Microsoft : Digital and soft skills open new inclusive career pathways for people with disabilities

"With technology, the employment situation for people who are deaf or hard of hearing is getting better, and our communication barriers with other people are getting smaller," he says. "Speech-to-text applications can help people who are dead or hard of hearing seek jobs and fully participate on a level playing field with everyone else, which really shows the power of technology."

Shao is one of more than 1.6 million people across Asia who have taken part in Microsoft's Skills for Jobs program to acquire digital and interpersonal skills that are increasingly sought after in the job market.

Shao lost his hearing as a toddler. Sign language was his first form of communication and he later began using texting and messaging on his smartphone to communicate with others. As a teen, he took on new challenges that moved his life beyond a completely deaf environment.

With his parents' support and encouragement, he attended the Nanjing School for the Deaf and later the Beijing Union University's Special Education College where he majored in computer science and technology.

Expanding possibilities

While he was studying, Shao could see how technology was closing the gap between the hearing and hearing-impaired worlds. With that in mind, he decided to pursue a career in computer science and applied for an internship with Microsoft Philanthropies China.

"At that time, I was deeply attracted by the foundational technology and international reputation of Microsoft, and I was eager to try to get this opportunity."