Taiwan’s Shortest Taxi Driver Dedicated to Helping Disabled

[Cover picture: Mirror Media]

Known as Taiwan’s shortest taxi driver, Cheng Jianzhi (程健智) quit his job in veterinary research to fulfill his high-school dream of driving a ‘barrier-free’ taxi.

Just 123cm tall, Cheng was born with Osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. Cheng was forced to drop out of high school due to injuries, but enrolled in veterinary studies at the age of 27. After graduation Cheng worked for the Council of Agriculture.

Now 44 years-old, as a young man, Mr Cheng was suicidal after doctors told him that he had a life-expectancy of 25 years. Today, Cheng values every day as a day earned. He says that people have many different kinds of disabilities, but everybody has a dream.

Mr Cheng is married and has two children, one of whom also suffers from the hereditary condition. He lives in Yunlin County.

Cheng is featured in a documentary released today by the Osteogenesis imperfecta Association.

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