55-year-old Yang Ping, who lives in Qingdao, east China, is a costume pattern maker for big clothing brands like Armani and Zara. Her clothing shop provides jobs to 36 people with intellectual disabilities – making her a boss, a teacher and a family member to her special employees. /VCG Photo

Yang has never lived without a wheelchair, due to the polio she had as a child, but it didn't stop her from becoming a designer. Her dream was to become a doctor, but she failed to enter college because of her health condition. While working as an accountant at a clothing factory, Yang learned painting and costume design by taking classes at night. /VCG Photo

Yang’s husband was paralyzed after a car accident in 2002; afterwards, Yang had to earn more money to take care of him and their child. With the help of friends, she opened a clothing store. Yang reached out to foreign firms to get more pattern making orders, which helped her gain recognition from famous designers abroad. /VCG Photo

In 2014, Yang started to take on the work of helping people with disabilities, and she now has 36 employees who have intellectual disabilities. “It’s impossible to count on everyone to do much work,” Yang said. She just wants to help them stand on their own feet. /VCG Photo

In order to take care of her special staff, Yang went to lectures to learn about how to communicate with people suffering from autism and other mental disabilities. She has taught her team how to tailor, taken them to see mountains, and treats them like her own family members. /VCG Photo