Yang Xiao, 28, who is intellectually disabled, attaches price tags to containers at the bakery.[Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Before joining Auspicious Phoenix, Liu enrolled in the Supported Employment Program and received vocational training at Lizhi, a rehabilitation center and a vocational training school for the intellectually disabled in Beijing's southwestern suburbs.

Everyone on the program is assigned a mentor, who helps them to acquire basic work skills, select a suitable job and cope with any problems they face at work.

"At the beginning the mentors join them in the workplace, but they gradually reduce the frequency of their visits. After about six months the person can work independently," said Feng Lu, Lizhi's director.

The concept of supported employment originated in the United States in the 1970s and was later adopted in some European countries, Japan and regions outside the Chinese mainland, such as Hong Kong. Unlike the Chinese government's Aided Employment Policy - which allows the intellectually disabled to work shorter hours for less money - supported employment stresses integration with society and treats the intellectually disabled like able-bodied employees in terms of workload and pay.

According to a 2011 report by the World Labor Organization, "barriers to a person's participation in general community activities are not solely determined by their impairment, but arise in combination with elements of the environment", such as community attitudes.

"The goal of supported employment is to guarantee the employment rights of the intellectually disabled and help them adapt to society," Feng said.