Gang of 12 Deaf Thieves Jailed in China:

Most of the members, who robbed scores of shops, were jobless and homeless youngsters....

Handicapped people suffer widespread discrimination in China and are often shunned by employers and offered little in the way of special education, particularly in the poor countryside....

For decades, China put deaf and disabled people to work doing menial jobs in subsidized factories but many of the factories have gone bankrupt with the decline of the state sector.