Scene 8: Documentary Interview with the Founders of a Nonprofit Organization
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BonVista Accessibility Club had the honor to interview Li Jiyuan and Lu Xiangdong, the founders of Lanjingling, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inclusion and accessibility for people with visual impairments.
They spoke with us about how it all began. Before founding Lanjingling, both Jiyuan and Xiangdong were passionate in sports, especially running. They met at a triathlon event, and it was during a conversation that the idea of inclusive sports first emerged. Xiangdong told us:
“Jiyuan told me about an experience she had back in 2012 when she participated in the Shanghai Marathon,” Xiangdong recalls. “She happened to see two runners ahead of her – one had the word ‘visually impaired’ written on their back, and the other had ‘guide runner’. That moment left a deep impression on her.”
Coincidentally, Xiangdong had a similar experience that same year.
“In 2012, I ran my first marathon, the London Marathon, as a charity runner,” he shares. “During that experience, I also had a chance to get to know the visually impaired community and to understand more about their world.”
This shared spark led to action. After finding little to no information about guide running in China, Jiyuan took the lead.
“She started collecting news reports from abroad,” Xiangdong explains. “She then put together a full process for running with visually impaired people. That was the beginning of establishing a whole system of training and planning.”
On January 23, 2015, they hosted the first beYoureyeS event for sighted volunteers. The following day, visually impaired runners joined in.
“That was the very beginning,” says Xiangdong. “And from then on, we've held events almost every single week and for ten years straight as of now.”
From its earliest days, Lanjingling used sports as a bridge to build understanding and inclusion.
“We hope that through sports, everyone who loves it can be included – regardless of ability,” says Xiangdong. “Sports shouldn’t be something limited by whether you can see, or not see, or hear, or whether you face other obstacles.”
“These kinds of weekend inclusive activities, by using walking or running guide as a medium, allow us to spread the concept of accessibility to a wider audience in society,” explains Jiyuan.
“From the perspective of beYoureyeS, for visually impaired participants, it’s almost like a WiFi hotspot,” Xiangdong adds. “Once they’re ‘connected,’ they can easily engage and communicate with all kinds of people.”
One such participant was Xiaobin, who eventually became a runner and facilitator, who was one of many empowered by the initiative.
(additional reading: Scene 3: Documentary Interview with Xiaobin, A Person with Visual Impairment )
“We’re not only providing a space to exercise,” Xiangdong emphasizes. “We’re also encouraging and inspiring people like Xiaobin… to step out of their homes and become part of something meaningful.”
As Lanjingling grew, its focus expanded beyond sports. Through deeper conversations with visually impaired participants, new needs became visible.
“Besides running… what more could we do?” Xiangdong reflects. “Take Xiaobin, for instance. Yes, he can run. But once he goes back home, how has his life really changed? What about his job?”
This reflection led to the creation of the 100-Day Engagement, a corporate partnership program promoting inclusive employment. But it wasn’t just about upskilling individuals.
“the individual is one aspect, and their environment is the other aspect, which is more important,” Xiangdong explains. “So our efforts started focusing much more on changing the environment.”
“What we want to do is inspire. We would like to give people hope, to build up that inner drive and confidence. Because in the end, it’s the person himself or herself who has to keep walking forward.”
Also they hope the companies changed their viewpoints regarding accessibility and marched to inclusive environment. Jiyuan recalls asking a group of Hilton leaders:
“Would you choose the easy way or the right way?”
Lanjingling’s guiding principles, equality, inclusion, diversity, empowerment, have deepened over time. But for Xiangdong, one value stands above all:
“To me, behind all of these values, there’s actually one very central point: something that I think is still seriously lacking in today’s society: respect.”
“Especially between people with disabilities and those without… we lack that kind of interaction and communication. So naturally, there are misunderstandings and biases.”
In school outreach programs, this respect takes form in everyday interactions. In inclusive PE classes, visually impaired facilitator lead students.
“When the kids see Xiaobin from afar, they call out to him: ‘Teacher Xiaobin! Teacher Xiaobin!’ It’s such a natural thing,” Jiyuan shares.
She contrasts this with traditional attitudes of “helping” the disabled:
“If you begin from that place, you’re unconsciously taking a higher position… The ideal scenario is that the visually impaired person is also a teacher. And from far away, we say, ‘Hi Teacher Xiaobin!’ That’s it.”
