青岛故事丨轮椅之上重启人生！“95后”小伙省残运会斩获五金，开起全省首家无障碍咖啡店Qingdao Story - Restarting Life on Wheelchairs! Post-95 youth won the hardware award at the Provincial Para Games and opened the first accessible coffee shop in the province

At the just concluded 12th Shandong Provincial Para Games, Zou Yang, a young man born in the 1990s in Qingdao, won 5 gold medals. Returning to Qingdao, he sat in a wheelchair and arrived at a caf é next to Pocket Park on Jiahe Road in Shibei District. He has another identity here - the owner of the first accessible coffee shop in Shandong Province.

Recently, reporters walked into Zou Yang's accessible coffee shop and listened to his stories about his journey from taekwondo coach to fencer, from the arena to the bar, from unexpected lows to restarting his life.

Zou Yang is making drinks

Hardware Master on Wheelchair

Speaking of the just concluded Provincial Paralympic Games, Zou Yang's eyes sparkled with excitement.

In the wheelchair fencing event of the 12th Provincial Paralympic Games and the 1st Special Olympics, Zou Yang won 5 gold medals in one fell swoop! Won two individual championships and teamed up with teammates to win three team gold medals.

Zou Yang (right) won a gold medal in the wheelchair fencing event at the 12th Provincial Paralympic Games

For him, it's not just about the gold medal that matters. Through competitions, I have found a lot of the feeling of sports competition when I was young, "said Zou Yang. He used to be a taekwondo athlete, and although he has now switched to fencing and wheelchair competitions, the essence of sports is the same, and the passion and spirit of competition are the same.

Becoming a wheelchair fencer was last year. The staff of the Disabled Persons' Federation approached him and looked forward to his former athletic background and physical condition, hoping that he could participate in the Paralympic Games as a disabled athlete.

At that time, there were other options available, such as volleyball and hand cranked bicycles, but he preferred fencing. Wheelchair fencing mainly relies on hand movements to train an individual's explosive power, reaction ability, and speed, which is somewhat similar to taekwondo, "Zou Yang said." Wheelchair fencing only requires a wheelchair to be fixed for training, without running around, and it is more suitable for me

After winning 5 gold medals in one fell swoop, the sports competition of that year feels like it's back. On the field, he is still the athlete who refuses to give up. The essence of sports has not changed, only the rules and movements have changed

Holding a steady cup of coffee is a significant challenge

Zou Yang used to be a taekwondo coach, but in 2023, a car accident changed his life.

The car accident caused him spinal injury, resulting in loss of consciousness below the chest, and he has been in a wheelchair ever since. His taekwondo coaching job was also forced to end. With the encouragement and companionship of family, friends, and many kind-hearted people, Zou Yang, who is naturally optimistic, slowly emerged from the haze brought by the accident.

Zou Yang (right) was a taekwondo athlete before being injured

Three years have passed since his injury, and Zou Yang has also adapted to his physical condition. It feels like walking in a different way, except you have to use a wheelchair to move your body

He made up his mind to step out of his home, return to society, strive to realize his own value, complete the barrier free transformation of vehicles, replace his driver's license, and achieve self driving travel.

There is still a long way to go in life, and I need to do something. At that time, I thought about many professions. But after being injured, the job opportunities available for him to choose from were very limited.

On December 3rd of last year, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Qingdao Association for the Promotion of Accessible Environment organized people with disabilities to enter the Shibei Coffee Master and Craftsman College, led by the Shibei District Federation of Trade Unions. At this event, Zou Yang met Cui Wei, a trainer at the Shibei Coffee Master Craftsman College. Cui Wei's superb skills and profound theories moved him. Making coffee mainly relies on hands, and there are no high requirements for the physical condition of practitioners. "Zou Yang immediately decided to sign up to learn coffee making.

The bar counter of the coffee shop has been lowered in height, making it suitable for Zou Yang to operate the equipment while sitting in a wheelchair

But Zou Yang's injured position is relatively high, his waist cannot exert strength, and he keeps shaking when holding the cup in his hand. My body is like a tumbler, I can only practice little by little and gradually overcome difficulties

Just practicing coffee making, Zou Yang had to put in more sweat than a able-bodied person, but he didn't back down.

A coffee shop without any threshold

A cup of coffee helped Zou Yang find a new track.

Before his injury, Zou Yang had entrepreneurial experience and had run a Taekwondo gym on his own. After being injured, he had the idea of starting a second business as he returned to society. Cui Wei also has great confidence in him and has launched a 3-month one-on-one specialized training program to help him obtain an intermediate barista certificate and provide guidance on entrepreneurial incubation.

