Shenzhen car wash employs people with intellectual disabilities

SHENZHEN — At a car wash nestled within the bustling city of Shenzhen, a group of employees start their day at 8 am with a self-devised routine. They spray water, work up a foamy lather and sway to the beat of lively music, treating the task of washing cars as if it were a delightful game.

The car wash is named Xihaner. The average age of the employees there is 26, but due to their intellectual disabilities, their mental capacities are akin to that of young children.

In nearly a decade, the Xihaner crew has grown from eight members to 15, and they have collectively washed over 100,000 vehicles. In doing so, they have not only earned their wages but also cultivated lives of independence and dignity.

China is home to approximately 12 million people with intellectual disabilities whose employment rate as a group is a mere 10 percent. While conditions such as autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy set them apart, Xihaner has helped these workers defy odds.

"While our workers do face certain challenges, they are able to match the cleanliness and prices of any other car wash," said Cao Jun, the car wash founder.

Stand on own feet

Cao himself is the father of an intellectually challenged child.

In 2002, his 7-month-old son was diagnosed with developmental retardation, with doctors predicting that the boy's intellectual level would peak at 6 to 7 years old.

Cao and his wife were devastated by the news. He was so anxious that he would avoid drinking water before going to bed for fear of waking up worried in the middle of the night.

"What if my wife and I pass away one day, leaving behind our son who will never fully grow up?" he could not help thinking.

The couple had considered having another child but later abandoned the idea.

"We could be distracted if we had a second baby, who would also have to support his or her elder brother in the future. It would have been unfair to both of them," he explained.

Cao initially aimed to save money for the child before he realized that compared with a financial future, it was more important for his son to have a life of dignity and fulfillment.

In August 2015, Cao, along with nine other parents facing similar challenges, pooled their resources to crowdfund the opening of the car wash. The initiative began with eight graduates from a local special education school, while Cao's son joined the ranks in 2020 after graduation.

"Car washing doesn't require high technical skills or much investment. They can make it work if properly trained," Cao said.

However, things initially did not go smoothly, as the employees' idea of "clean" was different from what was expected.

"They thought the car was already clean enough as long as they had basically washed it," he said.

Cao then hired a professional trainer, who divided the car into 18 sections for the workers to wash individually. They also separated the workers based on their level of intellectual disability, with each one being responsible for a particular part of the work. Soon, the team was able to achieve a competitive service speed, washing a car in 20 to 30 minutes.

Cao and the trainer also guided them on how to dress appropriately, greet customers politely and communicate with them.

Each Xihaner employee earns 2,360 yuan ($332) a month, and every month when they get their pay, they go out and have soft drinks together, celebrating their achievement with each other.

Cao said the car wash work is more than just about offering the employees financial sustainability. It's also about fostering a culture of self-reliance.

Xihaner has a firm policy against accepting tips, reinforcing the message that the staff members are defined by their work, not their disabilities. In China, offering tips is not a common practice.

"The less special you claim to be, the more people will accept you," Cao said.

Their commitment to excellence has earned them a loyal customer base and glowing reviews on Dazhong Dianping, the Chinese version of Yelp.

"It's been a long time since I've seen so many smiling faces. It's so good. Will visit again," one post read.

Spreading seeds of hope

Thanks to the sustained smooth operation of the car wash, many parents with intellectually challenged children from across the country have paid visits to learn more about the venture, and Cao is delighted to share its professional competence assessment system, training content and job assignment system with them for free.

Supported by Cao's car wash and the local provincial disabled persons' federation, another Xihaner car wash center went operational in Qinghai province in 2016, where 16 intellectually disabled people were hired.

In May 2022, the China Disabled Persons' Federation issued a document supporting the promotion of the Xihaner car wash project nationwide.

By the end of last year, the number of Xihaner car wash centers had reached 42 across China, with more than 400 mentally disabled people employed in many cities, including Nanjing in Jiangsu province, Hefei in Anhui province, Altay in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Chifeng in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Zhou Lingang, executive director of the research center for the development of disabled persons at Shenzhen University, said that the Xihaner model has been rapidly promoted and replicated nationwide, helping shatter the employment barrier for people with intellectual disabilities.

It has explored a path that is socialized and market-oriented and has also activated local resources in different areas according to local conditions, such as the disabled persons' federation and caring enterprises, Zhou said.

Zhou's research team thoroughly investigated the Xihaner car wash model and drafted a guide on professional car washing services for people with mental disabilities. The guide is expected to be released as a group standard soon.

Although the Xihaners have no financial ties with Cao's car wash in Shenzhen, he said he hopes more such facilities will open.

"If 1,000 such places are operational, they can help some 10,000 families with mentally disabled children," he said.

Xinhua