Recognition of Disability and Deafness in Hong Kong – Perspectives on Hong Kong Deaf Community

Abstract

Abstract This sociological article deals with the diversity of Deaf social reality in Hong Kong. The functions of disability associations, educational institutes and government service providers that can influence the socio‐cultural politics of deaf people to vary and serve as different platforms for social participation. An emblem of the Deaf community, sign language, differs in its acknowledgement in divergent everyday settings of deaf populations. This article tackles the following broad topics: Firstly, how the concept ‘deafness’ is understood – what are the examples from different approaches; secondly, what are different arenas for the Hong Kong Deaf community's participation can; and thirdly, what contemporary examples can illustrate the Deaf population and sign language in Hong Kong? The scope of the article is within Hong Kong. However, some policy level reference draws to Mainland China and global developments on the Deaf community, culture and identity. Key Concepts Deaf Community is a cultural and linguistic minority, where sign language is the primary language of communities including family members of a deaf person. Hong Kong Sign Language is a natural sign language variety used within Hong Kong (SAR) region and distinguished as a self‐standing language from other varieties used in Mainland China. The use of physical gestures to signify the grammar of a specific sign language or the textual expression of that language. A set of values and shared institutions that are influenced by deafness, where sign language is the primary method of communication. The approach to view deafness, where the focus is on a technical approach to deafness and oral teaching instead of sign language. The approach to view deafness, where the focus is on sign language, histories and experiential aspects within the Deaf community. The Asian SignBank is an online sign language database designed for the research and functional use of sign language, interpretation and teaching. Education of students with diverse degrees of hearing loss or deafness. In Inclusive Deaf Education, students from different backgrounds learn from each other, side by side.