ALL TOGETHER NOW

Hong Kong is multicultural and varied, but is it inclusive when it comes to people with intellectual disabilities? Tatler speaks with Hongkongers with Down syndrome and their families to learn what the city needs to do to better cater to this community

- Zabrina Lo

Twenty-eight-year-old Christine Lau had just finished her regular Sunday morning Chinese dance class when she turned up at Tatler's photo shoot in early July, and was excited to demonstrate what she'd learnt. "Dancing makes me happy. I have been learning ballet since I was four. My favourite production is Swan Lake," she says.

Tatler spoke to Lau and four other members of the Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association (HKDSA) to get a better understanding of the challenges faced by people with Down syndrome in Hong Kong, a subject that is not widely discussed outside of the community of families and caretakers. They were joined by HKDSA president and Tatler's Asia's Most Influential honouree Victoria Tang-Owen.

Dancing isn't just a hobby but a serious business for Lau. Over the years, she has studied jazz and modern dance, and has represented Hong Kong in international events, including the 2016 International Abilympics Bordeaux, the world's largest vocational skills competition for people with disabilities, and the Pyeongchang Special Music and Art Festival in South Korea in 2014. Today, Lau-with an intermediate foundation level in ballet issued by the Royal Academy of Dance under her belt-is a teaching assistant for the dance groups at Rotary Club of Hong Kong Island West Hong Chi Morning Hope School-Shine and HKDSA.

She is a rare Hongkonger-particularly one with a disability who has been able to turn a hobby into a career. HKDSA's director Erica Lee says while many members of the association take an interest in and show an aptitude for dance due to the prevalence of hyperflexibility among people with the condition, very few of them find work as dance professionals. More commonly, they find manual labour jobs; those with only mild intellectual disability may find work with large companies such as office mail delivery, cleaning, packaging or as an office assistant. "These aren't a lot of options," Lee admits.