Impact of Chinese disability accommodation support policy on participation
Karen Fisher
Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW
Contact Email:   karen.fisherunsw.edu.au

This year China signed the new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which aims to promote the ability of people to participate fully in all aspects of life, including where they live. The paper analyses Chinese people with disabilities’ experience of these citizenship rights by investigating the impact of disability accommodation support policy on their participation in their communities. The analysis draws on empirical research in Beijing in 2006 with people with disabilities and officials. The findings show that responsibility for accommodation support rests primarily with the person and their family. Only when they have no relatives does the government provide alternative accommodation support, in the form of institutional care. Very little personal assistance or alternative accommodation is available. Minimum income support and the gradual introduction of social services are progressively enabling people with disabilities to participate as equal citizens. The research contributes to understanding policy implications to realise the rights of Chinese people with disabilities.

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