Su Liping: A “special matchmaker” in a wheelchair
For 10 years, Su Liping has been working as a “special matchmaker”relentlessly pursuing the cause of the disabled. She has been busy turning her love for the disabled into the motivation and inspiration for work. She is head of the website for disabled persons in Shenzhen (SZDP www.cjr.org.cn).
Many disabled people have a bitter story. The year when successful business woman Su Liping was overtaken by a sudden serious traffic accident, the doctors predicted that she would probably not able to stand for the rest of her life. Thanks to her husband’s years of good care, Su Liping was able not only to sit up but also walk around with the help of crutches. After her gradual recovery, Su entered an online training class held by the Shenzhen Disabled Persons’ Federation and stayed onto work for the website for disabled persons in Shenzhen upon completion of the course. In order to create more opportunities for the disabled to make friends, she started her“special matchmaker” column in July 2000.
“Special Matchmaker” is a website column run by the disabled,for the disabled. A special communication platform has been set up for disabled people to speak their minds and form ties of friendship through online and offline integration.
Su found she had a need for greater knowledge while serving the disabled via the column. In fall 2004, she went for further study in the first junior college class for the Disabled in Shenzhen, even though she was well over 40. After diligent work, she was able to earn her diploma.
In 2005, Su Liping was promoted to work as head of the website for disabled people in Shenzhen. After lengthy research, the Shenzhen Psychological Counseling Work Station for the Disabled was launched. Today,there are 16 such workstations. In 2008, Su succeeded in launching a class to train disabled psychological consultation teachers so as to facilitate the disabled to sit for the unified national examination. The certified consultation teachers work in professional community health centres. Meanwhile, a sign language training class was started under Su Liping’s leadership, taking into consideration the needs of the deaf and mute.
In 2006, Su started the “marriage and family among the disabled”lecture and initiated the national selection of the “happy family of the disabled”. In 2008, she made a daring attempt, pushing out to the internet the electrical books of A Day in the Life of a Full-Time Commission Member for the Disabled and In-Person Interview. Meanwhile, she also compiled and published “A Day in the Life of a Full-Time Commission Member for the Disabled”, which reflects the work of the disabled community, and recommended a series of publications popular with the disabled. According to media coverage, she also received favorable feedback from the national system of disabled persons’ federations.
All the staff of the website for disabled people in Shenzhen are handicapped and Su is always concerned with their life and work environment. It is this small team that has turned a website with simple web pages and several columns into one with over 1000 columns, launching new columns each year. Second only to that of the China Disabled Person’s Federation, it is kept updated with new and informative content.
Su has received various honors for her efforts: in 2001 she was selected for“Outstanding Volunteer Group in China”; in 2003 she received the“Best Loving Care Family” award of Shenzhen; selected as the 2004 “One Hundred Loving Couples” of Shenzhen; in 2006 she was honored as “Advanced Individual Worker of Publicity, Culture and Sports”by the Disabled Work Coordination Commission of Shenzhen People’s Government, she was the 2008 Paralympic torch bearer; and she has also been awarded the titles of Self-Improvement Model and Advanced Worker by Shenzhen and Futian Disabled Persons’ Federations.