Joyce is precisely fond of a quote from the first deaf president of Gallaudet University in the United States, I. King Jordan, “Deaf people can do anything except hear.” It has been her motto that she always reminds herself.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Joyce is deaf, and uses sign language to communicate with others. She prefers to use “deaf” as her identity more than “hearing impairment”. (“Deaf” is from a cultural perspective, whereas “hearing impairment” is from a medical perspective.) Given her personal experiences, she wants to encourage deaf people to adopt a positive mindset, and seeks to eliminate misconceptions about people with disabilities.
For instance, Joyce is aware that people often assume deaf people have limited abilities so they can’t do many things that hearing people can do. Having encountered these misconceptions, she is eager to spread awareness about deafness to the general public. Her ambition to empower people with disabilities drives her to teach parents how to enhance visual communication, and interact with their deaf and hard-hearing children.
Currently, Joyce is a deaf teacher in Sign Bilingualism and Co-enrolment in Deaf Education Programme. Working in the education field for 12 years, her observations pushed her to promote the use of sign language. Although she wanted to further her education, she found that Hong Kong universities lack special support for deaf and hard-hearing students. Then, she ended up working her first job, an insurance clerk at HSBC for 3 year. She desired to get a degree someday. As a result, she decided to study abroad with an academic scholarship. Studying in the United States broadened her horizons, and enriched her understanding of human rights. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at Gallaudet University, USA. Later on, being one of the first deaf students at the Education University of Hong Kong (EDUHK), she graduated with a Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Special Needs) during her full-time work.
Joyce has completed several training, including a Diploma in the Deaf Education at Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2012. Moreover, she received a Professional Diploma in Sign Language Interpretation at Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2018. She also received a Certificate of Attendance, Representing Disability: Strategies for Arts Practitioners, by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Project Grant: Inclusive Arts Project Trainer’s Training Master Class in 2019.
In the future, Joyce plans to start an independent project on disability rights. To gain a deeper understanding of human rights, empowerment, planning strategies, and financial sustainability, she joined Resolve’s Fellowship Program. To relax, Joyce enjoys a variety of visual arts and reading different kinds of books. She also enjoys outdoor activities like traveling and hiking.