By Ji Jing

As a public interest lawyer serving the community， Ouyang Jihua， Executive Director of the Zhongtong Law Firm in Beijing， provides legal advice at local communities once a week. Recently， a man came to see him about his unfair termination at work. The man， who was not named， had had an accident at work and was left disabled， according to Beijing-based Legal Daily. The company he worked for refused to pay him any compensation and fired him. The lawyer helped him win his rights.

Ouyang， who often goes to the homes of people with disabilities to provide legal advice， said labor， divorce， consumption and inheritance disputes are some of the most frequently encountered problems for the disabled. It is estimated that there are more than 85 million people with disabilities in China， accounting for over 6 percent of the population. Safeguarding their rights has become a focus of the government.

Legal protection

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Law on the Protection of Persons With Disabilities， which ensures equal rights for people with disabilities in political， economic， cultural， social and family affairs. It also protects the civil rights and dignity of people with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against them or humiliation or abuse.

The law was amended in 2008 to stress rehabilitation services， equal rights to education， work and participation in social life， as well as social security benefits.

The third Sunday in May is observed as National Disability Day. This year， it was celebrated on May 16 with a special theme， Consolidating Poverty Alleviation Results for People With Disabilities and Improving Their Quality of Life.

Zhou Jian， Director of the Rights Protection Department of the China Disabled Persons Federation （CDPF）， told Beijing Review that over the past three decades， a complete legal system has been formed， guaranteeing the economic， political， cultural and social rights of people with disabilities. The Law on the Protection of Persons With Disabilities is complemented by regulations on rehabilitation， education and employment. Many lawyers have been providing legal services for people with disabilities and carrying out legal education among the group.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan （2016-20） period， the CDPF stepped up legal assistance to people with disabilities， working with courts， procuratorates， public security and judicial departments to build over 2，000 legal assistance stations for people with disabilities across the country. It also runs the chain of Sweet Home for People with Disabilities， a service center assisting in finding jobs， rehabilitation and education for people with disabilities. There are over 500 such centers in Beijing.