General Information
The Ordinance is set up to protect persons with disabilities (including hearing impaired individuals) to enjoy access to equal opportunities and to integrate into the society. The Ordinance protects hearing impaired individuals and their associates from discrimination, harassments and vilification in the following aspects:
For more information, please visit the website of the Equal Opportunities Commission
If an individual taxpayer has a disabled dependent, he or she could apply for the disabled dependent allowance according to this ordinance. Please contact the Inland Revenue Department for details on the allowance.
For more information, please visit the website of the Inland Revenue Department
According to the Ordinance, the claimant must fulfill both the occupational and disability requirements in order to receive the compensation.
Any individual who has been given compensation for occupational deafness may apply for further compensation if he/she continues to be in specified employment under a noisy environment in Hong Kong, and which leads to the individual suffering from greater degree of hearing loss and additional extent of permanent incapacity.
For eligibility, procedures and calculation of compensation, please visit the website of the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board
As hearing impaired persons rely heavily on visual components to receive external information from the media, there is a significant demand for subtitles in TV programmes. According to the Communications Authority, regulations are as follows:
Since 1st December 2003, free television channels which offer Cantonese programmes shall provide Chinese subtitles for the following programmes:
Emergency Service
In the past, the speech and/or hearing impaired could seek help from the police by reporting to the 992 Fax Emergency Hotline. With the use of SMS becoming increasingly popular, various organizations concerned with the welfare of the hearing impaired advocated that the Police Force establish an SMS emergency hotline. The recommendation was later funded by the HKSAR government and supported by telecom companies and finally began its operation in Oct, 2004.。
For more information, please visit the website of the Hong Kong Police Force
Before you travel outside Hong Kong, you can register your contact details and itineraries using this online service. In case of an emergency overseas, the “Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Hong Kong Immigration Department” can contact and offer help to you.
For more information, please visit the website of Gov HK
The scheme is jointly operated by the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association and the Hong Kong Society for the Deaf.
Eligibility and application process
In case of emergency, the “Personal Emergency Link Service” (PE Link) can offer help to you. Tailored PE Link service for hearing impaired individuals is now available for application.
“Indoor PE Link” Service
Bell rental plus monthly charge | Deposit | Contract period |
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$1231 (1 bell +2 remote controls) |
$492 (Service charge for first 4 months |
6 months |
e-Care Link App
Monthly charge | Contract Period |
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$168 | 12month |
Care-on-Call service
Phone Price | Deposit | Contract Period |
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$800 | $138 | 12months |
Eligibility criteria:
The current income and asset limits for applying to our charity funding are as follows:
Monthly total income | Asset limits | |
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Single | $7,970 | $246,500 |
Couple | $13,050 | $373,500 |
To provide your identity documents
Staff will ask applicants or referral organizations to provide the following documents’ copies for assessments, including asset statements:
*In the assessment process, our staff will also look at the financial situation of relatives, living together or not, to confirm whether they can support the applicant in applying for the PE Link Service.
Terms and Conditions:
Public Service
Elderly and eligible persons with disabilities could enjoy a concessionary fare of $2 in specified public transport mode and services. It is aimed at encouraging the beneficiaries to integrate into the society and building an inclusive society.
For more information, please refer to the website of the Transport Department
Applicants must fulfill the criteria stated below:
For more information, please refer to the website of HK Electric
The service provides a 24-hour appointment service through 800 telephone lines, citizens can call to make their clinic appointment for the next 24 hours.
For more information, please visit the website of the Hospital Authority
In response to the needs of hearing impaired patients, the Hospital Authority (HA) has implemented the SMS Booking Service in General Out-patient Clinics. This service is provided to hearing impaired patients and operated by a computer system. Registered patients can send a SMS to selected clinics to make a booking. Patients will be asked to follow the procedures and enter relevant information in order to make their clinic appointment for the next 24 hours. The procedures are similar to that of telephone booking and quota is assigned with the same probability.
