Unlike most individuals in Taiwan who are blind, Lin Chia-te (林家德) says he's not interested in having a career as a masseur or working at blind men's foundations or schools. He's desperately in love with music, likes to interact with people and is always full of creative ideas.
Now a program host at a local radio station, Lin is one of Taipei City's blind who have developed a career in something other than what has long been deemed one of the few choices for the blind -- the massage industry.
Taipei City has 15,000 blind people, accounting for 0.6 percent of the city's total population. However, only 2,000 of them are employed and half of the blind working population are masseurs or masseuses.
Lin's road to success wasn't easy. Six years ago Lin sent a resume to the newly founded Green Peace Broadcasting Station (
He was given a part-time job but could barely survive on the NT$6,000 monthly salary. Six months later, Lin was promoted to a full-time employee producing and hosting a two-hour radio program targeting youths.
The program was a hit and he was asked to participate in such creative work as advertising literature and program production.
"I love my job and adore the people here. I consider myself lucky," said the 32-year-old Lin with shoulder-length straight hair and dark sunglasses.
"I've always believed in hard work. God helps only those who help themselves."
Apart from working at the radio station, the college graduate also works at his one-man studio, composing music and writing lyrics for record companies.
"I hope I will be able to write television or movie scripts, try acting and producing, and hopefully get married by the end of the year," he said.
To help the city's physically and mentally challenged population, the Bureau of Social Affairs (社會局) has earmarked NT$3.5 billion this year to continue the long-term subsidy program.
Under the program, each physically and mentally challenged person is entitled to a monthly allowance of between NT$3,000 and NT$6,000, depending on the seriousness of their situation.
Blind masseurs or masseuses are also invited by the bureau to offer services at Taipei City Hall every Monday and every other Thursday.
Since March this year, diners at the city hall's basement restaurant have had the opportunity to eat while enjoying music played by the city's blind bands on the third Wednesday of each month.
The city currently has about 10 such bands, and eight of them take turns performing at city hall.
"We're doing what we can to open more doors for the blind. We hope we can create more job opportunities for them in the already-limited job market," said Chen Chih-chang (陳志章), third division chief of the social affairs bureau.
Chen Chih-yang (
"More money means more work can be done," he said.
One of the biggest challenges faced by the blind, Chen said, is employment opportunities.
Founded in 1987, the association started three years ago arranging performance opportunities for the city's eight blind bands.
The organization also works with the city government in various projects to help the blind find jobs.
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