Disabled enabled by PR

Zhang Xiaofang's destiny was changed when she was diagnosed with debilitating arthritis at just 10 years old. As she gradually lost the ability to walk, her parents bought her first wheelchair. The tears flowed as she sat down because she knew she would spend her whole life in chairs such as this.

But just as the chair imprisoned her, a different invention, the Internet, freed her. Through the Web she found job opportunities and access to higher incomes. Prior to her first encounter with the Internet in 2006, she worked on cross-stitch patterns in her wheelchair, earning just 200 yuan ($33) a month - a small sum to reduce the burden on her family.

Later, she heard from others about online forums for the disabled, where she met Yu Dongmei, a manager of a forum's online jobs section. Yu introduced her to online job opportunities.

"The disabled often stay at home for extended periods. They can withstand loneliness and concentrate more on their work compared to normal people. This means online Public Relations (PR) work is suitable for them," Yu told the Global Times on Monday. "But many disabled haven't received as much education as other people, so they often have to do comparatively menial jobs for low pay."

Forays online

Zhang's first online job was in PR. She published posts, wrote PR stories and managed online chat groups for the disabled. Yu sent her training handbooks, and she taught herself.

From early morning to late at night she was busy writing reports and linking online voice systems while coordinating with others. She slept when she could, sometimes during rehabilitation sessions at the hospital.

"Sometimes I was so tired I wanted to give up. But job opportunities are tough to come by for a handicapped person, so I chose to continue," Zhang told the Global Times.

Due to her hard work, her salary was raised from 2,500 yuan to 5,000 yuan a month, much higher than most of her peers who earn about 1,000 yuan a month. With the help of an international NGO, she received a successful operation in 2006, which enabled her to walk, but she still walks stiffly, with a limp, and sometimes receives stares.

"I don't care about that. I'm not inferior to them; my work has given me confidence. For a long time I hated it when others mentioned my condition but now I feel calm about it," the 35-year-old woman said.

In the second half of 2007, Zhang left the website and founded a 20-member team serving three companies. It also has as many as 2,000 contractors who provide material online.

Her business covers automobile marketing to monitoring related news. Her income has reached more than 10,000 yuan, which is a big salary in her city Tangshan, in Hebei Province, a third-tier city in China.