On May 28, 2023, Nanjing, Xuanwu Lake Park Lovers' Garden, the city's first barrier-free garden, was completed. Courtesy of Visual China
Handrails, blind paths, intelligent voice broadcasts, plant touch explanations, curved rest seats, ......Wandering in the barrier-free garden in Nanjing Xuanwu Lake Park, you can smell the fragrance of flowers, hear the song of birds, and see carefully arranged barrier-free facilities everywhere, and visitors can stroll leisurely in it.
The intelligent voice announcer that can be seen everywhere in the barrier-free garden of Xuanwu Lake is courtesy of Visual ChinaXuanwu Lake Barrier-free Garden is a park that mainly serves the visually impaired. Here, the visually impaired can judge the prescription position by the scent of flowers, and "appreciate" the plants with their sense of hearing and smell according to the inductive audio guide.
The construction of a barrier-free environment is the basis for ensuring the equal, full and convenient participation and integration of persons with disabilities and the elderly in social life. On September 1 this year, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Construction of a Barrier-free Environment (hereinafter referred to as the "Law on the Construction of a Barrier-free Environment"), a law closely related to the disabled and the elderly, came into effect. Since then, in the creation of civilized cities, healthy cities, healthy cities, and smart cities, as well as urban renewal, beautiful and livable cities, and beautiful rural construction, more attention has been paid to the integration of the construction of barrier-free environment. Cities and towns are building new roads, public buildings, and public transport facilities with barrier-free elements. Good law is a prerequisite for good governance. On the eve of the 32nd International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Law on the Construction of a Barrier-free Environment was officially implemented, adding a solid legal guarantee to this special holiday.
On March 31, 2023, in Nanchong, Sichuan, Peng'an County Disabled Persons' Federation held a barrier-free environment experience activity. Courtesy of Visual China
A "with love" transcript
-- Fruitful achievements have been made in the construction of a barrier-free environment
China has a large population of actual and potential barriers. At present, there are more than 2 elderly people aged 60 and above in China800 million, and the number of people with disabilities reached 85 million, and the total number of the two exceeded 300 million. For special groups such as the disabled and the elderly, whether it is daily life, integration into the community, education, employment, business, culture and entertainment, physical exercise, tourism and leisure, etc., only without barriers can life be guaranteed.
The beginning of the construction of barrier-free environment in China can be traced back to the 80s of the last century. In 1989, the former Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the China Disabled Persons' Federation promulgated and implemented the Code for the Design of Urban Roads and Buildings Convenient for Persons with Disabilities (for Trial Implementation). In 1995, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) launched a pilot project for the demonstration and renovation of barrier-free residential areas in Fangzhuang, Beijing. In 2006, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, advocating the concept of universal design and reasonable accommodation, and China was one of the first signatories to the Convention. In 2008, the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games were successfully held, which improved the level of barrier-free construction in Beijing.
On August 1, 2012, the Regulations on the Construction of Barrier-free Environment were promulgated and implemented. In October 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) ratified the Marrakesh Treaty, which guarantees the equal rights of persons with print disabilities to enjoy works and to receive education. Guided by laws and regulations, the state continues to incorporate the construction of a barrier-free environment into the overall situation of national economic and social development.
It is worth mentioning that in recent years, the government has allocated special funds to support and subsidize the barrier-free renovation of families with severe disabilities in various localities, which has been specifically organized and implemented by the China Disabled Persons' Federation and local disabled persons' federations at all levels. Through barrier-free renovation of the entrances and exits, kitchens, and bathrooms of disabled families, it not only facilitates the living and daily life of disabled people at home, but also reduces the care pressure of their families.
