Good that more colleges are helping people with disabilities

A screenshot of Tsinghua's official Sina Weibo account which published a letter to Wei Xiang on Tuesday. [Photo from Sina Weibo]

WEI XIANG, a disabled high school graduate from Dingxi, Gansu province, has been admitted to Tsinghua University this year, and the university has approved his application for a special dormitory place so his mother can be with him as he cannot walk on his own. Guangzhou Daily comments:

Being admitted to a college is only the first step as disabled students also face difficulties on campus: How will they take care of themselves? What if they face economic difficulties? Is there barrier-free access on campus?

Tsinghua's response, which it published on its social media account, won much praise from the public, as it vowed not to let a single student fall behind because of a disability, and it promised to help Wei if he had economic difficulties.

Other colleges as well as local education authorities are taking measures to ensure that disabled people can enjoy their legal right to higher education.

Chen Chao, a student who graduated from high school in 2013, suffers from cerebral palsy; Sichuan University helped him during his four years of study.

Even the national college entrance exam offers special services for students with disabilities. Wang Chong, the only blind high school graduate in Anhui province this year, was able to sit the exam as the papers were written in Braille.

But the efforts to ensure that people with disabilities enjoy their right to higher education are not enough. They also need more employment opportunities.

The Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities has clear provisions on the employment of persons with disabilities. According to the law, governments at the county level and above should include employment for disabled persons into their economic and social development plans, and draw up preferential policies and concrete support and protection measures. These policies need to be better implemented.

The protection of the rights and interests of the disabled still has a long way to go and needs more efforts from the whole of society.