Yang Jia

Yang Jia, born in 1963 in Changsha, is a member of the 11th national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Jiu San Society (JSS), a professor in Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), vice chairwoman of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Blinded at the age of 29 as the youngest lecturer at CAS, she still returned to work with resilience. Resulted from her diligence, she became the first foreign blind student receiving an MPA degree ever in the history of Harvard University. Being the only blind member of the national committee of CPPCC, she fulfilled her duty sincerely by proposing her words and strategies and actively engaging in the affairs of the disabled at home and overseas, making great contributions to guarding the lawful rights and interests of the disabled and protecting our national glory in the UN.

"Blindness has divided my life into two parts: surpassing others before the age of 29 and transcending myself after. A person can lose his view of the road, but can never stop moving forward. The 101st standing up may come after the 100th falling down. "—Yang Jia