Beyond the wheelchair: Tech equity in Shenzhen

轮椅上的"AI训练师" ——龙华1680平方米空间里的科技平权实验

AI trainers on wheels — A 1,680 m² experiment in tech equity at Longhua

当你对手机说"小爱同学，明天天气怎么样"的时候，那个能听懂你说话的AI，可能正是一位残障者"教"会的。

When you ask your phone, "Hey Siri, what's the weather tomorrow?" — the AI that understands you might have been taught by someone with a disability.

在深圳龙华区民治街道南源商业大厦西座三楼办公区里，十几名坐在轮椅上的年轻人正专注地盯着屏幕，为小米"小爱同学"标注语音数据，为小米智能家居和小米汽车智能座舱校准后台信息。他们的手指在键盘上翻飞，和任何一位科技公司的数据标注员没什么两样。

Inside the West Wing of Nanyuan Commercial Building, on the third floor of an office in Minzhi Subdistrict, Longhua District, Shenzhen, a group of young wheelchair users sits focused before their screens. They are meticulously labeling voice data for Xiaomi's "Xiao Ai" assistant, fine-tuning the backend systems for both Xiaomi Smart Home and the smart cockpits of Xiaomi EVs. Their fingers dance across the keyboards — indistinguishable from any other data annotators in the tech industry.

这里是龙华区委区政府，龙华区残联精心打造的龙华区残障者就业创业基地，又名IC爱创空间一期 —— 广东省首个省级残疾人创业孵化示范基地。1680平方米，45家孵化机构，135名残障员工。但真正让人意外的，不是这些数字，而是这群残障者正在参与的工作：AI智能标注、VR智能教育、软件开发、无障碍系统改造。

This is the Longhua District Employment and Entrepreneurship Base for Persons with Disabilities, meticulously established by the Longhua District Committee, District Government, and the Longhua Disabled Persons' Federation. Also known as IC Aichuang Space Phase I, it stands as Guangdong's first provincial-level incubation demonstration base for entrepreneurs with disabilities. Spanning 1,680 square meters, it hosts 45 incubating enterprises and 135 employees with disabilities. Yet, the real surprise isn't found in these numbers — it’s the cutting-edge work they do: AI data annotation, VR smart education, software development, and accessibility system upgrades.

他们不是AI时代的旁观者，而是参与者。

They are not spectators of the AI era, but participants.

"小爱同学"背后的隐形力量

The unseen hands powering "Xiao Ai"

深圳融合加信息技术服务有限公司是基地的明星企业之一。2019年入驻时只有5人，如今深圳、上海两地已有四十余人，成员包括肢体障碍者和视力障碍者。

Shenzhen Fusion Plus Information Technology Service Co., Ltd. stands as one of the base’s flagship enterprises. Starting with just five employees when it moved in back in 2019, the company has since expanded to a team of over 40 across Shenzhen and Shanghai, comprising individuals with physical and visual impairments.

他们承接的核心业务，是为小米"小爱同学"做数据处理 —— 也就是AI模型训练中最基础也最关键的"数据标注"环节。每一句语音指令的识别、每一条文本的语义分类，都需要人工逐一标注。如今，业务还延伸到了小米汽车智能座舱的后台数据处理。

Their core business involves data processing for Xiaomi’s "Xiao Ai"—specifically, data annotation, the foundational yet critical step in AI model training. From recognizing voice commands to classifying textual semantics, every single task requires meticulous manual labeling. Today, their scope has expanded to include backend data processing for Xiaomi EV smart cockpits.

他们还承接了字节跳动公司的今日头条无障碍系统改造业务 —— 让科技产品对残障者更友好，而改造者本身就是残障者。这种"由使用者来设计"的闭环，是任何健全人团队都无法替代的视角。

Beyond Xiaomi, they are also spearheading the accessibility retrofit of Toutiao (ByteDance’s flagship news platform). In a powerful twist, the very people improving the platform for users with disabilities are themselves persons with disabilities. This "user-as-designer" feedback loop offers a perspective that no able-bodied team could ever replicate.

科技平权：站在同一条起跑线上

Tech equity: starting at the same line

基地负责人黎智生自己也坐在轮椅上。他创办的"深圳市平行世界信息技术有限公司"，以信息技术开发残障者居家办公岗位，高峰时期在职残障者达350人。

Base director Li Zhisheng, a wheelchair user himself, founded Shenzhen Parallel World Information Technology. The company develops remote work solutions for persons with disabilities, scaling to 350 employees at its height.

