Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

Earlier this year, a courier team consisting of hearing-impaired workers was set up in Shanghai. The team has so far attracted 40 participants and is spread out across four courier stations in Shanghai's Hongkou and Putuo districts. Due to COVID-19, the demand for online shopping has increased faster than the capacity of logistics companies. The founder of this team, Gu Zhong, then set up this team to fill the vacancy as he assisted these people with disabilities to make a living. This group of hearing-impaired couriers now is able to deliver over 200 orders daily, up from a few dozen orders when the group first formed. There are more than 9 million disabled workers in China's job market. Though many companies are introducing new positions to promote the employment of disabled people, finding a job for people with disabilities is still a challenge. The emergence of new industries has given disabled people more opportunities to realize their value in life. With the help of artificial intelligence, we should encourage the diversification of the service sector and create more job opportunities in line with the development of smart systems.