A loss of hearing is no impediment to community service
Hu Zhenzhou (left) and her volunteer partner nicknamed "King."
Hu Zhenzhou's commitment to community service has made him a household name in his neighborhood.
His true identity, however, remains unknown as he appears as a faceless dabai who is always dressed head to toe in a protective suit in front of neighbors. As a result, he is just a nice young man who lives in the No.8 apartment building in their eyes. Nonetheless, he is content.
Volunteering allows the 31-year-old with a hearing impairment to be widely understood, accepted and treated equally.
"Nobody knows about my hearing loss, and no one cares. At the moment, I'm just a volunteer helping others, and I'm proud of it," he said.
During Shanghai's lockdown, there has been an increase in volunteerism in the community. Hu also stepped out of a sense of obligation. But it was not easy.
On April 8, Tongkangyuan in the Pudong New Area, where he lives, began recruiting volunteers. He had fought the urge to sign up all day.
"I have hearing issues, which may cause poor communication. I was afraid I'd be ineffective and cause problems," Hu explained.
But after some hesitation, he realized that he wanted to contribute to his community. He seemed perfectly suited for the job. He already had five years of experience working in a charity store and was an expert at warehousing, sorting, and distributing.
Volunteers, and a partner nicknamed "King," welcomed him with open arms.
"They went above and beyond to explain the dos and don'ts to me," he said.
He works four days a week for three to four hours at a time. Despite his hearing loss, he has continued to work without incident.
As his nickname "gorilla" suggests, he is heavily built and quite tall. As a result, he is always eager to take on heavy labor tasks such as carrying delivery parcels and disinfecting public places.
Two or three times a week, he carries 20 liters of disinfectant spray on his back and disinfects the corridors from the 32nd floor to the ground floor. With his heavy protective suit, he quickly becomes drenched in sweat. As his mask gets foggy, King is always by his side to guide him.
They work in comradely silence, he claims.
"During the nucleic acid testing, I'm in charge of scanning people's QR codes and she's in charge of registering their information," he said, adding that King had learned sign language specifically for him because protective gloves hampered communication.
King can now say "hello," "start," and "end," among other simple expressions, in sign language. "It's a perk for doing volunteer work. I picked up a new language," she said.
Hu has been greatly inspired by her positive attitude. "I didn't expect it to be an opportunity to promote sign language," he said.
Hu lost his hearing as a child as a result of medication. He began working for the local charity store chain, Buy42, which employs people with disabilities, five years ago. He is now the store's probationary manager on Jiangning Road.
Several of his coworkers got involved in community service. It may seem insignificant, but raising public awareness of people with disabilities is critical.
As he admitted, his hearing impairment has caused a great deal of inconvenience. However, as smartphones become more popular, the situation is improving.
"I believe we are becoming more accepted by society. Customers exhibit fewer misunderstandings while at work. I know that authorities have done a lot to remove language barriers, such as using sign language interpreters on television news. However, there is still a long way to go in creating a disabled-friendly community," he said.
