The “2023 Shanghai University Student of the Year” has been announced, with Wang Ziyan, a graduate student from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University (ECNU), being honored among the recipients!
Wang Ziyan is a graduate student in Speech and Hearing Rehabilitation Sciences, Class of 2021, at ECNU’s Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate studies, she has been twice recognized as an Outstanding Graduate in Shanghai and won the Gold Award at the 7th China College Students’ “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
During her academic journey, she has actively engaged in professional public service for autistic people, leading a team to provide an integrated “Evaluation-Rehabilitation-Practice” employment support program tailored for autistic individuals of all ages from an educational rehabilitation perspective. Her efforts have cumulatively empowered over 60 autistic individuals to become self-reliant.
For Wang Ziyan, her choice of the specialized field of educational rehabilitation was not a coincidence. Born into a family where traditional Chinese medicine was the norm, she witnessed her grandmother treating autistic children at a young age. Watching these non-verbal children making progress under her grandmother’s guidance deeply moved her and inspired her to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps.
Influenced by her families, she further realized that autistic children require not only medical intervention but also educational support to better integrate into society. Thus, after high school, she resolutely chose to enroll at ECNU.
Immersed in a professional environment, Wang Ziyan actively participated in volunteer activities. “I first met C at a special concert three years ago, when he was undergoing music therapy as part of my mentor’s program.” After that encounter, Wang Ziyan began to observe and track this autistic youth.
In her view, C, who has received rehabilitation since childhood, is now capable of engaging in routine social activities after around a decade of intervention. However, his parents remain concerned about his ability to earn a living independently. Driven by professional insight and consciousness, she fully realizes that autism rehabilitation should not be limited to educational guidance during childhood but must also address the employment issue for autistic youth.
Therefore, Wang Ziyan initiated a research group dedicated to tackling the employment challenges faced by autistic individuals. She focused her master’s research on vocational rehabilitation for autistic youth. During her internship and externship experiences at various institutions, including Shanghai Pudong Special Education School, Shanghai First Rehabilitation Hospital, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai Xuhui District Bo’ai Children’s Rehabilitation Center, and Shanghai Shibei Vocational High School, she gained insights into the prevalent challenges faced by autistic children in finding employment and integrating into society during their later years.
Facing families filled with anticipation, Wang Ziyan decided to confront challenges alongside her peers, leveraging their expertise and enthusiasm to advance employment opportunities for individuals with autism. They delved into a vast array of relevant materials and ventured into the frontlines, conducting intensive interviews with autistic youth, parents, special education experts, frontline therapists, and compassionate business leaders.
Wang Ziyan applied rehabilitative games to guide autistic youth C in understanding the coffee-making process.
Wang Ziyan applied rehabilitative games to guide autistic youth in training leather carving.
Moreover, she actively participated in research programs and public welfare initiatives sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, and the Shanghai Disabled Persons’ Federation. The team progressively narrowed the focus on sheltered employment schemes for autism and developed employment programs for autistic people of all ages to attain jobs. Over two years, under the guidance of mentors, they crafted personalized employment programs for autistic youth, and their research titled A Study on Sheltered Employment for People with Autism was adopted and acknowledged by the Shanghai Disabled Persons’ Employment Service Center.
In their study, Wang Ziyan and her team synthesized existing research to develop a self-compiled Vocational Capability Evaluation Tool for Autistic Youth. Based on precise evaluations, they recommended advanced autistic youth for vocational rehabilitation. They also integrated professional rehabilitation models into individualized vocational training, complemented by a “dual mentorship” system encompassing rehabilitation and employment counseling. Furthermore, leveraging digital platforms, they created five vocational rehabilitation curricula tailored to the “Barista”, ‘Pastry Chef”, “Tufting Artist”, “Leather Carving Craftsman”, and “Musical Theatre Performer” professions.
At present, all 65 autistic individuals participating in the program have achieved their dream of self-reliance, attracting over 3,000 special individuals to take vocational evaluation and rehabilitation. Collaborations have been established with 11 organizations across eight regions in six provinces and cities, setting up a job placement system that secures the sustainability of the program. Relevant research findings have garnered two national invention patents and won the Special Award at the 18th College Students "Challenge Cup" Extracurricular Academic and Technological Works Competition.
The initial impetus for Wang Ziyan’s dedication to autism employment rehabilitation came from C, who has fortunately become a professional barista with their assistance.
Under the support of the autism employment support program, C’s peers have also embarked on their respective career paths: some as pastry chefs, making delicious cranberry cookies with the guidance of employment counselors; others as artisans, creating stunning tufted works; and still others as musical theater performers, shining on stage.
More autistic patients are now undergoing vocational rehabilitation training developed by Wang Ziyan’s team. Z, who is currently taking a coffee rehabilitation course, is about to start an internship soon, expressing, “I’ve been to cafes before, now I can work there too. I’m so happy.” These autistic patients and their families are increasingly hopeful about the future.
After graduating from ECNU this year, Wang Ziyan will pursue her Ph.D. Degree in Special Education, focusing on social integration for autistic individuals, aiming to keep exploring ways of helping them get jobs with even more diverse and profound perspectives.
Copy editor: Philip Nash
Editor: Wicky Xu