To describe Lanjingling’s broader social vision, Jiyuan offers a powerful metaphor:
“Let’s say you can imagine a fountain square… Some people pass by and think, ‘Oh, that looks nice.’ Others may walk up, sit by the fountain, and feel, ‘Ah, the sun is shining, kids are playing nearby.’”
“Then there are people who notice, ‘Ah, this tile is broken. Can I fix it?’… And when all of us come together, we can co-create and maintain this beautiful scene.”
“We always carry this beautiful fountain square in our hearts. Also, this fountain square never loses its meaning because of anyone's misunderstanding or slander.”
When asked what it takes for visually impaired individuals to make their voices heard in society, Xiangdong doesn’t hesitate:
“I believe action is the most important. Very often, if you only think about things, you’ll find yourself stuck since everything seems like a problem. But once you take action, you immediately start to find answers.”
“You have to take that first step. Not just think, ‘I want to do this’. You can’t wait for everything to be ready. Because nothing will ever be perfectly ready. You have to start even when nothing is ready.”
He continues:
“The ability to speak up, and the opportunity to do so, are built little by little through practice… You must dare to believe, and dare to act.”
Ultimately, Lanjingling is not trying to evoke sympathy, but to foster mutual admiration and respect.
“It’s actually easy to win someone’s sympathy,” Xiangdong says. “But if someone really understands you, they should respect you.”
“They should admire you,” Xiangdong continues.
“We hope that after people truly get to know us,” Xiangdong concludes, “they won’t say, ‘Oh, I feel so bad for you,’ or ‘How inspirational you are!’ Instead, they’ll say, ‘You’re just like me. We all want a better future. We all work hard. And I see something of you qualities that I admire deeply. This is the shining aspects of humanity itself.’”
A key milestone in Lanjingling's journey was the “100-Day Engagement”, which is a corporate program connecting visually impaired individuals with inclusive job opportunities.
“Starting from 2020 to now, we're already on the fifth session,” Xiangdong said.
“In the first four sessions, our main partner was Apple. And one key achievement is that, right now, across the Greater China region, every Apple retail store employs at least one visually impaired team member.”
The collaboration extended beyond in-store roles:
“We've also worked with Apple's technical support center, which means, when you call in with a tech issue, the expert answering your call could very well be someone who is visually impaired. Also, in the AI training platform, the Siri team includes visually impaired members as well.”
In total, around 20 of their trainees have joined Apple. Xiangdong added:
“Apple has included this program in their corporate social responsibility reports every year for the past 3 or 4 years. It’s been recorded year after year.”
Since 2023, Lanjingling has also partnered with the Hilton Group to explore career paths in the hospitality sector.
“Now we're working together, leveraging their resources, to co-explore and co-create a potential career path for visually impaired individuals within the hospitality industry.”
When asked about the kinds of roles visually impaired people can take on, Xiangdong pushed back against assumptions:
“I think we shouldn't be limiting options just because someone is visually impaired. When people ask, ‘What roles do you think they'd be suited for?’ Well, the truth is, our assumptions are limited.”
“When a real person steps into the picture, they come with their own personality, their own specific visual condition… all of those variables matter. More importantly, what do they love? What are their passion? These should determine where they should be heading.”
One standout case from the third session was a participant who aspired to become a teacher.
“He worked very hard, got his teaching certification, but was ultimately rejected from schools. But in the future, just like now, Lanjingling is going to cooperate with schools. We have visually impaired facilitators working in education settings. When they stand in front of students, they are teachers.”
“If we had made a rigid plan from the beginning, like ‘He can only do this,’ or ‘She can only do that’ That's still thinking from the perspective of a sighted person.”
Turning to the broader system, we asked what government support exists for inclusive employment.
“First of all, we are not professionals in this field,” Xiangdong admitted. “Even though I think what we're doing is quite professional, we are indeed not specialists in this particular area.”
“Governments at all levels provide not only policy support for the employment of persons with disabilities, but also have actual institutions responsible for these efforts.”
Still, Xiangdong sees government support as more foundational than proactive:
“From what I've seen, our government's role in this regard is more about providing a safety net, ensuring basic security. They need to consider the broader scope, not just a specific group like young people or visually impaired individuals.”
