每个人都希望自己的人生是一首田园诗，轻松而舒心，静逸而润泽。可当有一晚，母亲告诉我不能继续以旁听生的身份去学校读书时，我那汹涌的泪水表明幼小的自己懂得了人生的艰难。
An easy and happy life is universally desired, a life that in its essence is like an idyllic poem. But when one night Mom told me that I could no longer go to school, even as a drop-in, the violent torrent of my tears made it abundantly clear that I had understood the challenging life which was ahead of me.
我第一次真切地感受到是残疾剥夺了我上学的权利，把我关进了牢笼，无处可逃，但我并不知道几乎在同年，山东有一位阿姨从小也忍受着病痛，但她通过自学熟练掌握了多门外语，在没有电脑和互联网的年代完成了多部著作和译著。
For the first time, I truly felt that my disabilities had deprived me of my right to attend school, and had shackled me to a cage from which there was no escape. Little did I know, however, that there in Shandong lived a woman who, despite the great physical pain that she herself endured, had mastered multiple languages entirely on her own and had had several books published either as an author or as a translator, before the advent of PCs and the internet.
懂事之后，她的事迹鞭策着我前行，至今在我的书架上还摆放着她编著的《美丽的英语》一书！没想到30多年后，我竟然会有幸去北京见到她！可这消息来得太突然，当地残联的朋友微信通知我时，我还以为他的号被盗了呢！
As I grew older, her story drove me forward. Even today I keep her Beautiful English up on my bookshelf. It was beyond my wildest dreams that some 30 years later, I would have the honor of personally meeting her in Beijing. Naturally, when an acquaintance who works at the provincial Disabled Persons’ Federation (DFP) broke the news to me, I suspected that his WeChat account had been hacked.
2021年9月28日中午1点40分许，飞机准点降落至北京大兴国际机场，这也让整天面对电脑屏幕的我小小地激动了一番。
On September 28, 2021, around 1:40 P.M., Mom and I landed at the Daxing International Airport, which also seemed like a minor miracle to someone who stares at an LCD monitor all day long.
步入国内到达大厅，仿佛进到了“查理的巧克力工厂“，处处都是圆润的建筑元素。在纵深长近两公里的空间，黑白相间的线条贯穿始终，将所有立柱和顶棚连为一体，配以光洁的大理石地面和宽大的玻璃幕墙，颇有几分大气磅礴之势，盆盆绿植点缀其中，增强美感的同时又能舒缓旅途疲劳。然而，对我来说，最精妙之处在于机场完善的无障碍设施，包括功能齐全的无障碍卫生间！
A step into the Domestic Arrivals hall tossed us into Charlie’s chocolate factory, every corner of which is sleek and smooth. Across an expanse of nearly two kilometers, black and white lines connect the pillars and ceilings all the way through, with giant glass windows and ceramic tile floors poised to create a sense of grandeur. Pots of green are artistically dotted around – a joy to see after a long flight! But for me, the most wonderful of all is an ample range of state-of-the-art accessibility facilities, including fully-equipped accessible toilets!
此次活动题为“中国残疾人脱贫故事分享会”，由中国残疾人联合会举办，为纪念我国恢复联合国合法席位50周年系列活动之一，以残疾人脱贫为主题，在全国范围选取了12位残疾人脱贫代表的故事，译入英文，集结成册，并从中选出6位杰出代表，亲临会场讲述自己自强不息、奋发图强的故事。除国内各大媒体和残联机构之外，会议还邀请联合国机构及相关国际组织驻华机构负责人、英美等国驻华使节出席。我作为新疆残疾人代表之一，十分荣幸地受邀参加如此高规格的会议。
分享会最终定在9月29日下午2点30分召开。当日1点45分，在自治区残联美丽聪慧的热哈古丽女士的陪同下，我和母亲从入住的酒店走到与之相邻的中残联办公大楼，只见大楼临街的一面酷似凯旋门，表面为砖红色。从员工通道进入，路过飘扬着五星红旗的旗杆，来到一个圆形大厅。在那里，我们乘坐电梯上到二楼，与自治区残联就教部茹克娅部长和新疆“讲述人“阿里木大哥及其夫人一起进入会场。他们一行四人提前两天抵京，接受会前集中演讲培训。
这是一间可容纳百人的多媒体报告厅。天花板上无数盏射灯呈抛物线状一字排开，明亮柔和的光渗透进每一方寸的空气中，点亮了空间每一处角落，也点亮了我的内心。
We entered a multi-media lecture hall large enough to accommodate a hundred or more people. High above, a ceiling of lights lined neatly in gentle arcs illuminated every particle of air with softly bright beams of light. I immediately felt lit up from the inside.
