“Congratulations! You are admitted as a new student of Pingshan College in the major of accounting in 2015.” Currently, at the registration site in Pingshan School of Shenzhen Radio and Television University(RTVU), Lv Wenbin, the dean of the School expressed congratulations while affectionately holding the hands of Zeng Cuiru. “Thanks to Pingshan School for giving me the opportunity to realize my college dream. I will certainly study hard.” Zeng Cuiru smiled broadly, showing the excitement in her heart.

                       Zeng Cuiru(front) goes to sign up in Pingshan School in company with her mother.

A  girl with disability has a college dream 

Zeng Cuiru is called the indomitable “Pavel Korchagin”(A central character in How the Steel Was Tempered written by Nikolai Ostrovsky) by local people in Pingshan. Born in 1994, she has suffered from congenital vertebral breast bone disease and was diagnosed as Level A bodily disabled. Being unable to stand upright and walk, she could not take care of herself. Going to and from school, she has to be carried on other people’s back. 

Facing her body’s defects, the strong girl didn’t give up. Instead, she uses her strong will and faith to fight against her fate. For years, her mother, teachers and students have taken turns to carry her, she finished her study from primary school to junior high school, with excellent results. She has been named as a“Merit Student” and “Excellent League Member” several times. In the senior middle school entrance examination, she was admitted to the high school with excellent results. After graduating from high school, because of her physical condition and lack of knowledge in relevant policies, she failed to enter college, which she much regretted.

 “When seeing my good friends going to universities, I feel very envious.” Watching her peers entering into the universities and colleges, this disabled but strong-willed girl was not struck down by her disabled body. She had never given up her college dream. She told her mother that she wanted to go to the college through her own efforts to realize her own dream.

A dream to go to college was realized with full financial support

This year, just by chance, Zeng Cuiru learnt that Pingshan School was to recruit undergraduates and college freshmen in its open education, and she could go to the college near her house. 

 “Knowing the news, I am very anxious and don’t know whether the School is willing to receive me or not. After all, my circumstances are special.” Zeng Cuiru told the reporter. When the principal of Pingshan Secondary School became aware of her actual situation, he contacted Pingshan School of Shenzhen RTVU immediately with the wish to help her continue her studies.

Pingshan School of Shenzhen RTVU attached great importance to this and immediately reported to the Shenzhen School for the Disabled of the Open University of China(OUC) after receiving an application from Zeng Cuiru. For the reason that in the new district there is no precedent for people with disability to go to college, Pingshan School actively resorted to seeking relevant documents and policies, communicated with relevant departments, sought support and help from many sides, and finally obtained the agreement to register in the OUC’s Shenzhen School for the Disabled for Zeng Cuiru to study at the Pingshan School. In addition, the Disabled People’s Federation in the new district granted Zeng Cuiru full tuition subsidies to help her study in the college for free.  

 “We will do everything possible to create a good learning environment for Zeng Cuiru, provide reasonable and convenient services, and guarantee the quality of her learning in the college.” The dean of Pingshan School Lv Wenbin said that in order to provide a comfortable learning environment for Zeng Cuiru, all the classrooms she attended were arranged to be on the ground floor. At the same time, the school also purchased a tailor-made desk and chair set specially for her. 

Zeng Cuiru felt very happy after signing up successfully, “I thought that I would stay at home alone in the future. But unexpectedly I had a chance to go to the college to realize the college dream in my heart.” Zeng Cuiru said that she would cherish this hard-won learning opportunity and hoped that she could find a job to pay back society with her own abilities after graduation. 

                                                                                                             By Yan Jingzhen

                                                  Reporter from Shenzhen Overseas Chinese News, Ren Cuicui

                                                                          Correspondent Peng Zhixiong, text/picture