Thriving Together①: China’s Drive to Boost Employment and Entrepreneurship for Persons with Disabilities | In-Depth

Editor's Note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the National People’s Congress. The people’s congress system, a great creation of the Chinese people in the history of political systems, serves as an important institutional vehicle for realizing whole-process people's democracy in China, where the well-being of people with disabilities are paid particular attention to. Bridging News reporter conducts in-depth interviews in Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality to find out more about this group's employment and entrepreneurship, accessible environment as well as human rights protection.

Chongqing - Tian Ye, a 42-year-old hearing-impaired entrepreneur, still remembers the many rejections he faced when job hunting after graduating from university.

"Many companies refused to hire me because I am deaf and didn't have a sign language interpreter," he said.

Eventually, he brought his graduation project to Tan Mujiang, a manufacturer of wooden hair products, and communicated through writing. Although the human resources department found his resume impressive, they offered him a factory position. He declined, expressing his desire to become a designer.

Fortunately, one of the company's leaders noticed his interview. After understanding the situation, the company decided to give Tian the opportunity to start as a graphic artist.

Tian worked at Tan Mujiang for ten years, designing many products that are still sold today.

"I believe my skills are on par with those of hearing designers. At that time, Tan Mujiang mainly sold combs and mirrors, and many of the products I designed are still on the market."

The employment difficulties Tian faced many years ago have improved nowadays. Rainbow Home, a national comprehensive service platform for the employment of people with disabilities, assigns jobs based on the specific characteristics of individuals with disabilities.

"For instance, if some disabled employees who graduated with a degree in animation production express their interest in working in this field, we find animation projects for them. Then, two or three of them form a small team to work on these animation projects," said Zhang Fang, the head of the Rainbow Home's Chongqing base.

According to data released by the China Disabled Persons' Federation, the total number of people with disabilities in China exceeds 85 million. This means that one in every 16 Chinese individuals is a person with a disability.

To promote the employment of disabled individuals, the State Council, China's cabinet, issued a plan in 2022, aiming to create one million new jobs for disabled people across the country from 2022 to 2024. Meanwhile, the plan also worked on continuously improving their employment and entrepreneurial skills, ensuring better protection of their employment rights, and fostering a supportive social environment that understands, cares for, and supports the employment and entrepreneurship of disabled individuals.

Henan-headquartered Rainbow Home established its Chongqing base in April 2023. To date, the Chongqing base has employed 35 individuals with varying levels of disabilities, 70 percent of whom have hearing and speech impairments, while 30 percent have physical disabilities. According to Zhang, the positions at the base include data annotation, handicraft production, and e-commerce live streaming.

"The disabled individuals at the base are formal employees, with their social insurance covered by us. Their salary includes a basic wage plus project-based commissions," said Zhang, adding that by 2027, the base aims to secure employment for 600 individuals with disabilities and provide employment training for 1,000 people.

Zhang highlighted that employment for individuals with disabilities means extending support to their entire families.

"Many disabled employees are reluctant to work due to their circumstances and may feel somewhat disconnected from society. If they stay home, one or two family members typically need to care for them. However, once they start working with us, they not only reintegrate into society but also earn an income. Over time, their personalities tend to become more cheerful because they are surrounded by peers with similar experiences, making communication easier and more direct."

A mutual commitment between enterprises and employees

At Chongqing Xingyong Industrial Co Ltd, many employees with disabilities have worked there for over a decade. Tao Qingshu is one of them.

With a disability in one arm, Tao initially worked as a mover. He has been with the company for twelve years, gaining valuable experience through his work and training. He is now the team leader of the moving group.

Chongqing Xingyong Industrial is dedicated to automotive parts manufacturing. Its workforce is 120 employees, including 26 individuals with disabilities.

"The company has always emphasized to regular employees that they should not discriminate against disabled staff. Support and assistance should be provided as needed. Among many disabled employees, not a single one has voluntarily resigned; all continue to work until retirement," said Li Min, director of the company's administrative office.

The company regularly talks with disabled employees to understand the difficulties they face at work or in their daily lives and helps them address the issues and challenges they raise. Additionally, according to Li, disabled employees are given the same opportunities for career training and recognition as their non-disabled peers.

Due to an accident, Wei Huilun lost both of his hands at the age of 22. Now 56, he is responsible for cleaning the factory area and always wears a smile. He has made himself two prosthetic hands to assist with daily activities and often repurposes discarded wooden boards from the factory in his spare time.

Wei believes that only when the company thrives can employees' wages be guaranteed. He feels that contributing in any way he can is worthwhile.

Actually, disabled employees also set an example for others in the company, demonstrating resilience and a spirit of dedication, Li admitted.

Tech entrepreneurship

The emergence of the internet and social media inspired Tian Ye that technology could change the fate of people with hearing impairments.

His work experience at Tan Mujiang taught him how to integrate and collaborate with hearing colleagues, designers, and leaders. He gained valuable knowledge in psychology, education, and career planning, which has greatly enhanced his social integration.

Later, becoming a key member of the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Chongqing’s Dadukou district allowed Tian to meet many grassroots individuals with hearing impairments for the first time, and he gained insight into their difficulties, including family, marriage, and education issues.

"They mentioned some high-return financial investment products the other day. I realized it was a pyramid scheme and warned them not to invest, but many of them didn't believe me. I suggested inviting financial and fraud prevention experts to give lectures to these people with hearing impairments. This eventually prevented investment risks. This experience made me realize that using science education and sign language to convey knowledge can change the fate of people with hearing impairments."

All these experiences prompted Tian Ye to establish Chongqing Yuermeng Technology Co Ltd, which is dedicated to improving the educational levels of people with hearing impairments, training sign language interpreters, and creating conditions for information accessibility.

According to Tian, a significant issue in the company's development is the lack of solid empathy from hearing individuals. Additionally, funding and support from the social environment are also needed.

"When providing quotes, many clients think that because we assist people with disabilities, our services should be cheaper or even free. However, I believe that while our fees can be lower than those for hearing individuals, they should never be free. The rate for sign language interpretation is 300 yuan ($41.76) per hour and 1,000 yuan per day. Many people think this is more expensive than English translation, but sign language interpretation is just as essential for individuals with hearing impairments as English translation is for foreigners, and it is priced much lower."

Then, there is the need for environmental support. Tian said that China has about 27.8 million individuals with hearing impairments, making them the largest group of people with disabilities, surpassing the population of many countries. However, accessibility facilities are scarce. 

For example, tourist attractions lack sign language interpretation. When promoting products, many clients think that people with hearing impairments do not need these services, which is also a significant obstacle, Tian noted.

Still, the business in Tian's company has consistently impressed his clients, as Tian always believes that people with hearing impairments can do anything except hear.

Wu Zhouyang has a hearing impairment and has been working at Yuermeng for almost four years, which is also his first job. He started with on-camera sign language demonstrations and later moved on to editing work.

He said that working at the company has been great, "As a person with hearing impairment, I can provide more sign language explanations and interpretations for others with hearing impairments, empowering them in the process. I feel good about this, and it has allowed me to realize my self-worth."

(Qi Xiaofang, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)