children, women, the elderly and the disabled.

"Caring for the weak is a sign of a civilized society and a sound legal system," he said.

China is currently amending the Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons, and legislators said suggestions made at the seminar would be taken into consideration in the new draft.

(China Daily January 12, 2007)