The awardee of the Second Hong Kong Humanity Award - Mr CHAN Kam-yuen

Mr. Allen Chan Kam-yuen has actively participated in voluntary works over the past decade. In 2008 the Hong Kong Association of the Deaf faced a serious governance crisis. Despite this, Allen unhesitatingly accepted their invitation to guide the Association despite objection from his friends. He realized that the association plays an important role in helping deaf people and wanted to help to re-establish this selffinanced institution with a history of 30 years. Allen was concerned about the difficulties and issues faced by children growing up in deaf families as well as the healthcare offered to elderly deaf people. He believes there are no boundaries between different types of disabilities. As a disabled person without a hearing problem, he decided to speak for the deaf and strive to promote a better understanding of the challenges and obstacles encountered by Hong Kong's deaf community. Despite being physically disabled and dependant on a wheelchair, Allen has overcome his disability to actively participate in local humanitarian works. He has contributed his ongoing efforts to helping the disabled by engaging in management and advisory works for a number of rehabilitation institutions, including the Hong Kong Federation of Handicapped Youth, Regeneration Society and the Hong Kong Association of the Deaf. He is also devoted to such causes as advocating a barrier-free environment in Hong Kong and the provision of suitable transportation facilities for the disabled. Many Hong Kong disabled people are still living below the poverty line and high transportation fares are their major financial burden. Over the past few years Allen, as a convenor, teamed up with more than 40 rehabilitation organizations to urge the government and public transport companies to provide half fares for the disabled. They even took to the streets to protest and lobbied in and out the Legislative Council to raise public and private parties awareness of the difficult situation of the disabled. The Alliance of Half Fare in Public Transporation for the Person with Disabilities initially achieved success when a HK$200 monthly transportation subsidy was being granted.