Chen Siqi vankochensq@163.com AN offer from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen led Yu Kaixin, an 18-year-old wheelchair-bound student, closer to her dream of exploring a bigger world. “I certainly felt happy but calm. My parents were more delighted than me,” Yu recalled the moment when she received the message of her admission to the university July 17. “Kaixin is a self-disciplined child. We never worried about her studies,” Yu’s mother Dai Wei said. The freshman-to-be, who graduated from Shenzhen Longhua High School, will major in biomedicine in the university. The university, with an immersive English teaching methodology, might pave the way for her budding idea of studying abroad. “I want to study in Europe, particularly the U.K.,” Yu said. She dreamed to follow in the steps of her idol, Hermione Granger, a fictional character from U.K. writer J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series. She also hopes to explore barrier-free facilities outside China. Tough girl When Yu was about 5 years old, an accidental dance injury left Yu paraplegic. She has been in a wheelchair ever since. Yu’s spinal cord injury resulted in a lower limb disability, compelling her to engage in regular physical rehabilitation practices and dedicate additional time to accomplish her daily activities. However, she didn’t let her disability get the best of her. Despite the difficulties, Yu has always been an outstanding student. She is focused and organized in her studies, winning the title of Guangdong Provincial Excellent Student, as well as a number of writing and biology contest prizes. “I have never lived a carefree life, but I won’t let the sorrow defeat me,” Yu said. Fostering reading habits Yu, a die-hard “Harry Potter” fan, especially likes the character of Hermione Granger. “Hermione is my driving force,” she said. “Hermione is diligent and intellectual, smart and positive. Her positivity motivated me to study hard and chase my dreams in life, and empowered me with courage.” During her hospital stay for more than a year after her accident, Yu didn’t succumb to sadness but cultivated good reading habits, which have enriched her life with treasures. “Reading broadens my worldview and facilitates my exploration of the wider world,” she said. Yu now reads 20 books on average yearly. Descriptions of barrier-free facilities outside China in Wang Zengqi’s prose books and children’s book “Out of My Mind” inspire Yu to travel to Western countries. “I would like to check out those facilities in person and experience them one day.” Traveling, another hobby Yu doesn’t consider her wheelchair a hindrance to stepping out into the outside world. “The best way for me to relax is to sleep or do sports,” Yu said. “When I feel tired, I take a breath of fresh air at the ecological path near my home with my parents.” Yu also likes traveling. According to her, she has traveled with her parents to other cities that are wheelchair-friendly such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Beijing and Hangzhou. “Nanjing is a city that deeply impressed me. It showcases exceptional friendliness and inclusivity towards individuals with disabilities.” On a trip to Nanjing years ago, she met a wheelchair-bound man in his 30s working as a faculty member in a university. “The wheelchair I currently use belongs to the brand that he introduced to me, which is much better than my previous one,” Yu said. “He also passed on some useful skills of living independently.” Barrier-free SZ Living independently is one of the young woman’s strong desires. “I hope that in one day we will not be treated as a special group. My understanding is that if there are no barriers for disabled people when they go out, do their jobs or go to school, the bias will gradually fade away,” Yu said. In an article Yu wrote, which was published on her high school’s WeChat account, Yu suggested that the disabled, the elderly, children, pregnant women and baggage carriers should have the assistance of barrier-free facilities. Starting Sept. 1, 2021, Shenzhen has implemented regulations on boosting the construction of a barrier-free city, which was the first legislature of its kind in China. According to the regulations, the city aims to build itself into a barrier-free city to make life easier not only for the disabled, but for the elderly, pregnant women, children, the sick and wounded, and other people in need. In 2022, Shenzhen finished the construction of 197 barrier-free facilities in office buildings, urban parks, urban plazas, roads and footbridges. The city also introduced a batch of taxis for physically challenged persons and other people in need. “The essence of urban management is to provide favorable public services,” she said in the article. “The care for special groups is a crucial issue in the public service system. Shenzhen is a dynamic city full of hope.” Yu’s mother, a lawmaker in Longhua District, has been dedicated to promoting the construction of a barrier-free city. She floated two proposals to the district about improving the accessible facilities in public areas and urban roads, doing her bit to help families with disabled members. | 