After determining his entrepreneurial goals, Zou Yang searched for locations everywhere. Coffee equipment industry expert and "Shibei Craftsman" Wang Detao took the initiative to lend a helping hand and helped him find a suitable store next to a pocket park on Jiahe Road in the old city area - with an area of about 60 square meters, controllable rental costs, flat and open outdoor ground, and convenient wheelchair access.

Zouyang's coffee shop

The interior decoration details of the store embody the concept of accessibility: all workstations are lowered to a height suitable for wheelchair users, making it easy to access materials; The bar counter has been intentionally lowered to 65 centimeters, allowing wheelchair makers to clearly see the coffee level; The interior passage of the store is spacious, and wheelchair turning and movement are unobstructed; The customer's desk uses thin table legs for easy wheelchair access... The original step in front of the store, which was about 15 centimeters high, has also been transformed into a ramp.

If there were no ramps, most wheelchair users would need someone else to lift them to pass through, making it difficult for them to climb up independently. A small step could block us from the door, "Zou Yang said." Creating an accessible environment sometimes only requires some ingenuity and subtle modifications

On July 9th of this year, "Boundless Coffee" officially opened. This is the first accessible coffee shop in Shandong Province.

After the news of the opening spread, "wheel friend groups" across the country responded enthusiastically. A woman in her forties from out of town, who has been injured for over a decade and has hardly left her home, added Zou Yang as a friend through a WeChat group. She said she felt very powerful when she saw me and asked if she could come out too. I said, 'Sister, you can come to my store and have a seat first.'

Zou Yang hopes to inspire more disabled friends to find a pivot to connect with society through his own experience. My coffee shop is not just a consumption space, but also a place for disabled friends and people from all walks of life to communicate and gather. I hope more disabled friends can come and sit here often

On the exterior wall of the coffee shop, there is a painting of Zou Yang's vision for the operation of an accessible themed coffee shop

After more than a month, the operational results exceeded Zou Yang's expectations. I found that this small shop can inspire more disabled people to return to society and do what they love. This was my initial wish to spread the culture of accessibility

The beneficiaries of accessible facilities are not only disabled groups, pregnant women, parents with children, and the elderly also need them. I hope to use this coffee shop as a small window to let more people see that improving the accessible environment can benefit the whole society, "said Zou Yang.

Multi party efforts to support the dreams of disabled entrepreneurs

The entrepreneurial journey of Zouyang cannot be separated from the assistance of the Shibei District Federation of Trade Unions and various kind-hearted individuals.

From the site selection of the store to its official landing, "Shibei Craftsman" Wang Detao followed up throughout the process - coordinating water and electricity renovation, decoration design, property rights procedures, and transforming an idle post station into a coffee shop. Store rent and coffee machine equipment are provided at cost price, and purchased equipment such as ovens have also helped negotiate discounted prices.

In the early stages of entrepreneurship, it's worth saving them a penny. Every penny should be spent on the right side, "said Wang Detao.

Wang Detao worked at National Cotton Factory in his early years and accumulated solid skills in mechanical equipment maintenance. After switching careers, he founded a coffee machine manufacturing enterprise and K+coffee brand, providing long-term internship positions and operational experience sharing for entrepreneurs.

Last year, Wang Detao, as one of the core mentors, led the operation of the Shibei Coffee Master Craftsman College. This college is jointly established by the Shibei District Federation of Trade Unions, Qingdao Coffee Culture Association, and Qingdao Coffee Industry Trade Union Federation. It is a professional coffee training platform that combines commercial operations with public welfare services. The public welfare sector provides skills training for unemployed youth, disabled people, and college students. The courses cover coffee bean tasting, extraction parameter debugging, equipment maintenance, and other content, covering the entire chain of coffee shop operation.

Su Mengyao, Deputy Director of Shibei District Employee Service Center, introduced that Shibei District relies on the Coffee Master Craftsman College to innovate and create a "training employment entrepreneurship" full chain closed-loop incubation system. Systematic skills training will be provided to disadvantaged groups with entrepreneurial intentions. College instructors will guide them throughout the entire process, connect with entrepreneurial venues, coordinate various resources, and follow up on operational guidance until students successfully open stores and operate stably.

Zou Yang (first from the right in the front row) is with his teammates and coach

Through repeated skill training, we have helped disabled individuals and those facing employment difficulties acquire a new skill, igniting hope for entrepreneurship and employment.

Now, the accessible coffee shop in Zouyang has officially started operating. He constantly spreads the goodwill he has gained, hoping to inspire more disabled friends to learn new skills and embrace new lives.

I have always dreamed of owning a shop and creating an accessible cultural space that belongs to both the disabled and the whole society, "said Zou Yang." Opening this accessible coffee shop is to inspire more people to leave their homes and return to society

The small coffee shop is not only a new starting point for Zou Yang to restart his life, but also a window to spread the concept of accessibility, carrying his warm and firm dreams.

(Reporter Zhang Changwei from Peninsula Media)