Chongqing - “6:55 p.m.,” the AI voice rings out. Zheng Jianwei walks into his study, opens his laptop, and logs in to his online classroom. “Do we have everyone here? Let’s get started,” he says, his tone calm and firm.

Born blind, Zheng was the first visually impaired IELTS candidate in southwest China. After earning a degree from the University of Essex, he is now an English teacher in Liangjiang New Area.

Zheng once practiced acupuncture, a common occupation for the visually impaired in China. But he never agreed that blind people should be limited to acupuncture. He aspired to pursue a master’s degree, but no Chinese universities accepted blind graduate students at that time.

In 2009, 26-year-old Zheng started learning English from scratch to study in the UK. He aimed for the IELTS, a standard admission requirement for most international applicants. For Zheng, the first hurdle came before the exam itself: there were no Braille study materials available.

After a citywide search, Zheng found a Braille printer in a library and printed the study materials bought online. Tracing the raised dots on paper, he began self-studying, feeling out each letter before sounding it in his mind.

Zheng sat the IELTS three times. “The blind version is just as tough as the regular one, only in Braille,” he said. Alone in a room with over a hundred pages of Braille text, he spent 12 hours in the exam and scored 6.5 out of 9, proving himself a “competent user” of English.

Zheng reads Braille. (Photo/Zheng Jianwei)

In 2013, Zheng traveled alone to the UK to study TESOL. “Apart from English improvement, the greatest reward was proving that inclusive education truly works,” he said.

Zheng recalls the University’s Disability Services Office that helped students overcome challenges to ensure equal access. “That experience was priceless,” he said. “It made me feel no different from anyone else and opened my eyes to the world.”

After graduating in 2015, Zheng returned home and opened an English studio for primary and middle school students. His free classes help visually impaired children learn English, building both knowledge and confidence.

Among his first students was a shy, partially sighted child. “There are many children like him struggling to open up,” Zheng said. Through his classes, he helped the boy gain confidence. “In the end, he topped his English class and was often invited to read aloud in front of everyone.”

His dedication and contribution earned him the Social Impact Award of the 2016 Education UK Alumni Awards. Zheng tells his students that the world is wide and full of possibilities, “With effort, you can chase your dreams, wherever they take you.”

Zheng won the Social Impact Award of the 2016 Education UK Alumni Awards. (Photo/Zheng Jianwei)

“I’ve always believed in a barrier-free future,” Zheng said. The challenges he faced years ago have lessened, thanks to abundant Braille resources and more universities in China accepting blind students.

Zheng hopes technology might one day let him “truly see” the world. His dream is to open a school where students with and without disabilities can learn side by side, unhindered by physical barriers.