Han Ximin, Chen Yuzhu,

Zhang Xingwei

ximhan@126.com

SHENZHEN Disabled Persons Call Center was put into trial use Thursday, offering cab appointments for disabled persons.

A total of 100 cabs will be put into operation by the end of the year, according to the plan.

Besides the cab service, the service platform, which is also connected with the city’s volunteer service system, provides precision services by matching the voluntary services with the demands of physically challenged persons. At present, more than 7,000 volunteers have joined the service platform and they will be assigned to different tasks after training.

The call center, a major project under Shenzhen Disabled Persons Federation, also provides an information inquiry service for areas like government policies, and other service items offered by the federation and its affiliates, through its WeChat account, app and 0755-12385 hotline. Disabled persons can make reservations 48 hours in advance or make reservations for emergencies. Hearing and verbally impaired persons can make reservations via text message with the platform, which operates between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. all year round.

The platform also provides valuable information for reference in choosing a rehabilitation station. After it is connected with government data, it will provide detailed and precision information about rehabilitation centers in the city, including rehabilitation items, prices and information about the trainers.

After the four categories of basic services are in operation, the platform will introduce other services like delivery services and voluntary services at Metro stations.

“The call center is one of the major projects that the federation is focusing on in a move to build an accessible and barrier-free society,” Hou Yisha, director general with Shenzhen Disabled Persons Federation, said at a meeting Thursday while outlining the major work for the year.

Besides the platform, the federation will get involved in the design and engineering of a no-barrier park inside Longhua Central Park. The park, covering 5,000 square meters, features a no-barrier design, rehabilitation services and facilities for disabled persons.

Other projects include improving the no-barrier service level of neighborhoods and public transport.

The Shenzhen CPC committee set a target for building a no-barrier city at its ninth plenary meeting last year, and in November, the city government unveiled an action plan for the construction of a no-barrier city on the basis of the proposal put forward by the federation. The proposal caught the attention of more than 100,000 people and was voted as one of the 10 most popular proposals at the Fifth Session of the Sixth Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPPCC, which ended Saturday.

By October 2018, the city had recorded a total of 26,718 physically challenged persons and 7,281 had been employed, accounting for 59 percent of the employable population.