Guests at the forum launch an initiative for building a disability assistance ecosystem. [Photo/cdpf.org.cn]
A forum on disability assistance, organized by the China Foundation for Disabled Persons, was held in Beijing on May 13.
Zhao Sujing, chairperson of the China Foundation for Disabled Persons, and Kong Dongmei, vice-president of the China Charity Alliance and president of Dongrun Foundation, addressed the forum. Over 200 participants, including industry experts, heads of social organizations, as well as representatives from businesses and media, took part in the forum.
This forum focused on disability assistance ecosystem empowered by technologies and established through multi-party collaboration in the new era. It aims to explore new pathways for developing assistive technologies for people with disabilities and public welfare services.
Zhao noted that the forum served as a platform to promote coordination of policies, technologies and resources, translate technological achievements and innovative service models into accessible benefits for people with disabilities, and to create a sustainable disability assistance ecosystem that integrates the government, market, society, and people with disabilities. These efforts will help improve the social security system and care services for people with disabilities, she added.
Kong highlighted the values of equality and sharing in disability assistance. She stressed the importance of upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China, promoting cross-sector cooperation, and offering innovative services to expand the scope of services for people with disabilities. The China Charity Alliance will collaborate with the China Foundation for Disabled Persons to further promote the comprehensive development of the cause of people with disabilities, she added.
At the forum, Wang Zhenyao, chair of the China Philanthropy Research Institute at Beijing Normal University, and Chen Gong, director of the Institute of Population Research at Peking University, delivered keynote speeches. They explained the deep interconnection between disability assistance and economic and social development, highlighting how assistive technology innovations and industrial development can help people with disabilities lead happier and better lives.
The forum held three roundtable discussions on technology and digital empowerment, as well as diverse explorations. These discussions addressed key issues in building a disability assistance ecosystem, such as the application of technology, model innovation, and collaboration mechanisms. Participants explored the application of frontier technologies like artificial intelligence in disability assistance. They also discussed effective integration of resources to promote the development of the disability assistance ecosystem.
The China Foundation for Disabled Persons launched a call for joint actions on building the disability assistance ecosystem, and entrusted Zhu Jiangang, special researcher at the research center on the development of the cause of people with disabilities at Nankai University and professor at Zhejiang University, to release a research report on the development status of disability assistance social organizations. The forum also awarded certificates to businesses and individuals that have long supported the cause of people with disabilities.