In Huanpotou Town, Xunyi County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province, 58-year-old Cao Haimin, accompanied by his wife, carefully held on to the safety handrail next to the ramp and walked out of the house to bask in the sun. For Lao Cao, since the cerebral hemorrhage caused by stroke, going out to bask in the sun has become a luxury. After learning about the situation, the local Disabled Persons' Federation implemented barrier-free renovation for Lao Cao's home to help him rebuild his confidence in returning to society. According to the statistics of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, from 2016 to 2020, a total of 650,000 poor families with severe disabilities across the country implemented barrier-free renovation to help them get rid of poverty. China's 14th Five-Year Plan also clearly states that 1.1 million families with severe disabilities will be renovated with barrier-free facilities. The China Disabled Persons' Federation, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance and other departments have guided local governments to step up their work, and by the end of September 2023, 74 have been completedThe barrier-free renovation of 260,000 families with severe disabilities accounts for 65 of the main goals and tasks during the 14th Five-Year Plan period48%。
On the morning of March 27, 2023, with the sonorous and powerful slogan, 24 visually impaired people started running in Jincheng Lake Park in Chengdu with the help of accompanying volunteers. Photo by China News Service reporter Wang LeiThrough construction and development in recent years, the level of barrier-free environment construction in urban and rural areas in China has been significantly improved, bringing real convenience to people with disabilities. According to statistics, a total of 469 barrier-free cities (counties, towns, and villages) have been created across the countryFrom 2021 to October 2023, a total of 1,924 government affairs** and apps have been accessibleMore than 3,000 EMU trains in the railway system are equipped with barrier-free seats, and special tickets are reserved for eligible disabled people on railway passenger trains every dayA total of 43030,000 disabled people have obtained motor vehicle driver's licenses ......All these measures have fully helped the disabled to travel, obtain information, obtain public services, and fully participate in the integration into society, creating conditions for the disabled to better accept, educate and achieve employment, so that more disabled people have the opportunity to realize their value and shine in life.
Nowadays, "barrier-free" has developed from special products for the disabled to universal design, and the content of barrier-free facilities construction has also transitioned from simple physical environment construction to all-round social environment construction, from tangible road traffic, public facilities, buildings, information development to intangible systems, behavioral Xi, social psychology, public awareness, these miracles created by the construction and development of barrier-free environment have attracted the attention of the world. This dazzling "report card" is a new starting point for the further development of China's barrier-free environment construction in the future.
On October 25, 2023, after the wheelchair basketball match of the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, the players of the Chinese team and the Afghanistan team successfully boarded the bus through the barrier-free ramp and returned to the athletes' village. Courtesy of Visual China
A "book of protection" for the rights and interests of persons with disabilities
-- The Law on the Construction of a Barrier-free Environment breaks countless "impossibilities".
A new starting point, a new journey. Entering a new era, the construction of a barrier-free environment has higher goals, higher requirements, and more tasks, and it is necessary to transform the decision-making and deployment into a legal system in a timely manner.
On September 1 this year, with the official implementation of the "Law on the Construction of a Barrier-free Environment", the law clarified the responsibilities of the first department, further endowed the Disabled Persons' Federation with the legal status of participating in the construction of a barrier-free environment, and provided a strong legal guarantee for promoting the high-quality development of the construction of a barrier-free environment.
Li Qingzhong, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairman of the China Blind Association, said: "This is a milestone in the construction of a barrier-free environment in China, a great progress in social civilization and human rights protection, an inevitable requirement for age-appropriate transformation, and a major measure to protect the rights and interests of persons with disabilities. The construction of a barrier-free environment has further embarked on the road of governing according to law. ”
This is the first special law enacted in China on the construction of a barrier-free environment, with 8 chapters and 72 articles, including general provisions, construction of barrier-free facilities, barrier-free information exchange, barrier-free social services, safeguard measures, supervision and management, legal liability, and supplementary provisions. In the part of "construction of barrier-free facilities", it is stipulated that the quality of barrier-free facilities construction shall be strictly ensured, the obligation of key units, regions and places to construct barrier-free facilities shall be emphasized, and systematic provisions shall be made for the renovation of barrier-free facilities, especially through consultation and trial experience, etc., to ensure the participation of persons with disabilities and the elderly in the construction of barrier-free facilities. 
