Over 40,000 disabled get higher education in 2008-2012

Some 35,000 disabled people were enrolled by China's regular higher education institutions from 2008 to 2012, according to a statement issued by the China Disabled Persons' Federation on Wednesday.

In addition, 5,296 people were recruited in the country's special education colleges, according to the statement.

Public welfare funding from China's lottery provided 21,000 sponsorship packages for disabled children's pre-school education within the period, while other funds channeled through various means benefited 11,000 such children, the statement said.

It added that China had more than 90,000 disabled children of school age who had no access to schooling like their able-bodied peers by the end of 2012, with disabilities ranging from eyesight and hearing to mental impairments.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education showed that the ratio of disabled children receiving compulsory education had reached 72.1 percent by the end of last year, representing an increase of 10 percentage points compared with the ratio in 2008.