Non-compulsory education for persons with disabilities has also made steady progress. In 2018, China had 133 secondary vocational schools or classes with an enrollment of 19,475 students with disabilities.

From 2012 to 2018, a total of 62,200 students with disabilities were enrolled in regular institutions of higher education.

"It's a good start, and we believe we will be able to send more children with disabilities to schools and even colleges," Zhang said.

The white paper noted that the development of the programs of persons with disabilities are still unbalanced and inadequate, and there is still a big gap between the lives these people lead and lives to which they aspire.

"China will continue to improve the mechanisms for ensuring their rights and interests -- eliminating discrimination, fully respecting and guaranteeing their human rights, improving their wellbeing, enhancing their ability to improve their situation, and ensuring that they are able to participate in the country's development process and share the ensuing gains as equals," it said.