To expose students to the hardship faced by people with visual impairment and to raise awareness on their right to equal opportunities, we organised a visit to the Rehabilitation Centre and Information Accessibility Centre of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind for our Career Challenge Programme. The Hong Kong Society for the Blind is a government subvented voluntary agency which provides comprehensive education, rehabilitation, vocational training, and medical, social and residential services to people with visual impairment in Hong Kong.

Mrs. Lai, the Officer in Charge of the Rehabilitation Centre briefed us about the various training programmes that assist the people with visual impairment in developing and enhancing the independent living skills, which will further help them in developing confidence and reintegrating into the community. The training course on “orientation and mobility skills” teaches the people with visual impairment to walk with a white cane and find their way. She explained that the Centre uses different flooring materials in their training rooms to enable the people with visual impairment adapt to different environments.

The Rehabilitation Centre also trains its members with visual impairment to independently run their homes. Members can learn culinary skills, such as handling, chopping and cooking food, and other facets of daily living at the Centre.

The Information Accessibility Centre provides a wide range of digital infotainment through the accessible media and other forms of information technology. From “The Dream of the Red Chamber (Hung Lou Meng)” to “Harry Potter”, the Centre houses an extensive collection of Braille and talking books, which it also loans to the people with visual impairment. Emily, Manager of the Centre, showed us how to use the talking book. Members can also listen to daily news by dialing a hotline sponsored by a telecommunications company.

Participating students got an opportunity to chat with Billy, a member of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind, who suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa, a genetic eye condition which leads to the loss of peripheral vision, and amblyopia, when he was in Primary 4. Students wanted to know what kind of difficulties he faced in his daily life or in finding a job. Billy answered that he enjoys his life very much at present. “I go to the movies, browse on the web and look for delicious food around the street,” he said, adding, “However, I have problem seeing the bus route number clearly.” He said that he wished to become a social worker and offer counseling service to those who are emotionally disturbed. Impressed with his tenacity and optimism, the students responded with a big applause.