For over 40 years, batches of young people have embarked on this hot land of Shenzhen with entrepreneurial dreams and passion, striving hard. Among countless “front wave” and “back wave” entrepreneurs, there are many shadows of people with disabilities. Shenzhen News Network, in collaboration with the Shenzhen Disabled Persons’ Federation, has launched the “Extraordinary Ordinary” column, which uses small incisions and angles to discover and excavate the unknown stories of disabled entrepreneurs, showcasing their spirit of daring to try, not afraid of failure, and flying against the wind, allowing more people to understand and see a group of extraordinary ordinary people.
Shenzhen News Network, October 27, 2022 (Reporter Lin Wenshan, Intern Li Wanxin) What will you do after being hit hard by fate? At the age of 16, Wu Haobo, who suffered from a major traffic accident and became physically disabled, provided a more comprehensive answer.
Obstacles are magnified by imagination, and cognition is disabled by confusion. “From” Wu Dashen “who repairs mobile phones to” Wu Store Manager “who runs a flower shop, to a philanthropist, Wu Haobo not only started his own business, but also persisted in contributing to the” integration of disabled and able-bodied people “through his own efforts. Today, let’s listen together to the entrepreneurial life story of Wu Haobo in his wheelchair.
Wu Haobo. (Photo provided by interviewee)
Passionate about entrepreneurship, once a leader in the mobile phone repair industry
At the age of 16, which is exactly the age of youth, for Wu Haobo, it was a watershed in his life. That year, a car accident caused him to lose both legs, and from then on, a wheelchair became a necessary tool for him to travel. When life closes the door for you, it also opens a window for you. After four years of long rehabilitation treatment, Wu Haobo does not want to become a burden on his family and society. Stubbornly, he longs to prove himself by working hard to achieve a career.
In 2014, by chance, Wu Haobo came into contact with the mobile phone repair industry. Because he had previously studied software programming, Wu Haobo developed a new way of making a living by combining “software technology and mobile phone maintenance”. Soon, Wu Haobo became one of the few peers who could draw maintenance drawings with unremitting efforts. Later, he also became a mobile phone repair training teacher, with a monthly income of up to about 30000 yuan. This not only enabled him to achieve personal subsistence on his own, but also bought a house in Huizhou with his own abilities.
At that time, many people came to me to learn about mobile phone repair knowledge. The feeling of being needed was particularly good, and it also made me realize that I was valuable. (This feeling) was happier than making money, “said Wu Haobo.
After achieving some success through “drawing mobile phone drawings”, Wu Haobo had the idea of starting his own business – opening a mobile phone repair shop. In 2017, his first store was located at the entrance of Longhua subway station, with a monthly rent of nearly 20000 yuan, which made many people hesitate and questioned his decision, but he persisted.
Wu Haobo and employees of a mobile phone repair shop. (Photo provided by interviewee)
In order to expand his customer base, Wu Haobo initially learned how to advertise from others, but ended up spending money with unsatisfactory results. He reflected for a long time and decided to focus on investing in himself. From marketing to management, Wu Haobo has solidly absorbed all the knowledge and skills that are beneficial to his entrepreneurship. Gradually, Wu Haobo found a breakthrough in the field of mobile phone repair, and he also organized other disabled friends to learn mobile phone repair knowledge and find employment in his own store. By 2019, Wu Haobo had opened a total of four mobile phone repair shops in Shenzhen, and his business was booming, making him impressive in the mobile phone repair industry in Shenzhen.
On the path of entrepreneurship, Wu Haobo will not be satisfied with the status quo. Due to the impact of the epidemic on the mobile phone repair industry, Wu Haobo has come up with new ideas. In 2021, he opened another flower shop, and this time he sees flowers as carriers of energy and love. “I want to pass on this love through flowers,” he said
Until today, the flower shop continues to operate, and the “flower” in Wu Haobo’s heart is still in full bloom.
Promote accessible experience camps to promote the integration of disabled and able-bodied individuals
During the 17 years of being with a wheelchair, children or elderly people often became curious about Wu Haobo’s electric wheelchair. Wheelchairs are a means of transportation for me, but others have limited knowledge about this tool. Therefore, I want to do some science popularization in the community and schools. This will not only help people in need better choose wheelchairs, but also help the next generation understand wheelchairs and change their attitudes towards people with disabilities
In Wu Haobo’s opinion, the overall accessibility facilities in Shenzhen are quite good. What impressed him the most was the subway accessibility service. “Every time I take the subway, the staff come over with pedals to help me get on the subway smoothly, and they also remind the destination staff to provide corresponding services, very meticulous and thorough
Meanwhile, Wu Haobo stated that the improvement of barrier free facilities is crucial for the mobility of people with disabilities, but the factors that ultimately affect their mobility are closely related to social awareness. Obstacles are magnified by imagination, and cognition is disabled by confusion. Although we are physically disabled, if society always thinks we are pitiful, it will actually cause us secondary harm. We don’t need sympathy, what we need is empathy. “Wu Haobo often compares the difference between disabled and able-bodied people to a race between turtles and rabbits. Everyone wants to go to the same place, and disabled people will always reach their destination as long as they have a firm belief, but the speed is a little slower.
The “Integration of Disabled and Healthy” accessibility experience activity. (Photo provided by interviewee)
Wu Haobo reminds that people with disabilities should appear more in places visible to able-bodied individuals in order to be understood and cared for. In order to change the public’s prejudice against people with disabilities, Wu Haobo once organized a wheelchair experience public welfare activity, inviting 20 able-bodied people to ride wheelchairs around Longhua Square. After experiencing it, many people expressed that it was not easy to travel in a wheelchair, and participants also gained a better understanding of the lives of people with disabilities.
Actually, it’s not difficult for us to travel by wheelchair, but for able-bodied people, we can only feel our feelings more after experiencing it. “Wu Haobo said that since September 2022, he has organized two public welfare activities of the” Disability Inclusion “accessible experience camp. I hope to promote the concept of accessibility by allowing able-bodied individuals to personally experience the daily lives of people with disabilities, promote the integration of disability and health, and advance the construction of an accessible environment in Shenzhen
The “Integration of Disabled and Healthy” accessibility experience activity. (Photo provided by interviewee) Source: Shenzhen News Network
