Mr Ricky CHU Man-kin, Chairperson of the EOC, published an article in am730 on 10 July 2019, calling for greater understanding of persons with visual impairment (PVI). The article followed reports about social media users allegedly mocking a PVI shown to be using a smartphone and accompanied by a guide dog on the MTR.

Mistaking the Labrador Retriever as a large-size bulldog and unaware of the screen-reading functions available in many mobile devices nowadays, they suspected that the PVI was feigning blindness to bring his pet along. Fortunately, they were soon corrected by netizens who knew better and noticed that the Labrador was wearing a guide dog harness.

“The incident revealed a persistent lack of public awareness about the needs of PVIs, who continue to face prejudice and misunderstanding in everyday settings,” wrote Mr Chu. “Also, there is currently no provision in the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO) that outlaws discrimination on the ground of being accompanied by an assistance animal. That is why the EOC, in its 2016 submission to the Government on the Discrimination Law Review (DLR), recommended that the DDO be amended to include being accompanied by an assistance animal as a category of protection from discrimination.”

Mr Chu added, “Technological advances have greatly enhanced PVIs’ access to electronic and communication devices. With better understanding of the life of PVIs, I am sure the public will learn to treat them with more empathy and respect.”

• Read Mr Ricky CHU’s article (Chinese only)
• Read the EOC’s submission on DLR