Editor's Note: More than four decades of reform and opening-up have not only transformed China into the world's second-largest economy but also changed the Chinese people's attitude toward persons with disabilities. A veteran journalist with China Daily analyzes how government efforts have improved the lives of people with disabilities.

Recently, I got a phone call from a man who sounded very excited. He did not tell me his name but asked me to guess who he was. Assuming it to be a prank call, or worse a telecom fraud, I was about to switch off my phone when he began giving me clues: "I am your primary school classmate, we grew up together. I lived close to your place and my leg…"

The moment he mentioned leg, I got it. He was Xiao Hei, who was attacked by polio at the age of 2. We talked on the phone－the first time in 50 years－for two hours, sharing our life's experiences and the whereabouts of our former classmates.

I was glad to know that Xiao Hei has a happy family and owns a car repairing factory which enjoys government tax relief and other preferential policies because he employs several people with disabilities.

Polio was widespread in China when I was a kid. I remember that apart from Xiao Hei, there were two girls in my grade who were polio victims and needed crutches to move around.

But thanks to the government's efforts, polio was eradicated in China by the end of 2000.

After decades of efforts, China has established a world-class natal and prenatal care system and thus greatly reduced birth deformities and eradicated diseases such as polio.

Still, there are more than 85 million people with disabilities in China. However, China has been taking special measures to protect the rights of people with disabilities. For example, it implemented the Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities in 1991, and issued other laws and regulations to better protect the vulnerable group's rights and promote its social integration, and provide it with better social welfare and equal job opportunities.

Also, the government offers subsidies to people with disabilities so they can meet their living expenses. This subsidy, though humble－between 60 yuan ($9.50) and 100 yuan a month depending on the place of residence of the recipient－is likely to be greatly increased, according to the Human Rights Action Plan of China (2021-25).

About 8.62 million people with disabilities had jobs in 2020, up from 8.55 million in 2019. And the government grants subsidies and tax relief to such enterprises that provide jobs. I think my friend Xiao Hei's factory belongs to this category.

Besides, the government pays the old-age insurance premium for people with severe disabilities. And low-income rural households with members with disabilities can apply to get government support to renovate their dilapidated house or access public rental housing.

The central government has taken special measures to ensure people with disabilities also enjoy equal education rights. During the Beijing Winter Olympics, the government announced that by 2025 it will provide 97 percent of children with disabilities with nine-year compulsory education.

The government has spent billions of yuan to make roads, pavements, public transport, residential communities, public toilets and other public facilities disability-friendly to help improve the life of people with disabilities. And by the end of 2025, the government plans to subsidize the remodeling of 1.1 million homes with members with severe disabilities to make them more disability-friendly.

It's a pity that the thousands of athletes and officials participating in the Winter Paralympic Games cannot enjoy the disability-friendly facilities in Beijing and other Chinese cities because of the strict COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

Thanks to decades of efforts, the Chinese people have come to realize that it is necessary to ensure people with disabilities enjoy equal rights even if it means implementing special policies and taking targeted measures to protect their rights and interests, because every person has the right to get an equal share of the fruits of the country's economic development.

[email protected]

The author is former deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily.