Yang Jia spoke at the 2015 National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In 2011, Yang Jia won the "Alumni Achievement Award" from the Harvard Kennedy School
Yang Jia before going blind
Yang Jia at the United Nations
As a person who was blind in the middle of the way, Yang Jia was unfortunate, but she overcame unimaginable difficulties for ordinary people to create one first after another: she was the first foreign blind student to obtain an mpa degree at Harvard University more than 300 years ago; she was the first member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in China, and then elected and re-elected as vice chairman of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; she was the first blind member to speak at the general assembly during the two sessions of the National People's Congress... She is Yang Jia, a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Jiusan Society and a professor at the University of chinese Academy of Sciences.
"Blindness divides my life in two, before the age of 29, I am surpassing others; after the age of 29, I am surpassing myself. One cannot see, but one cannot be without vision; one can have no vision, but one cannot have no vision; one cannot see the road, but one must not stop the pace of progress. 100 falls, 101 times to stand up! This is a passage that Yang Jia has said many times in her speeches.
Successful lives have suffered a cliff-like decline
Before the age of 29, Yang Jia was a model of a successful scholar in the minds of many people, a brilliant Xiang girl. In 1978, at the age of 15, she was admitted to university, stayed in school as a teacher at the age of 19, became the youngest lecturer at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at the age of 24, and won the laurel of the outstanding teacher of the Chinese Academy of Sciences University for consecutive years.
Unfortunately blind at the age of 29, Yang Jia not only returned to the podium of the Chinese Academy of Sciences University with amazing perseverance, but also was admitted to the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University after 8 years of blindness to pursue a master's degree in public administration.
Yang Jia recalled: Remembering the first class of "Microeconomics", the teacher hung up two pictures as soon as he came up: "This is the economy of the Reagan period..." "This is the economy of the Clinton era." Everyone saw it at a glance, but for me it was a daze, so I had to work overtime after class. Harvard teachers never read the script in class. Students all rely on taking notes, I use a special keyboard provided by the school, press an opening key for each class, and when the lights of the classmates around me to help me confirm the work key are on, I will type skillfully with the teacher's lecture. After a class, the students said, "Yang Jia's notes are a complete lecture note."
What is it like to listen to 400 English words per minute? It was almost the speed of speech that changed when the tape recorder fast-forwarded, because Yang Jia did not have time, which was the task she had to complete. The total number of readings assigned by the teacher in each class is no less than 500 pages, and the students feel that there is not enough time, and for her, it is even more insufficient. Because she had to scan the information page by page through the scanner into the computer, and then read the content through special voice software. In this way, time is gone, and you can only rely on the speed of the fight. I can't finish books, I can't finish homework, and I have to participate in many academic activities. In this way, Yang Jia studied until two or three o'clock in the evening every day, not only successfully completed the learning task, but also exceeded the school regulations and learned 3 more courses. Yang Jia's graduation thesis, "On deng xiaoping's leadership art," was designated as a model essay for the Kennedy School. Professor Goegan made an exception and gave her the highest Harvard score of "a+".
At the graduation ceremony, Dean Joseph Nye said to Yang Jia: "Congratulations! Jia, you are China's soft power! Suddenly, thousands of teachers and students in the audience stood on their own initiative, applauding and cheering for Yang Jia and for the first blind foreign student to receive an MPA degree at Harvard University in more than 300 years. In 2011, Yang Jia became the only recipient of the 2011 Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Achievement Award, and also became the first person in the Chinese mainland to receive this award, becoming the 19th person in the world to receive this award.
The first member of the Un Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Harvard's successful studies are just a new starting point for Yang Jia's life, and after that, she has gone abroad.
In October 2008, Yang Jia went to New York to run for membership in the "United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities". In the face of fierce competitive pressure, she was active both inside and outside the venue, speaking warmly with representatives of the States parties in English, French and Spanish. In the final vote, she won the first round and became the first member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In February 2009, the first meeting of the Committee was held in Geneva. One of the agenda items was the establishment of rules and regulations and the election of a bureau. Yang Jia found that the only candidate was not asian. After listening to the self-sponsored speeches of several members, Yang Jia raised a sign and asked to speak: "Our committee is the supervision body for the protection of the rights of the disabled in the world, which continent in the world today has the most disabled people?" Asia! Which country has the most disabilities? China! ......”
One of Yang Jia's speeches resonated strongly. She was nominated as a candidate, successfully elected Vice-Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and re-elected a few years later.
At the third meeting of the Committee, the last item on the subject, the Secretariat suddenly proposed that the Chinese be eliminated in the working language of the Committee owing to tight funding. Yang Jia strongly opposed, argued on the basis of reason, and took a clear-cut stand to defend China's interests and status, and finally retained the Chinese, which won more voice for china in the field of international human rights.
After the Yushu earthquake in Qinghai, Yang Jia immediately persuaded the Disabled Persons' Rights Committee to issue a statement to pay attention to and support China's effective protection of the rights of the disabled in the earthquake area, attracting more humanitarian solidarity from the international community. Her rapid response was unprecedented for the United Nations and was hailed as the "China model." Yang Jia used the platform of the United Nations to let the world turn its attention to China again and again.
The first blind member to make a speech at the CPPCC session
On the afternoon of March 11, the Fourth Plenary Session of the Third Session of the Twelfth CPPCC National Committee was held, which was a special and glorious moment, and the 12th CPPCC National Committee ushered in the first blind member to speak at the conference, Yang Jia.
Praise positive energy, love positive energy, carry forward positive energy - Yang Jia made a speech on behalf of the Central Committee of jiusan society.
"In the past year, maybe some social injustice has made you chill, maybe some human indifference has stabbed you in the heart, maybe some network 'spit' has disgusted you, maybe some 'negative energy' in life has frustrated you, but there are always some people who make you unforgettable, and there are always some things that make you tear up." "Those good deeds that happen at the grassroots level, happen to ordinary people, and happen around us continue to convey a different kind of warmth and full of positive energy" ..."How you are, how China is... What will happen to China, what will you do! ”
When Yang Jia spoke, she won the most applause from the audience. "Yang Jia's speech has gone to our hearts, and she is speaking with her heart." "Although she couldn't see it, her speech touched everyone." Yang Jia's finale speech won wide acclaim.
Yang Jia told reporters that it was not until a few days before the Spring Festival this year that she received the task of making a speech on behalf of the Central Committee of the Jiusan Society, and then it was the process of constantly revising and finalizing the draft. "Praising positive energy, loving positive energy, and carrying forward positive energy are not only the tasks entrusted to me by the Central Committee of the Jiusan Society, but also my voice." Yang Jia said, "The process of preparation is also a process of learning and continuous refining. ”
By this year, Yang Jia has served as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for eight consecutive years. The reporter learned that on this platform, she conscientiously performed her duties and actively made suggestions, and proposals such as "How to Make the Two Olympic Games Equally Wonderful" were adopted by relevant parties. She also appealed at the CPPCC national committee on issues such as "helping college students establish a correct outlook on life and values" and "safeguarding the rights and interests of the disabled", which aroused widespread concern in society and great attention from relevant departments. During his tenure as an expert consultant for the Beijing Olympic Games, he set professional service standards for volunteers of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, filling the gap in China. In recent years, Yang Jia has also put forward proposals such as "Suggestions on Strengthening psychological care and assistance for 'Families Who Have Lost Independence'" and "Suggestions on Attaching Importance to Hearing Protection of the Troops and Enhancing China's Hard Strength", paying attention to and proposing related issues involving personal safety with her own experience and unique perspective.
Looking back on his life course, Yang Jia said: "Thank you for the fate that let me forge ahead in spite of difficulties, self-improvement, step by step out of the door, out of the country, into the light, into the world!" (Reporter Ye Xiaonan)
Editor-in-charge: Wang Dong