与之辉映的是地面上弧形排列的淡黄色桌椅，从大门右侧缓缓向下延伸，临近舞台另有三排座椅，呈U字形摆放，径直面对舞台中央的大型液晶显示屏。从空中俯瞰，宛若半个完美的涟漪。我作为受邀听众，在工作人员的指引下坐在了第三排，靠近舞台一端。
To my left ran a gentle terrace of creamy-yellow seats from the door to the center of the room. Close to a low stage at the far end stood three U-shaped rows of seats, semi-circling the stage on which a wall-sized LCD screen was placed facing the audience. The entire layout must look like a perfect half-ripple if viewed in midair. As an invited member of the audience, I was led to the last U-shaped row, toward the left side of the stage.
入座后，我的目光立刻转向右手旁的一位姑娘。
When seated, I noted a young lady sitting next to me on my right side.
她身穿精致的裙装，扎着精致的马尾辩，眼部画有精致的淡妆，面部戴着黄粉相间的N95，手上做了精致的美甲，甚至连名字都是那么的别致——刘燚（读yì）。
Everything about her looked distinctly elegant – her winter dress, pony tail, eye makeup, pink and yellow N95 mask, nail art...and even her Chinese given name is stunningly unique, which is a character composed of four “fires”.
我们闲聊了几句，随着与会人员陆续进场，她落落大方地和诸位残联领导互致问候，合影留念。每次她的母亲都会默默地帮她拿起手机拍照，然后默默地将手机放到女儿的腿上，帮她戴好口罩。直到美国驻华使馆对外合作与发展处的工作人员入场，残联安排我们与之交谈，我才知道她的英文口语了得。
We made a few friendly exchanges before she started to greet the arriving CDPF leaders and take photos with them like old acquaintances. For each photo-op, her mother quietly came over, picked up her cell phone and, when done, placed it on her lap and helped put her mask back on. And how I was stunned by her mastery of spoken English when we were introduced to the Provincial Relations Team of the US Embassy!
后来，我了解到这位美丽的女孩游历了欧洲28个国家，写出20万字的游记，而这一切都是在她因车祸高位截瘫后做到的。看来在场每一个人都有属于自己的别样故事……
Later I learned that this graceful lady had traveled to 28 European countries and authored a 200,000-charcter journal. These were only some of her accomplishments after she had a terrible car accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down. Indeed, every participant in this room seemed to have a unique story to tell.
“讲述人“的故事更令我深受鼓舞。
A full episode of inspirations came on display as the guest speakers shared their stories.
