MAKING SPACE

These Hong Kong artists with disabilities defy social expectations and challenges in life to create art that goes beyond our imagination

- Zabrina Lo

For those with disabilities, taking up art as a hobby, let alone a career, is a challenge. This is not due to their lack of capacity or talent but to how society offers limited support or underestimates their potential in general.

According to Ida Lam, chairperson of NGO Arts with the Disabled Association of Hong Kong (ADAHK), that can be anything from a scarcity of structured, comprehensive training for people with disabilities at the various stages of their artistic development; to how sign language isn’t commonly known in society; and how buildings may not have disability-friendly facilities and designs.

“The community thinks that people with disabilities in [the arts] are not really important,” she says. “This is a vicious cycle: because there is a lack of support and resources, you don’t see enough success stories [and so] only a few people with disabilities can achieve fulfilling results or become iconic figures for the community to look up to. [In turn,] you don’t attract enough general support or resources. The biggest challenge is changing people’s mindsets.”

But there are artists with disabilities in Hong Kong who are determined to and have made the arts their life and living. Artists working in three different genres tell Tatler about their journey to success and what they think Hong Kong should change to become a more inclusive city.

LENS FROM A WHEELCHAIR