On June 16, 2022, at the first professional social ** station for the disabled in Guangdong Province, people with disabilities are training to travel by high-speed rail. Courtesy of Visual ChinaIn the section on "Barrier-free Information Exchange", it is clarified that ** and its relevant departments shall facilitate access to public information for persons with disabilities and the elderly;Stipulates the obligation to provide accessible information to television stations, mobile applications, libraries, museums, telecommunications operators, etc., established with financial funds;It is required that hardware terminal products, self-service public service terminal equipment, convenience people**, emergency call systems, etc. should have or gradually have corresponding barrier-free functions.
In the section on "barrier-free social services", targeted provisions are made for barrier-free services closely related to social life, such as public services, judicial litigation and arbitration, public transportation, education and examinations, medical and health care, cultural tourism, and sports.
All in all, the Law on the Construction of a Barrier-free Environment has a clear basic positioning, highlights the key points of protection, clarifies that the construction of a barrier-free environment focuses on protecting the disabled and the elderly, and at the same time strengthens the basic, universal and inclusive nature of the construction of a barrier-free environmentThe legal system has a clear concept and comprehensive system design, and makes systematic provisions for all elements, whole chains, and all scenarios of barrier-free environment construction, covering the whole process of planning, design, construction, acceptance, use, maintenance, management, supervision, etc.;Adhere to the problem-oriented, focus on difficult problems, and set up two special chapters on "safeguard measures" and "supervision and management" in response to outstanding problems such as insufficient safeguard measures for barrier-free construction and insufficient supervision and management, so as to enhance the pertinence, operability, and effectiveness of system provisions. A milestone in the "no hindrance" career
-- Embarking on a new journey of high-quality development for persons with disabilities
The Law on the Construction of a Barrier-free Environment is another important law in the field of protection of the rights and interests of persons with disabilities in China after the Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities, which is of milestone significance.
On March 10, 2022, in Beijing, city volunteers put on blindfolds and picked up blind canes to experience walking on the blind path in the demonstration center. Courtesy of Visual ChinaWang Xiangqian, vice chairman of the China Association of Mentally Disabled Persons and Their Relatives and Friends, pointed out that the law is both concise and clear, but also very heavy, although there are only 72 articles, it covers a comprehensive range of specific scenarios, a large amount of information, and is highly operable, and also stipulates many effective implementation mechanisms to ensure its implementation. The "veteran lawyer" who has been engaged in teaching, research, and legal services in the legal profession for 35 years said: "This law will have a huge, extensive and far-reaching impact on Chinese society. ”
In the view of Li Jianfei, a professor at the Law School of Chinese University, "The Law on the Construction of a Barrier-free Environment fully implements the idea of the rule of law, and its introduction is another achievement in the construction of the socialist rule of law system with Chinese characteristics, which not only promotes the high-quality development of the construction of a barrier-free environment, but also is of great significance for promoting the comprehensive development of the cause of the disabled, ensuring and supporting more disabled people to go out of their homes, integrate into the community, participate in social life, receive ** and education, and achieve fuller employment."
In the next step, the CDPF will cooperate with relevant functional departments to promote the improvement of the legal and regulatory system and long-term working mechanism for the construction of a barrier-free environment, accelerate the construction of a barrier-free environment with complete facilities, perfect functions, smooth information and comfortable experience, facilitate the production and life of persons with disabilities, enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness and security, and lay the foundation for the establishment of a safe, convenient, healthy, comfortable, diverse and inclusive barrier-free environment by 2035. The relevant person in charge of the Rights Protection Department of the China Disabled Persons' Federation said. Escorted by the rule of law, so that all beneficiaries of barrier-free environment can live "barrier-free" and "loving" integration!**China Press Release Magazine 2023 Issue 12 (Total Issue 024) New Journey Column.
Contributed by: China Disabled Persons' Federation Writer: Wang Xiaohui Editor: Pan Wenchang Review: Zhang Xuefei, Zhang Zhengdan.