Dong Lina delivers a graduation speech during the Communication University of China (CUC) graduation ceremony in Beijing on June 28, 2023. Photo: Screenshot from the official WeChat account of the CUC

Recently, a short video of a graduation speech delivered by a visually impaired postgraduate student during the Communication University of China (CUC) graduation ceremony in Beijing, has moved many Chinese netizens.

In the video posted by the CUC on its WeChat page on June 28, Dong Lina, a postgraduate student from the Broadcasting and Anchoring School at the CUC, was accompanied by Liao Xiangzhong, Chairman of the University Council, who guided her onto the podium before giving her speech.

To her surprise, before her speech, graduation attendees gave Dong a standing ovation, in recognition of her efforts she has made throughout her tenure as a master's student at the university, as a visually impaired person who never allowed a seemingly cruel hand dealt to her by fate dictate her destiny. 

"Isn't precedent meant to be created?" This is the mantra by which the 39-year-old has always lived by.

Born in 1984 to a farming family on the outskirts of Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, Dong was diagnosed with congenital amblyopia and went completely blind at the age of 10.

At the beginning, she bemoaned the unfairness of fate, but under the encouragement of teachers and books she has read over the years, she never gave up on learning.

Dong used to be a blind massage therapist at a massage parlor in Dalian. Unwilling to be a massage therapist for the rest of her life, she taught herself English after work and tried to amass a wealth of knowledge from topic of interest to her. In 2016, Dong learned through the Internet that an institution in Beijing was offering a broadcasting course for visually impaired students. After getting in contact with the institute, then 22-year-old Dong bought a train ticket to Beijing, a move which marked the start of a new life.

In Beijing, she not only mastered the art of broadcasting, but eventually became a teacher responsible for broadcasting and hosting training sessions at the institute. She was also invited as a guest host for a China National Radio program.

In 2019, she decided to prepare for the postgraduate entrance exam, wanting to learn more systematically about broadcasting and hosting. In the following year, Dong was admitted to the CUC Broadcasting and Hosting Arts School to pursue a master's degree, under the guidance of Wang Mingjun, an associate professor at the CUC.

Combined with her own life experience and unique perspective, Dong chose audio descriptive film as her research field. In real life, visually impaired people usually encounter obstacles that able-bodied people do not experience when enjoying a movie at the cinema. For many visually impaired people, enjoying audio-descriptive movies has become the main avenue by which they can access cultural products meant for public consumption.

"The cultural and artistic needs of the visually impaired should be seen more," Dong told the China Education Daily.

With the help of screen reading software, she was able to learn more than 10 million words of literature word for word, sorted out theories related to audio description, and put forward suggestions on narration strategies for barrier-free movies. 

With Dong's graduation, Wang told the media that he believes that there will be more people like her who will go on to receive higher education, have the opportunity to choose their ideal paths in life, and pursue their own dreams.