Xiangdong elaborated:
“I believe we are doing something quite innovative. This is something that perhaps companies or the government are not able to focus on, or may find difficult to implement directly.”
“The three sectors, government, businesses, and nonprofit organizations, should ideally support and complement one another. But when it comes to employment, I think the leadership still lies primarily with the government and businesses.”
Jiyuan referenced a phrase from her social work training:
“‘Secure the bottom line, respond to urgent needs.’ That's the role of the government.”
“But further down, the government can set general directions and policies. Yet when it comes to addressing our detailed and specific needs, which we call it the ‘capillaries’ of social demands, the government can't attend to all of them. That's where nonprofit organizations need to step up.”
“In Western societies, nonprofits are often referred to as the ‘third sector.’ They believe today's society is composed of three parts: government, business, and the third sector.”
Over the past decade, Lanjingling has worked closely with individuals and families impacted by visual impairment. When we asked Jiyuan to share some of precious moment with us, this simply stood out:
“Many years ago, there was a little girl named Yuanyuan,” Jiyuan recalled. “She and her family came to a Family Day event we organized at my previous company. We had a small area set up with games, LEGO building, and blindfolded activities.”
But what struck her most wasn’t the games, it was a quiet moment during a live performance:
“Yuanyuan's mom was watching two of our team members, Xiaobin and Xiao Pan, playing guitar. They were performing live, and at the end, Xiaoyan joined in to sing. Her mom watched them, and I saw this moment on her face: she thought, ‘Wow. They can do so much.’”
Yuanyuan had lost her vision after three brain surgeries, the last of which removed her optic nerve.
“Her daughter had gone through all those surgeries, switched from a mainstream school to a school for the blind. After so many ups and downs, what gives her hope now? Moments like that one.”
These experiences have shifted Lanjingling’s perspective: from focusing solely on individuals to recognizing the importance of their environment.
“What's even more important, or maybe more lacking, is the environment they live and work in. That’s what truly needs support.”
“If we want visually impaired people to work happily and confidently in companies, the companies themselves need professional support. Otherwise, how will they manage?”
“It's the same with schools. It's the same with our communities. These environments need to be accessible.”
“When the environment becomes barrier-free, then the individuals naturally become more confident, more joyful, and able to realize their value.”
Siqi Pan, the interviewer, said that personally he really liked the English word "accessibility" than its corresponding Chinese translation. The English word conveys that everyone has equal ability to participate in activities, receive services, interact with their environment, and access information. Xiangdong told us for Lanjingling, accessibility is more than a buzzword.
“I think these are the most important foundations for equality. And behind it, I believe, lies the principle of respect: whether you respect each individual's needs.”
Through their weekend events, they have developed accessibility training that includes etiquette for interacting with visually impaired individuals and guide running techniques.
“For people with visual impairments, learning this etiquette empowers them to explain it to others in daily life. For us sighted people, it helps us assist them in a more respectful and informed way.”
And Jiyuan shared:
“At the beginning, for this kind of training, we really didn’t know how to start. I reached out to different organizations, including the Hong Kong Blind Sports Federation… Based on their responses, I created a beginner-level training session. With each training, I kept updating, fixing issues, and improving it little by little.”
Over time, two major developments transformed the program.
“First, it couldn't just be me alone. New team members joined in to help deliver the training. Then the second big change was when visually impaired team members began taking on training roles.”
“At first, they followed all the existing steps we had designed. But over time, they started to add to it. To make it more comprehensive, more complete, more multi-perspective.”
“Later, they didn't just join; they led. For example, many of our trainers were mentored by Xiaobin. He would teach them little by little, step by step, demonstrating and guiding them through everything.”
This shift has made Lanjingling’s training not just informative, but truly empowering.
In 2019 Xiangdong and Jiyuan were selected for the GSMP program for the first time and were invited to the U.S. for a study tour.
"Before I went, I was really looking forward to it," said Xiangdong. "What surprised me, though, was that in terms of supporting people with visual impairments, like in sports or in inclusive employment, they weren't really ahead of us by much. They still see it as a major challenge, and haven't yet found particularly great solutions."
However, some experiences in the U.S. were deeply inspiring.
