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CareER RunnERthon 2024 Kick-off Ceremony
Organised by CareER

Speech by Ms Linda LAM Mei-sau, Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission

01/12/2024

Walter (Mr Walter Tsui, CEO & Co-founder, CareER),

Reina (Ms Reina Cheng, Chairperson, CareER),

Denny (Mr Denny Ho, District Officer (Kwun Tong), Home Affairs Department),

Yuen Kei (Ms Ho Yuen Kei, Paralympics Boccia Gold Medalist),

Distinguished guests and friends,

Good afternoon! Thank you for inviting me to be a part of the kick-off ceremony for this year’s RunnERthon. I feel energised to be here with you all today to champion the talent of people with disabilities while celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Your efforts and contributions will help CareER continue its fantastic work on promoting disability inclusion. So, thank you and give yourselves a round of applause!

The Equal Opportunities Commission’s partnership with CareER goes back a long way. We both share the same belief that young people with disabilities and special educational needs, or SEN, have a great deal of talent and have much to contribute to the community and our society. Many of them are highly educated and possess unique skills and expertise in various fields. There is no doubt that they would bring unique insights to the workplace and different professional fields. Nevertheless, some employers remain reluctant to hire them due to misunderstandings of their abilities and a lack of knowledge about providing accommodation.

The work that CareER does is critical in breaking down barriers and empowering more young graduates with disabilities and SEN to have access to employment and other opportunities. Your participation in the RunnERthon will support the organisation in bringing disability inclusion to the forefront through different initiatives and programmes, including coaching services that guide young professionals with disabilities and SEN in building their careers, as well as educational workshops for employers and the public on the benefits of a diverse talent pool.

At the EOC, we believe that enhancing accessibility in both the physical and digital environment is essential to ensuring that people with disabilities can lead dignified and independent lives. Last year, we stepped up our efforts in bringing the concept of “universal design” to the mainstream with various events and initiatives, including Hong Kong’s first Universal Design Award Scheme. The Scheme concluded last month with a recognition ceremony, which allowed us to highlight hundreds premises that have used innovative solutions to provide accessible environments and services for people with different needs and disabilities. These premises include 92 office buildings and spaces, 69 shopping malls, 62 restaurants, and 31 recreational, sporting, and cultural sites. We hope the best practices from the awarded premises will encourage more stakeholders to join us in building a city that is accessible to everyone, enabling individuals from different backgrounds to participate fully in all aspects of society, much like today’s event.

Ultimately, creating a more inclusive society will require collaboration and contributions from everyone. Sports are a great way to bring people together to work towards a common goal. I have no doubt that the rowing challenge, the boccia demonstration and tryout, and the RunnERthon will inspire more people to become champions of diversity, equality, and inclusion in the community. I’m proud to say that a few colleagues from the EOC and I have formed a team to participate in the RunnERthon. We look forward to running alongside all of you towards a future where people of all abilities can enjoy equal opportunities to participate in society.

Thank you once again for inviting me here today. I wish all the participants the best of luck, and I hope you all have a wonderful afternoon.

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