The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) today (24 March 2024) organised a film screening with audio description in a cinema for around 100 members of various organisations serving people with visual impairments. Mr Ricky CHU Man-kin, Chairperson of the EOC and Dr Ferrick CHU Chung-man, Executive Director (Operations) of the EOC joined the participants to watch the audio description version of the “Under the Same Sky” short movie series, highlighting that individuals with different abilities and needs can enjoy equal participation in community activities.

Mr Ricky CHU said, “The EOC believes that persons with disabilities should have equal opportunities to participate in various social activities and to lead independent lives, whether it is dining in restaurants or going to the cinema. By handling complaints, conciliating disputes, arranging publicity and education, and conducting research and advocacy, we have been working over the years to ensure that individuals with different abilities and needs can have equal access to facilities and resources, and are able to participate in society. Furthermore, the EOC has been actively promoting the mainstreaming of the universal design concept so as to foster an accessible and barrier-free society. Last year, we included the promotion of universal design as one of the key initiatives in the EOC’s Strategic Plan 2024-2026, followed by the launch of the Universal Design Award Scheme earlier this year. The production of the audio description version of the film and today’s screening are also part of our efforts to promote universal design.”

“Audio description services transform visual images into spoken language, presenting the film’s visuals to audiences through concise, vivid, and imaginative verbal descriptions by professional audio describers. Such services can help individuals with various needs, including people with visual impairments and the elderly, to enjoy films and other visual programmes. The EOC has been advocating for the wider use of audio description services.  We produced audio description versions for several episodes of our TV docu-drama series in the past. For the “Under the Same Sky” short movie series, we are pleased to have collaborated with Audio Description Association (Hong Kong) Limited to produce the audio description version, allowing people with visual impairments and the public to enjoy this moving film together,” said Mr Ricky Chu.

The “Under the Same Sky” short movie series features eight heartwarming stories that explore different forms of discrimination, including disability, pregnancy, breastfeeding, family status, and race. By depicting the experiences of the characters, the films aim to raise awareness of the difficulties and needs of groups facing discrimination, thereby eradicating discrimination and prejudice in society. The series was broadcast on ViuTV and RTHK TV31 last year. Today’s screening marks the first time the film series was shown in the cinema, which was attended by nearly 100 members from various organisations serving people with visual impairments, including the Audio Description Association (Hong Kong) Limited, Hong Kong Federation of the Blind, Hong Kong Network for the Promotion of Inclusive Society, Hong Kong Seeing Dog Service, and the Retina Hong Kong.

The EOC has uploaded the audio description version of the series to the EOC website and YouTube channel (URL: https://youtu.be/OEdlVki3Kto), so that the public can access the film at their convenience while promoting the use of audio description services. Members of the public can also watch the film without audio description via the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urOr_Lzqzxg

The audio description version of the “Under the Same Sky” short movie series is one of the initiatives by the EOC to promote universal design. Other key initiatives include the launch of the How to Support Persons with Disabilities: Practical Guide on Universal Design for Catering Services guidelines in October 2023, the “Application of Accessible Technology in Catering Services” seminar in November 2023, and the launch of the Universal Design Award Scheme 2024-25 in February this year.

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Equal Opportunities Commission
24 March 2024

(from left) Mr Kim MOK Kim-wing, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Network for the Promotion of Inclusive Society; Ms Veronica YIM, a volunteer from Hong Kong Network for the Promotion of Inclusive Society; Dr Ferrick CHU Chung-man, Executive Director (Operations) of the EOC; Dr Dawning LEUNG, Founder of Audio Description Association (Hong Kong) Ltd; Mr Ricky CHU Man-kin, Chairperson of the EOC; Mr Tang Kwong-po, Chairman of Hong Kong Federation of the Blind; and Mr SHING Li-lim, Executive Director of Hong Kong Federation of the Blind joined the participants to watch the audio description version of the “Under the Same Sky” Short Movie Series on Equal Opportunities.