China's Association of the Deaf will hold a gathering for deaf children and their parents in Chengdu, capital of southwestern Sichuan Province, to mark the country's 51st International Day of the Deaf.

Yang Yang, vice chairwoman of the association, told Xinhua on Sunday, "The activity is designed to give more care to children with hearing disabilities."

Some 100 children and their parents are expected to exchange experiences at the gathering which will be held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.

"They will have a chance to learn more about treatment from recovery institutions, hearing aid companies and alike," said Yang who is also a councilor of China Disabled Persons' Federation. "Three local deaf speakers will also share their experiences in learning how to speak."

The latest statistics show China has about 20 million people with hearing disabilities, which is about 20 percent of the world's total. Among them, more than 800,000 are children below the age of six. The number is increasing at a rate of 20,000 to 30,000 kids per year.

According to Yang, many parents of deaf children in China are not well guided on treatment and cannot afford hearing aids or an artificial cochlear.

"In a country with 1.3 billion people, people with hearing disabilities can't just wait for help from the government. They need to gain the society's attention and support themselves, and the association has responsibilities to help," said Yang.

(Xinhua News Agency September 29, 2008)