On May 27, 2024, Li Dongmei, Party Group Member, Vice Chairperson and Vice President of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, led a delegation to visit the Research Center (Base) for the Development of Disability Services in the Shenzhen University Pilot Demonstration Zone of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics (hereafter referred to as the “Research Center”), for an on-site inspection and careful guidance.
The delegation toured the Research Center, gaining insight into its recent developments and ongoing projects. Li Qingquan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shenzhen University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, welcomed Li Dongmei and her team. During the visit, Li Qingquan emphasized Shenzhen University’s commitment to advancing disability services by leveraging its academic strengths and research capacity to make meaningful contributions to the progress of disability-related initiatives. Following the tour, Li Dongmei presided over a seminar to discuss the development of disability services. During the meeting, in-depth reports were presented by the Guangdong and Shenzhen Disabled Persons’ Federations, Shenzhen University, the Research Center, and Tencent. This inspection received strong support from leaders at the provincial and municipal levels. Key participants in the seminar included: Chen Xuejun, Secretary of the Party Group and President of the Guangdong Disabled Persons’ Federation, and Dong Xiu, Secretary of the Party Group and President of the Shenzhen Disabled Persons’ Federation.
Li Dongmei, Party Group Member, Vice Chairperson and Vice President of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, visited the Research Center
Li Qingquan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shenzhen University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, welcomed Li Dongmei and her team
The seminar was hosted by Professor Li Yonghua, Vice President of Shenzhen University and Director of the Research Center. Professor Li warmly welcomed Li Dongmei and her team, expressing sincere gratitude for their visit and guidance. He emphasized that the visit from national, provincial, and municipal disabled persons’ federations reflected strong support and care for the Research Center. He added that Shenzhen University would continue to prioritize the development of the Research Center and follow the directives provided by the federations to continuously deepen the work of the Research Center, contributing expertise and resources to advance disability services.
As part of the seminar agenda, Chen Jianwei, Director of the Disabled Employment Service Center of Guangdong Province, provided a detailed report on employment and entrepreneurship programs for graduates with disabilities from Guangdong’s universities. He noted that despite various challenges, the province has achieved significant progress through innovations such as: information service platforms, employment tracking systems, end-to-end visualization of employment services. Guangdong is committed not only to improving employment rates for people with disabilities but also to creating a favorable environment for entrepreneurship, ensuring that every disabled graduate with employment aspirations can secure suitable job opportunities.
He Shere, Deputy Office Director of the Guangdong Disabled Persons’ Federation, followed with a presentation on the “One-Stop” Service for Persons with Disabilities initiative in Guangdong. She noted that Guangdong has been designated as a pilot region for this program, and the Federation has actively advanced the initiative, completing preliminary work and launching initial services. To achieve its goals, the Federation has established an efficient coordination mechanism, integrated related processes, streamlined documentation requirements, and introduced employment assistance services. These efforts have significantly reduced the administrative burden on service users.
During the meeting, Chen Xuejun, Secretary of the Party Group and President of the Guangdong Disabled Persons’ Federation, encouraged Shenzhen University to fully leverage various preferential policies, especially the disability employment guarantee funds. He noted that while Shenzhen’s current contribution standards are relatively low, aligning with national standards could significantly increase the university’s required contributions - from approximately RMB 2 million to several times that amount. He further encouraged Shenzhen University to actively implement disability employment initiatives, emphasizing not only the importance of hiring employees with disabilities but also providing special attention and support for the employment of university students with disabilities. Additionally, he stressed the need to leverage digital tools to enhance the efficiency and quality of grassroots services for people with disabilities, ensuring that the services are more precise and timely. Chen Xuejun also highlighted the importance of building accessible facilities on campus, encouraging Shenzhen University to continue enhancing and upgrading these facilities, creating an equal, dignified, and safe learning environment for all students, including those with disabilities. His goal was to ensure that students with disabilities can fully enjoy the same educational rights as their non-disabled peers.
