Accessible for All - Hong Kong Symposium

Ms Hou Yisha received her PhD in law from the School of Government at Peking University. She was previously the head of the department on civil and disability affairs at the Shenzhen Municipal Government. She was also the former Secretary of the Party Group and Chairwoman of the Shenzhen Disabled Persons Federation.

Ms Hou is an innovative reformer who is passionate about breaking down barriers for and serving people with disabilities. She has extensive experience in leveraging global and national approaches in public administration to create breakthroughs, streamline procedures, and standardise services. She is a pioneer in conceptualising the implications of barrier-free cities in urban governance and law. She was instrumental in introducing various legislations and guidelines, including “Regulations of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone on the Construction of Urban Barrier-Free”, “Barrier-free Environment Creation Law of the People’s Republic of China”, “Guidelines for Information Sharing in Barrier-free Cities” and “Evaluation Standards for Barrier-free Cities (Urban Areas)”. She also founded the Shenzhen Accessible Service Centre for Entrepreneurship, which won the 2020-2023 National Barrier-free & Excellent Design Award.

She has received over 10 awards by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, China Disabled Persons’ Federation and relevant departments in Guangdong province. She also received the reform and innovation award from the Shenzhen Municipal Committee and City Government and innovation award from the Shenzhen Municipal Government.

Presentation title:

Building Barrier-free Cities in the Greater Bay Area

Presentation summary:

This showcase will examine the present and future development of barrier-free cities in Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area from the perspectives of culture, regulations and built environment. It will also explore theories and practices related to barrier-free cities, highlighting their potential to unleash the manpower of people with disabilities, enhance inclusion and improve wellbeing for all. The presentation will:

1. Outline the conceptual development of “barrier-free”, tracing its implementation in architectural design to broader social development;
2. Introduce the roadmap to developing barrier-free cities that improve usability through removing physical and cultural barriers; and
3. Envision the future of barrier-free cities, encouraging city administrators, designers, planners, builders, service providers, and researchers to promote a culture of accessibility and create barrier-free environments.