Wen Xiaoyan, a Paralympic athlete from Hunan Province, has arrived at the Two Sessions as scheduled. In 2023, she made her debut as a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), and this year marks her fourth consecutive participation. As a young post-90s representative, her proposals have grown in both quality and quantity, reflecting her increasingly mature and composed approach to her duties.
"Last year, I submitted five proposals; this year, I have prepared 11, eight of which are related to issues affecting people with disabilities," Wen Xiaoyan stated. As a representative of the disabled community, safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests remains the core focus of her work.
At 28 years old, Wen is a track and field athlete with a physical disability. Despite congenital conditions causing limited mobility on her left side, her perseverance has earned her outstanding achievements in international competitions. This year, while continuing to emphasize educational and employment security for disabled athletes and integrating disability sports into national fitness initiatives, she has shifted her focus more toward the autistic community.
It is widely recognized that individuals with severe disabilities require special care and attention, particularly those with moderate to severe intellectual and developmental disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, and intellectual delays. Their needs differ significantly from those with physical disabilities or schizophrenia, being long-term, complex, and heterogeneous, requiring personalized, professional support throughout their lives.
However, specialized care institutions for this group are scarce. Existing services often only provide basic daily living assistance, lacking personalized and professional support, adequate social integration, and unified, detailed service standards or quality supervision mechanisms, which hinders overall service improvement.
As early as 2025, the General Office of the State Council issued guidelines on strengthening care services for individuals with severe disabilities, emphasizing the need for categorized, shared, and precise support based on age and actual needs. In response, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China Disabled Persons' Federation proposed that by 2026, each province should establish at least one model care institution to address challenges in supporting those with severe disabilities, particularly moderate to severe autism.
To this end, Wen Xiaoyan recommends that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China Disabled Persons' Federation, in collaboration with relevant departments, initiate the development of national standards for care services for individuals with moderate to severe disabilities such as autism, based on experiences from pilot programs. These standards should cover facility construction, service content and procedures, staff qualifications, and quality management, aiming for promulgation and implementation within the 15th Five-Year Plan period to provide a foundation for standardized, professional care services nationwide.
Enhancing the quality of care services for individuals with severe disabilities, including those with autism, will help improve the social security system and support services for people with disabilities, safeguarding their rights and promoting comprehensive progress in disability affairs.
Additionally, Wen has proposed measures addressing the situation of autistic children in rural areas. She suggests refining identification pathways, grassroots support mechanisms, and family assistance systems within the existing framework of services for autistic children, facilitating the transition of policies from "document deployment" to "practical implementation at the grassroots level," thereby enhancing the sense of fulfillment and security among rural autistic children and their families.
Over the past three years, policies such as the State Council's guidelines on strengthening welfare security for vulnerable children and the Ministry of Civil Affairs' notice on enhancing care services for autistic children in difficult circumstances have been introduced. The three-year action plan to improve care services for left-behind and vulnerable children in rural areas, jointly issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Education, further clarifies requirements for registration, dynamic updates, and regular visits.
Nevertheless, rural areas, especially remote villages, still face challenges such as scarce resources, insufficient professional expertise, and inadequate identification mechanisms. Many children from families with "multiple difficulties" (e.g., multiple disabilities in one household, left-behind status, severe disabilities) have complex needs that require precise identification and effective assistance.
Caring for individuals with severe disabilities, autistic children, and other vulnerable groups is integral to the high-quality development of disability affairs and a significant indicator of social progress. Accelerating the improvement of care service systems, establishing unified standards, and addressing service gaps in rural areas will ensure that every person with a disability receives precise, professional, and compassionate support, better safeguarding their rights and continuously enhancing social security and care systems, allowing them to share in the fruits of social development and move toward happier, more fulfilling lives.
As a Paralympic athlete, Wen Xiaoyan understands the importance of integrating disability sports into national strategies such as national fitness, Healthy China, and building a leading sports nation. Currently, laws and policies safeguarding the sports rights of people with disabilities are relatively comprehensive. The Sports Law, Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities, National Fitness Regulations, and guidelines on building a higher-level public service system for national fitness all include clear provisions and requirements for protecting the sports rights of disabled individuals.
Facilities and services suitable for sports and fitness activities for people with disabilities are gradually increasing. With the advancement of the national fitness strategy, the number of fitness venues has grown, alongside more accessible equipment and improved无障碍 environments, providing greater opportunities for disabled individuals to conveniently use fitness facilities and enjoy equal sports rights.
However, research indicates that in fitness events organized at various levels, there are few activities suitable for people with disabilities, and participation rates remain low compared to non-disabled individuals. Relying solely on sports events organized by disability federations is insufficient in scale and coverage to meet the growing fitness needs of the disabled community.
The quality and effectiveness of fitness activities for people with disabilities are still inadequate. The diversity of disabilities and varying degrees of impairment demand higher requirements for fitness facilities and activity offerings. Research shows a clear shortage of professional expertise in developing suitable sports programs for disabled individuals, resulting in limited activity options that fail to meet diverse needs. There is also a significant gap in mobilizing social forces to support fitness activities for people with disabilities.
To address these issues, Wen Xiaoyan proposes ensuring the implementation of regulations and policies related to disability under the national fitness strategy. She suggests that national specialized plans, such as the 15th Five-Year Plan for Sports and the 15th Five-Year Plan for the Protection and Development of Persons with Disabilities, include explicit requirements and improved safeguards for integrating disabled individuals into the national fitness framework.
At the operational level, she recommends that governments at all levels include disability federations as members of their national fitness coordination mechanisms. This institutional arrangement would enable disability federations to voice the needs of disabled people accurately, collaborate with sports authorities to facilitate their participation in fitness activities, and utilize their strengths to organize inclusive events, ensuring no one is left behind.
She also advocates for strengthening the professional workforce of social sports instructors for people with disabilities. This includes enriching training systems and content under sports administrations to cover services for disabled individuals, setting reasonable ratios and duration requirements for serving this population, and expanding the coverage and accessibility of scientific fitness guidance for people with disabilities.
Disability sports are a vital component of national fitness and the initiative to build a leading sports nation, serving as an essential pathway for disabled individuals to participate equally in society and achieve comprehensive development. By refining policies, improving工作机制, expanding professional teams, and diversifying fitness offerings, people with disabilities can truly enjoy equal sports rights, gaining health, confidence, and self-realization through sports, thereby infusing lasting and warm momentum into the Healthy China initiative and the high-quality development of disability affairs.
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