Support, Don’t Pity: Meet Daniel Cheng, A Cerebral Palsy Patient Who Sells Biscuits For A Living

By Quinny Tan  •  in Features
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Source: @danielbeeskut Instagram

The world is often unkind to those living with disabilities.

When times are hard and businesses can’t afford to hire someone because they might need more training than usual, or even when companies downsize, people with disabilities often have to find alternate means to support themselves.

Meet Daniel Cheng, a 31-year-old business entrepreneur specialising in delicious local biscuits and snacks, with a personal goal to put smiles on people’s faces.

Born with cerebral palsy, he strives to live an independent life while selling biscuits.

Daniel posted a screenshot of a chat between him and his landlord, with the latter asking for rental money.

In the caption, he wrote, “This is the only source of income that I’ve to pay for my monthly rental (overdue 2 months already) buy food, pay my bills, buy stocks etc.”

Source: @danielbeeskut Instagram

But this isn’t new. His first post on the account dates all the way back to last May, and he’s been making a living through this online business since then.

He’s also made an appearance on TV3 where they featured an inspirational video of him talking about his story. The narrator commented about Daniel not letting his weaknesses affect him, but rather achieving his goals through old fashion hard work and elbow grease.

JUICE had a chance to chat with Daniel to find out more about his story and how he got here. Initially, he used to work full time at a friend’s massage business, sitting in his wheelchair for 12 hours a day for one whole year.

He couldn’t take the inaccessibility of the toilets and long shifts, and decided to help the less fortunate by selling biscuits at a low price.

Although this is his only source of income to pay rental and utilities, Daniel also donates to orphanages. He urges his customers to be patient when it comes to his orders, since he’s doing this all independently with one hand and one leg.

Source: @danielbeeskut Instagram

As for living with a disability, he would like to send a message:

“Please don’t lock the disabled toilets, it’s very hard to access. And people need to stop using the stalls that are only available to us. Disabled parking lots are an issue too, as people often misuse them. Please be more considerate.”

In the interview, he said he would like the government to “look into this.”

Affirming that he doesn’t want the public’s pity or sympathy, Daniel described himself as simply a man with a small business trying to pay his bills.

He future goal is to one day open up a shop, where he can continue selling his biscuits and where hungry people can “pay a few bucks and get some snacks to make people happy.”

If you’d like to place an order, contact 0122118379 on WhatsApp and check out his Instagram page for a full menu!

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