The existing body of literature in disability studies consistently demonstrates that disabled individuals often face distinct disadvantages and are particularly vulnerable in natural disasters and public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the majority of this research has been conducted within the context of the developed world, where access to established social safety nets and legal frameworks for support exists. Despite these mechanisms, evidence suggests that disabled citizens are systematically marginalized in state emergency responses. This paper seeks to expand upon the classical sociological debate surrounding structure and agency by examining the nuanced context of a self-organized voluntary disability network in China. In recent years, China has experienced a series of local and national emergencies, including flooding and the COVID-19 epidemic. Through a case study of an informal network formed by disability advocacy activists, this paper posits that in state emergency situations, civil organisations can act as supplementary forces to fill niche but important gaps in meeting individual demands, which government bodies are often unable to address. These networks emerge as a crucial form of agency and play a vital role in ensuring the delivery of essential supplies and information to disabled individuals in desperate situations during crises. Theoretically, this paper contributes to the understanding of the interplay between self help networks in crisis and its role as agency to empower vulnerable individuals (such as disabled individuals and the elderly) to make informed choices and decisions, in authoritarian regimes where civil society is often underdeveloped. Practically, it presents a validated framework for organizing and managing a support network that provides material and informational assistance to individuals during crises, particularly in instances where state resources are overwhelmed with other priorities.