湖南城步白毛坪乡下坪水村90后苗族姑娘杨淑亭原本是一位乡村社区护士，却因车祸导致双下肢瘫痪，终日以轮椅为伴，2012年上网做淘宝客服赚得第一桶金——7.7元，从那之后政府为她提供无息贷款，帮她打通销售渠道，事业因此渐渐起步，最终成立湖南七七科技股份有限公司，将中国传统文化元素融入现代艺术品设计，产品行销海内外，2017年出口额达685万美元，带领村民一同走上发家致富的道路。
Yang Shuting, a "post-90s" lady of Miao ethnicity in Xiapingshui Village of Baimaoping Town, Chengbu City, Hunan Province, had started a nursing career at the community medical center when a car accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. Wheelchair bound, she earned her first pot of gold online as a sales assistant for a Taobao store in 2012 – 7.7 yuan (roughly USD1.2). Her business gradually took off thereafter with government-supported interest-free loans and marketing channels and culminated in her founding Hunan Qiqi Science and Technology Co., Ltd. In 2017, her company exported USD 6.85 million worth of craftwork integrated with traditional Chinese art, resulting in the creation of many jobs were created for her fellow townspeople.
新疆和硕县塔哈其镇维吾尔族大哥阿力木·依明江，上小学时玩耍不慎从房梁摔下，脊椎严重受损，落下终身残疾，在乌鲁木齐求医期间发现商机，开始经销番茄酱，后又转行创办起了养殖合作社，积累了殷实的产业，带动全村致富，可他建立了一项规定：每年一定要从利润中拿10万元资助残疾人、孤寡老人和特困学生。
西藏林芝工布江达县达巴萨村藏族妹妹拉姆13岁时患骨髓炎，失去了行走能力，被迫辍学回家，见父母拼命打工为她赚取医药费，她决定拜师学艺，20岁开办了一家小缝纫店，2015年灵芝市残联帮她从“大众创业、万众创新”项目中申请到2万元的资金建立合作社，与其他残疾姐妹一起将美丽的工布服饰推广到全国。
云南腾冲市曲石镇90后盲人按摩师谢侣在单亲家庭长大，21岁那年，一场车祸导致他双目失明。可祸不单行，失明后第二年，一场车祸又夺走了他母亲的生命，彻底击碎了他生活的勇气，被纳入建档立卡贫困户。2017年，在腾冲市残联“助盲脱贫”项目的帮扶下，他渐渐走出心灵的黑暗，接受按摩专业培训，成功开办了一家盲人按摩店，第一年就收入4万多元。
还有青海海东市互助土族自治县东和乡朱家台村的朱锦福和贵州黔东南苗族侗族自治州陆永江，二人残疾程度较轻，但也克服了重重困难，分别在家禽养殖和非遗侗秀手工艺领域干出了一番了不起的事业。令我印象最深刻的是朱大哥一口“青海标准普通话”及永江妹妹清甜的歌声。
整个会场，我唯一熟悉的面孔是坐在首排中央一位举止优雅的女士。她留着标志性的卷发，身穿白色圆领打底衫配紫色西装外套及黑色长裤，笑容可掬地进入会场。
Here in this brightly-lit room, the only face I was familiar with was that of an elegant lady sitting in the center of the first U-shaped row. In a purple suit jacket and a white scoop-neck top, teamed with black trousers as well as her signature perm, she entered the room smiling a warm smile.
在创业脱贫代表讲述自己的故事之前，她发表了一个多小时的讲话，总结中国残疾人事业发展历程，勾勒未来蓝图，时而笑逐颜开，时而攒眉蹙额，时而神色凝重，表现了自己对残疾和生命的感悟以及对世界各地残疾姐妹的关怀。
Prior to the entrepreneurs’ segment, she spoke for more than an hour, epitomizing developments in China's disabled community and outlining her visions for the future. She sometimes smiled, sometimes frowned and at other times looked pensive, as she detailed her thoughts about disability and life in general as well as her concerns for disabled sisters all around the world.
在主旨演讲中，她回顾了自己奋斗的历程：5岁因脊髓瘤致高位截瘫，求学无门，在病痛的折磨下通过自学完成中学学业，并学习英、德、日及世界语；1983年开始从事文学创作，著有《天长地久》《绝顶》等多部获奖作品，并翻译了数十万字的英语小说，成为山东省作家协会文学创作室一级作家；2008年当选新一届中残联主席；2014当选新一届康复国际主席……
