(FILE)

Zhang Haidi, Chairwoman of China Disabled Persons' Federation, was appointed as the new chair of Rehabilitation International, a worldwide network of people with disabilities founded in 1922, on October 6 in Poland. With member organizations across the world, the network advocates working to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities.

Born in 1955 in east China's Shandong Province, Zhang is a national icon for achieving self-improvement in the face of adversity. She became a paraplegic at the age of 5 and thereafter was unable to attend school. In spite of this, she educated herself to university level. She has learned several languages including English, Japanese, German and Esperanto, and has been awarded a master's degree. She also is well known as a writer and translator.

Zhang has been making efforts to promote work opportunities for people with disabilities in China and improve their access to buildings. She has also mounted campaigns on the right of disabled people to drive.