"I interned at the largest accessible sports complex in North America. Anyone, regardless of physical condition, could participate in a wide range of sports. Non-disabled people joined in naturally."
At another center supporting visually impaired individuals, Xiangdong discovered something profound:
"The organization was mostly run by visually impaired staff, and their core value was 'independent living'. That left a strong impression."
"I spoke with an organization that supports employment for people with disabilities. They didn't talk about how they help people with disabilities. Instead, they focused on how they support employers. That puzzled me at first."
The same theme emerged in inclusive education:
"Another group told me, 'We support schools. If the school lacks trained teachers, we train them. If they lack accessibility, we help design it. If families need help, we support them until the child becomes an adult.'"
Only after returning to China and launching the 100-Day Engagement did it all click:
"They were changing the environment. Building a more inclusive and accessible environment. Then, anyone, regardless of their characteristics, can grow naturally. That was a huge realization."
While Jiyuan joined the program remotely due to the pandemic, she also gained insights from Ability360, a sports complex with universal design:
"There was a ramp by the swimming pool for wheelchairs to enter the water. In the rock climbing area, kids could only play volleyball while sitting. Everyone sat, whether they were disabled or not. It felt truly inclusive."
Inspired, Xiangdong observed a program visiting local schools with adaptive sports:
"We loaded sports wheelchairs into a truck, went to a mainstream school, and held a wheelchair to the basketball class. No speeches, no drama. Just a regular PE class, but fully inclusive."
Xiangdong also recounted one particularly moving memory:
"There was one person with multiple disabilities, mobility, visual, polio. He had one hand missing and the other was just a stub. At first, I didn't know how to shake his hand. But he reached out confidently, and I just responded. The next time, it was easier. And the third time, it became natural."
"That experience taught me so much. True inclusion means adjusting yourself until difference disappears."
When asked about the difference between running a public welfare organization and a business, Xiangdong explained:
"Starting a nonprofit is not like starting a company. You're not a shareholder. Instead, you're a donor. Once the organization is registered, the donated money no longer belongs to you. If the nonprofit dissolves, the remaining assets are handled by the authorities."
Lanjingling is a social service organization, one of China's three legal forms of nonprofits. Registration and oversight are managed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and an additional supervisory bureau depending on the field (e.g., Education, Sports, or the Disabled Persons' Federation).
"Unlike in the U.S., where most nonprofit donations come from individuals, in China, individual donations are minimal. We rely on corporate support. Apple, for example, has an excellent donation procedure and volunteering system that supports us."
In Lanjingling’s early years, the main funders were Xiangdong and Jiyuan themselves.
"We offer paid training for companies and also develop programs with schools. For example, the charity football match with SUIS (Shanghai United International School, Wanyuan Campus) brought in both donations and service fees."
"A nonprofit must be sustainable. Making money is essential."
When asked about future direction, Xiangdong was clear:
"We want to do both. First, refine our professionalism and value. Then, on that solid foundation, expand our impact."
"We hope that whenever we think of Lanjingling, it brings us joy and pride. That feeling keeps us going."
When asked whether sighted individuals might perceive policies supporting disabled hires as unfair, Jiyuan responded with deep clarity:
"Our entire system is designed for able-bodied, adult males aged 16 to 60. Everything from chairs to corporate policies is built for them."
"We must remember: nothing we enjoy should be taken for granted. Privilege is invisible to those who have it."
"If someone with a disability gets an opportunity, maybe they wouldn't have had it in open competition. But stepping back, they deserve that opportunity. Because once they have it, they use it to advocate for those who can't be seen, can't speak up, or lack the power to be heard."
"That’s how we push society forward, toward true accessibility and inclusion."
When asked what advice they would offer to young people entering the field of public welfare, Xiangdong said:
"Three things: believe, act, and innovate. Innovation is especially lacking in the public sector."
Jiyuan added:
"Protect that little spark in your heart. That tiny flame. Don’t let it go out. Seek the energy around you that helps it stay alive. It’s not a perfect path. But you walk it because it’s worth walking."
At the end, Xiangdong and Jiyuan said:
"We just want this to continue for a long, long time," said Xiangdong. "Like raising a child, you don’t need them to be great. You just want them to be happy, confident, and free."
"That’s all we want for Lanjingling. That it grows up healthy and joyful, and lasts a very, very long time."