This Day, That Year

Editor’s Note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy.

Since the Special Olympics China was founded on June 17, 1985, six national Olympic Games have been held across the country.

In October 2007, Shanghai held the Special Olympics World Summer Games, becoming the first city in Asia to host the event. More than 7,500 intellectually challenged athletes from home and abroad participated.

The Special Olympics is dedicated to empowering individuals to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and competition.

The series of events have help boost the development of sports of such people in China and change attitudes toward them.

In 2005, the Shanghai government started a program called Sunshine Homes which aims to take care of the disabled people in the city.

In Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, special coffee shops with disabled employees were launched to prepare young people with intellectually disabled for work.

In the past five years, 1 million people in China with these challenges have been absorbed into the labor market, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

The disabled population in the country was estimated at 85 million, with more than 13 million intellectually disabled, according to the China Disabled Persons’ Federation.