Professor Zhou Lingang, Executive Director of the Research Center, provided a comprehensive report on the Research Center’s achievements over the past year. He outlined ongoing initiatives, including: developing an accessible city index, establishing regular collaboration mechanisms across the Greater Bay Area, identifying and promoting innovative disability service models, advancing standardization efforts. With the support of the national, provincial, and municipal federations, as well as Shenzhen University, the Research Center remains committed to contributing to high-quality development of disability services and research.
During the meeting, representatives from Tencent reported their work in leveraging technology to assist people with disabilities and their support for disabled university students’ employment. Ma Jiansong, Director of Tencent’s Party Affairs Office, outlined Tencent’s efforts to use technology to improve the lives of disabled individuals, especially students. Through the launch of initiatives under the theme “Empowering New Productivity and Enabling a Better Digital Life”, Tencent has committed to providing accessible AI programming education platforms, barrier-free theaters, and entrepreneurship support projects to increase income for people with disabilities.
Xu Chengge, Deputy Director of the Student Affairs Department at Shenzhen University, provided an in-depth report on the university’s employment assistance for disabled students. He introduced the comprehensive support measures the university offers to students with disabilities, including career guidance, vocational planning, and internship opportunities. The university implements a continuous tracking system to ensure that disabled students receive targeted assistance throughout the employment process. Additionally, the university provides dedicated job positions and personalized career counseling services, aiming to help them integrate smoothly into society and realize their personal potential.
Finally, Li Dongmei delivered a concluding speech. She highly commended the significant progress and achievements made by universities in Guangdong in promoting employment and entrepreneurship among graduates with disabilities. Li also praised the implementation of the “One-Stop” Service for Persons with Disabilities initiative in Guangdong. Furthermore, she expressed her appreciation for Tencent’s active contributions in the field of assistive technology and recognized the important role played by the Research Center in advancing the development of disability services.
She emphasized that, under the guidance of national and local disability organizations and the support of university leadership, the Research Center’s work has been effective and well-structured, continually improving its support mechanisms. She urged the Research Center to continue operating under the principle of “combining top-down strategy with grassroots implementation” by serving as a think tank to provide scientific support for national policy-making, and deepening grassroots engagement to develop research with practical value and produce insightful policy reports. Li also set higher expectations for Shenzhen University and relevant departments, urging them to further promote the employment of graduates with disabilities and enhance the care service system. She stressed that universities must take on social responsibility by offering more support and opportunities to help graduates with disabilities realize their personal potential and integrate into society. Additionally, Li emphasized the importance of building accessible environments. She recommended that Tencent and other tech companies consider the needs of visually impaired users when developing their applications by offering accessible authentication methods. For the Shenzhen Disabled Persons’ Federation, she called for more precise and compassionate services, ensuring that disabled graduates can secure stable employment. Li further stressed the need to deepen understanding of disability education and employment issues and to implement stronger measures to guarantee equal job opportunities and full social participation for every individual with disabilities.
In addition to the main participants, several key figures from the disability services system attended the meeting. These included Zhang Zhenfei, Deputy Director of the China Disable Persons’ Federation Employment Service and Administration Center; Feng Shanwei, a researcher from the China Research Center for the Development of Disability Services; Huang Fake, Director of the Shenzhen Disabled Persons’ Federation Office; and He Yilin, Director of the Shenzhen Comprehensive Service Center for Persons with Disabilities. From Shenzhen University, attendees included Wang Chaojie, Director of the Publicity Department of the Party Committee; Zeng Xianju, Director of the Offce of Social Science Administration; Chen Wen, Party Secretary of the School of Government; and Li Yun, Deputy Director of the Human Resources Department. Tencent’s delegation was represented by Xie Shiliang, Senior Manager at Tencent’s Party Affairs Office. Additionally, researchers from the Research Center also attended the symposium and conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on relevant issues. Present from the Research Center were Associate Professor Luo Wenen (Deputy Director), Associate Professor Wu Jinjin (Deputy Director), Assistant Professor Chen Yonghai (Director’s Assistant), and several research staff, including Associate Research Fellows Pan Quanxiao and Sun Huajun, as well as Research Intern Wu Rongwei.
Group Photo of Some Attendees
Editor | Xiao Yao
Layout | Yin Shun
First Review | Pan Quanxiao
Second Review | Zhou Lingang
Final Review | Gu Zhijun
