Willingandable

E-commerce gives people with disabilities in China a chance at job independence

The Internet is a gateway for many people living with disabilities to engage in society and e-commerce platform is a seed that encourages people living with disabilities to work.

THERE was a time when Gao Mengwen felt her life was a cruel twist of fate. The 26-year-old native of Hangzhou, in east China’s Zhejiang Province, has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth and can only move with the support of a wheelchair. One of her biggest fears for several years was how she could earn a living and not be a financial burden on others. It was technology that threw Gao a lifeline and today the newly motivated young woman, armed with a laptop and Wifi, has taken advantage of the giant e-commerce platform Taobao to carve out a thriving business for herself.

And like Gao, e-commerce is creating more job opportunities for the people with disabilities in China. online had exceeded 10,000 by July 2016, among which more than 6,000 are on Taobao.