On Jan. 12, 2009, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and China Disabled Person’s Federation jointly launched the United Action Plan of Information Barrier-free Construction of Disabled Person in China, with the participation of Du Zhanyuan, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Wang Xinxian, Secretary and Director of China Disabled Person’s Federation and Wang Naikun, Vice Secretary and Standing Vice Director of China Disabled Person’s Federation.

China has 82.96 million disabled people, the number of which takes 6.34% of the total population of the country. The population of families with disabled people reaches 260 million. At present, disabled people in China are facing serious challenge in the field of data information due to outside barriers.

The “United Action Plan” aims at solving the problems occurred during the early period of information barrier-free construction, constructing a core service support platform and forming the information barrier-free core service support system.

As a project covered by the “United Action Plan”, the demonstration and application project of information barrier-free key technology support system has been listed into important projects supported by the state, while Chinese government plans to invest RMB150 million for the project. The demonstration and application project involves over 30 research and development institutes and universities all over China and targets the tasks regarding information barrier-free core service support system of the disabled, key technology and information resources supporting barrier-free service, key technology and products of barrier-free digital exchange, demonstration of barrier-free service application, barrier-free technology and service demonstration on important tournaments and events of the disabled, and information barrier-free community service demonstration, etc.

Wang Xinxian, Director of China Disabled Person’s Federation said that the “United Action Plan” embodies China Disabled Person’s Federation’s servicing function on managing disabled people’s affairs and the Ministry of Science and Technology’s predominance of being an administrative sector for the State’s science and technology. Thus the science and information resources of the State will be organized on solving the problems occurred during the early period of information barrier-free construction, establishing core service supporting platform, and accelerating the development of the task of the disabled.