Young man overcomes physical disability to excel

For the 23-year-old Zhang Liang, physical disability has never been an obstacle to stop him from achieving success.

Zhang, from Susong county of Anhui province, has osteogenesis imperfecta, aka "brittle bone disease", a rare genetic disorder that renders bones extremely fragile, since he was a child.

Though frequent fractures meant he could not walk independently, he remained optimistic and diligent. In 2022, Zhang rode a twister car to take the national college entrance exam, touching the hearts of many people. His efforts paid off. He performed well in the exam and was admitted to Anhui Polytechnic University.

Getting rid of the twister car and walking independently was always Zhang’s dream. After entering the college, under the guidance of his professor, he and several classmates formed a small scientific research team to design a set of exoskeleton wearable devices.

With the support of warm-hearted people, they finally completed the design scheme using the 3D printing technology. Assisted by the set of devices, Zhang finally managed to stand and walk.

He also participated in the recent college students' career planning competition in Anhui province and won the second prize in the higher education group.

"My goal is to become a social entrepreneur in the field of human intelligent exoskeleton," Zhang said at the competition.

He said he hopes to use his professional knowledge and practical experience to help more disabled people with intelligent equipment.