The United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, of which China, including Hong Kong, is a state party, lays down that “Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education.” Unfortunately in Hong Kong, some people, especially those with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, are not given enough support or denied access to higher education altogether even when they have the capacity.

In a recent article published in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), EOC Chairperson Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming recalled a few lamentable examples of tertiary SEN students not receiving the support they need. Although the Education Bureau has put more resources in recent years to support SEN students in primary and secondary schools, the needs of SEN students pursuing tertiary education continue to be neglected.

Prof. Chan urged the Government to adopt a holistic approach in reforming special education and overall support for people with disabilities in our community so that they, too, can participate fully in society.

Read Prof. Chan’s article in the SCMP

The United Nations has designated 3 December every year as International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The theme for 2016 is “Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want”, with the wish that the world in 2030 will be fully inclusive of persons with disabilities. One of the initiatives by the UN is the Enable Film Festival held at the UN Headquarters in New York, where short films that help to raise awareness of disability issues will be screened. The EOC is very pleased that our documentary, Recharting My Destiny, has been shortlisted for the festival!

 

		This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was extended to Hong Kong in 2008. Various local organisations are putting forward events and activities to celebrate the occasion and IDPD. They include a community event organised by the Working Group on Healthy City and International Day of Disabled Persons under the Health and Environment Committee of Sha Tin District Council on 3 December, and the Opening Ceremony of International Day of Disabled Persons 2016 cum Prize Presentation Ceremony for “18 Districts Caring Employers” and Interschool Quiz Competition (Final Round) on “United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” on 4 December, jointly organised by the Labour and Welfare Bureau Rehabilitation Advisory Committee, the Hong Kong Joint Council for People with Disabilities, and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. EOC Chairperson Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming will take part in both events to express the support of the EOC for people with disabilities.

Watch Recharting My Destiny
Learn about the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations

 

		Swiss-German artist Paul Klee once said, “Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible.” Art has the power to enlighten and to make one think and feel deeply. In educating the public on equal opportunities, a rather abstract concept, the EOC not only offers practical training and disseminates hard facts and information, but also engages the public through art, such as theatre performances for students.

 

To tie in with the EOC’s 20th anniversary this year, we organised a multi-media competition and encouraged members of the community to express their vision of an inclusive, discrimination-free world through three media, namely photography, poster and video. We received a great amount of entries and were amazed by how a single image can express so much. The winners have been announced on the EOC website and the prize presentation ceremony was held yesterday  (1 December 2016)  at the
EOC office.One of the winning entries – the one by the first runner-up Mr TSUI Piu – was selected by the UN Enable Photographic Exhibition.

 

We take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners, and offer our heartiest thank-you to all the participants for their support. In the coming year, the EOC will organise other activities and we invite all members of the public to make use of their creativity to support a good cause.

Results of the EOC Multi-media Competition

The once-a-year SME Expo, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, is a popular platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong to explore business opportunities. Business-making is for sure important, but it is also important for SMEs to pay attention to discrimination issues, which can cost them talent and even get them entangled with the law.

Since the expo is a good channel to reach out to SMEs in Hong Kong, the EOC has set up a booth to raise awareness among employers and employees of concepts such as workplace inclusion and discrimination prevention. Expo visitors can find information and publications on the anti-discrimination ordinances and tips catering for the needs of SMEs. Come visit our booth in Hall 1E at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The expo is running until tomorrow (3 December 2016).

 Details about the SME Expo

The EOC has been calling on the Government to work on legislation to protect the rights of the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex) communities in such public domains as employment, education and access to goods and services, like how the existing anti-discrimination ordinances safeguard the rights of the protected groups.

On 26 November 2016, a rainy Saturday, EOC Chairperson Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming joined the Pride Parade, organised by various activist groups, to rally for support for the sexual minorities. At the event, he again urged the Government to launch official public consultation on related anti-discrimination legislation as soon as possible.

Two days later at the full-day “LGBTI rights and freedom of religion in Hong Kong and the European Union” conference, co-organised by the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macau and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prof. Chan gave a speech and exchanged thoughts with experts from other parts of the world.

After attending the two events, Prof. Chan wrote an article in his column in am730 to reiterate the EOC’s stance and support for the LGBTI communities. We hope more and more people will come to accept and embrace human diversity so that one day there will be more love than hatred in our world.

 Read Prof. Chan’s article in am730 (Chinese only)