It’s estimated that around 1 billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability.

Despite this figure being relatively high, disability inclusion is still a big problem in today’s world, and often, disabled people simply don’t have a chance to make their voices heard.

Thankfully, the internet has brought together people from all walks of life, and many people with disabilities finally have the opportunity to express themselves to an online audience.

Zhang Junli is a woman from China with a passion for painting.

Zhang’s paintings are beautiful – they truly are works of art. What makes her skill even more incredible is that Zhang is paralyzed, and has learned to paint in spite of her disability.

42-year-old Zhang was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when at just six years old. Less than three years later, almost all of her joints stopped working.

Despite having battled the incurable disease for decades, Zhang has a positive attitude to life.

She figured out a way to make the most of her situation – to let her imagination run wild in the form of artwork.

Speaking about her decision to take up her now-full-time profession, she said:

“The world is too beautiful. Even if I am in poor health, I don’t want to give up the opportunity to live.”

Unbelievably, Zhang only started painting three years ago. Already, art lovers are desperate to get hold of her works, and she owns an online shop, “Lily’s Easel,” on WeChat.

Zhang has received support from thousands of Chinese customers, and her shop is hugely successful.

When Zhang was six years old, she began to feel the first symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. To begin with, her wrist and thumb became swollen and painful.

Zhang’s parents took her to the hospital, and that’s where she received her diagnosis. Her doctor warned her parents that if her condition wasn’t treated properly, she would end up paralyzed.

Sadly, this prognosis came true in 1985, when Zhang’s entire body went stiff.

Aside from limited movement in her hip, shoulders, and neck, Zhang couldn’t move at all, and she was in a lot of pain.

Zhang’s family and neighbors had a lot of pity for her – though perhaps this wasn’t helpful at the time. Zhang remembers visiting neighbors asking her mom what would happen to “this poor child,” and her mom would have only tears to respond with.

For Zhang, this was an uncomfortable thing to watch. She recalled:

“It was sad to see my mother like that. I’m just paralyzed – I’m not dead.”

Although Zhang was now unable to go to school, she was still keen on a hobby – and she decided on drawing.

What started as a pastime quickly turned into something more, and in 2015, she learned oil painting from a professional artist and took her artwork to another level.

Her wrists were completely stiff, which made it difficult for Zhang to even hold a paintbrush.

She started by holding the brush between her thumb and index finger, angling her shoulder to adjust the pressure as she painted.

Over months of practice, Zhang began to get used to her adapted painting style.

It now takes Zhang about 7-12 days to complete a 75 cm x 100 cm canvas. You can watch the video below to learn more about this incredible artist.

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Source: Lifestyle News/ YouTube, Worldbank, My Positive Outlooks