Peng Linqian (Lillian) is a Deaf social work leader from China and the founder of the Chongqing Liangjiang New District KnowDeaf Social Work Service Centre. Established in 2022, KnowDeaf is the first nonprofit in her region founded and led by a Deaf woman. As Director General, Lillian leads organizational strategy, program implementation, fundraising, and cross-sector partnerships. She advances health equity and disability inclusion, with a particular focus on Deaf women and youth. After losing her hearing at age seven, she experienced firsthand how communication barriers and systemic exclusion can limit access to education, healthcare, and safety. These experiences shaped her commitment to accessibility as a right—centered on dignity, agency, and community leadership.

From 2022 to 2025, Lillian guided KnowDeaf in delivering programs across Chongqing and remote, under-resourced areas of China. The organization focuses on three core areas: healing and development for children and youth with disabilities, career pathways for young people with disabilities, and the physical and mental health of women with disabilities. Flagship initiatives include the Accessible Picture Book Reading Project and the Employment Coaching Program for college students and women with disabilities.

Lillian is recognized for system-level innovation. With support from UNFPA and UNAIDS, she co-created China’s first bilingual sex education animation for persons with disabilities, developed the country’s first sign language sex education dictionary, expanding inclusive SRHR learning for thousands. She has also collaborated with UN agencies through GBV advocacy events and CSW69 participation and led the development of China’s first anti–gender-based violence mini-app for Deaf women, providing accessible information and referral pathways to legal and psychosocial support. 

Looking ahead, Lillian aims to deepen her systems thinking and policy influence, and to build an Asia-Pacific network for disability-inclusive SRHR and GBV prevention so inclusion becomes standard practice in public health and governance.