In the PRC, being disabled often comes with stereotypes. For a long time, disabled persons in the country were referred to as canfei, an amalgamation of two characters meaning “incomplete or deficient” and “useless.”

Starting in the 1990s, people began using the term canji, shifting the second character to one meaning “disease or sickness.” Unfortunately, this is still the word of choice today to describe disabled people. As you can probably imagine, disabled individuals in China often face discrimination in their communities.

I recently came across two powerful stories about disabled individuals in China overcoming the barriers in their lives to attain success and recognition in their communities and help empower other people to succeed. Now, I’d like to share their stories with you.