China to train blind masseurs in disabled job drive

BEIJING, June 9 (Reuters) China aims to train 50,000 blind masseurs over the next five years as part of a drive to improve the prospects of often impoverished disabled people, state media reported today.

The newly trained massage workers will join about 90,000 blind people who already work as massage therapists, according to a five-year plan for disabled citizens that appeared in the Economic Daily.

The official Xinhua news agency said ''massage is believed to be the most suitable job for people with visual disabilities'', who number 8.77 million in China.

In Beijing and many other cities, blind people are often trained as physical therapists who offer bone-cracking medical massages in neighbourhood clinics and hospitals. Many Chinese believe the blind are especially adept at massage thanks to their sensitive hands.

The five-year plan set a goal of finding new jobs for 750,000 urban residents with disabilities, adding to the 4.6 million already employed.

China has 60 million citizens with physical or mental disabilities, according to the official China Disabled Persons Federation.

REUTERS SK VC0637