"残障人士就业稳定性强，对待任务专注执着，定下的KPI会一丝不苟地完成。"黎智生说。正是这种品质，让小米、字节跳动这样的科技巨头愿意长期合作。

"The workforce is highly stable and deeply committed," Li notes. "They meet every KPI with meticulous precision." This reliability and discipline have made them a preferred partner for industry leaders such as Xiaomi and ByteDance.

在AI数据标注这个领域，坐在轮椅上还是站在办公桌前，没有任何区别。屏幕不认识轮椅，数据不区分身体。科技第一次让残障者和健全人站在了真正意义上的同一条起跑线上。这不是"照顾"，而是"能力匹配"。

In AI data annotation, the workstation is a great equalizer. A screen cannot see your chair, and data holds no bias against your body. Technology has finally leveled the starting line. This isn’t accommodation; it is merit-based alignment.

郑晓玲就是这种"能力匹配"的生动注脚。24岁那年，一场疾病让她从此与轮椅相伴。她试过做电影特效后期，但身体扛不住连轴转的加班，只能辞职。之后找工作，"有人在得知我身体状况后直接挂断了电话"。直到她在公众号上看到IC爱创空间招聘数据标注员，果断报了名。通过笔试、面试、两周培训和一个月试岗，她正式上岗，成为了AI的训练师。2024年，她还报名参加了轮铁三项挑战赛，完成了8公里马拉松赛程。"我赶上了科技、经济和文化发展的好时代！"

Zheng Xiaoling is a living testament to capability matching. Wheelchair-bound since falling ill at 24, she previously quit a VFX job due to unsustainable overtime. Job searches were often cut short by discrimination — "They hung up on me," she notes. Her breakthrough came via a WeChat ad for IC Aichuang Space. After rigorous assessments and training, she became an AI trainer. Last year, she proved her mettle by finishing an 8km marathon in a paratriathlon. "I’m riding the wave of a great era for tech and culture!"

基地运营方凭借"益技工坊—残障者技能共创站"项目，在第四届深圳市"残健共融"残疾人创业创新大赛中荣获企业组自强类银奖。评委会看中的，正是这种将残障者的专注力转化为科技产业生产力的模式。

The base’s operator won silver in the Self-Reliance Category at the 4th Shenzhen Disability Inclusion Innovation Contest, courtesy of its "Yi Gong Workshop" project. The jury specifically recognized how the initiative converts the dedication of persons with disabilities into tangible tech-sector productivity.

不止于科技：1680平方米的完整生态

Beyond tech: A 1,680 m² ecosystem

科技就业是IC爱创空间最亮眼的标签，但不是唯一的。在这1680平方米里，还有用麦秆画增收的手工艺人，有学烘焙给孩子做生日蛋糕的残障妈妈，有周末推着轮椅跑马拉松的"跑痴"。

Tech may define IC Aichuang Space, but it doesn’t encompass it. Across the 1,680 m² site, there are wheat straw artists turning craftsmanship into income, parents learning to bake birthday cakes for their kids, and dedicated "wheelchair runners" clocking kilometers every weekend.

2025年4月的深圳湾城市K马，轮椅跑团意外拿了第三。比赛视频被百万粉丝博主传播，轮椅划过的轨迹被无数人看见。

The wheelchair team stunned spectators by clinching third place at the April 2025 Shenzhen Bay City K-Marathon. After a mega-influencer reposted the video, the trailblazing tracks of their wheels went viral, capturing nationwide attention.

从AI标注到麦秆画，从智能座舱到马拉松——这个空间证明了一件事：残障者不需要被"特别对待"，他们需要的是被"平等看见"。给他们一个入口，他们能做的事情远比想象中多。

From AI annotation to wheat straw art, from smart cockpits to marathon tracks — this space proves one fundamental truth: Persons with disabilities do not need "special treatment"; they need to be "seen as equals." Give them an entry point, and they will accomplish far more than the world ever imagined.

六年了，48家企业从这里走出，220人在这里就业。进取点点星铺路，步履稳踏自成功。在AI重新定义一切的年代，龙华这个1680平方米的IC爱创空间，正在重新定义"残障"两个字 —— 不是"残缺"，而是"残而能创"。而科技就业，也让残障者找到了前所未有的平等与价值。

Over six years, the base has incubated 48 startups and created 220 jobs. Guided by the ethos that "persistent effort paves the way to success," IC Aichuang Space is reshaping perceptions. In the AI era, it reframes "disability" not as a deficit, but as "creative potential despite disability." Tech employment has unlocked a newfound parity and value for this workforce.