For more information, please visit the website of the Hospital Authority
Daily Life
As hearing impaired persons could not hear the sound of the doorbell, it could cause inconvenience to visiting relatives or friends as well as potential danger during an emergency. If you have experienced similar incidents, you may consider installing a flashing doorbell in order to enhance your communications with the others.
Hearing impaired persons legally renting and residing in public housing could contact our social workers of the Counselling Centre. They will assist in referring you to the Housing Authority for free-of-charge installation.
The case will be referred to St. James’ Settlement for further asset checks, if successful, material and installation fee will be waived. Please note St. James’ Settlement reserves the right of final decisions.
You can purchase flashing doorbells directly from St. James’ Settlement. Our social workers could refer your case to Caritas Sham Shui Po residents' mutual-help maintenance team for them to assist in installation for $200 each. If you are not an elderly person but with financial difficulties, we could help applying for waiving the installation fee.
Application:
Please call 2711 1974 or fax to 2760 9442 to make an appointment to handle the application with our social workers at the Counselling Centre.
Application Procedures:
The Transport Department has issued the following notice on Driving Assessment and Driving License for hearing impaired persons :
Disabled persons (e.g. deaf, physical disability in limbs, or with mobility problems), or persons with the need of wearing hearing aids while driving can only apply for driving assessment after doctor’s recommendation and passing our test satisfactorily. If there is any query, please contact the Driving Test Unit by calling 2713 7262.
(Template for Approval Letter issued by the Transport Department))
The Transport Department
Ref. No.: XXX
Approval Letter
If you fulfill relevant requirements, we do not object to your application or participation in Driving Assessment for Private Car (Code 1), Light Goods Vehicle (Code 2), MotorCycle (Code 3) and Motor Tricycle (Code 22). Please note that you must wear a hearing aid while driving.
Please keep this letter for future reference and communication with us.
Commissioner for Transport
Name
Date
Individual Application:
Hearing impaired persons should first call the Driving Test Unit (Tel: 2713 7262) to arrange an appointment. On the day of assessment, applicants must bring along their Medical Certificate to the initial assessment at the Driving Services Section, Pui Ching Road, Homantin. After the assessment, you should bring along the approval letter to the Licensing Office for application.
For more information, please visit the website of the Transport Department
Application through our Society:
Have you tried scheduling a Driving Test but you were asked to provide an Approval Letter for Driving for hearing imapired persons? Do you feel anxious about applying for the Letter? Our Audiology Centre and Social Workers are here to help:
Applications through our Society:
Since 2010, Legislative Council meetings have been accompanied by simultaneous. Sign Language interpretation. Hearing impaired persons could view live broadcasts or search for past meeting records in the link below.
Live Broadcasting of Legislative Council meetings: https://webcast.legco.gov.hk/public/zh-hk
Scholarships for Education/Professional Training
Our Society offers two scholarships for students with hearing impairments, which are open for applications annually.
Simon K.Y. Lee & Lee Chi Hung Scholarship for the Hearing Impaired | T.M. Gregory Memorial Scholarship | ||
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Established | 1994 | 1979 | |
Simon K.Y. Lee & Lee Chi Hung Scholarship for the Hearing Impaired (Higher education for the deaf) |
T.M. Gregory Memorial Scholarship (Higher education for the deaf) |
T.M. Gregory Memorial Scholarship (Professional training for serving the deaf) |
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Purpose | To provide financial aid to hearing-impaired individuals who aspire to pursue higher education | To provide financial aid to individuals who aspire to pursue professional training to serve the hearing-impaired community | |
Eligibility |
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Courses |
Full-time/part-time higher education programs at local government-recognized institutions or overseas institutions *For overseas programs: Applicants must meet the language proficiency requirements of the destination country. |
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Approval Principles |
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Amount of funding | The amount of funding provided will be determined based on the documents submitted by the applicant and their performance during the interview. | ||
Locations of courses | Courses can be taken locally or overseas. | ||
Funding Items |
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Tuition fees | |
Funding Arrangement | 1) The final approval of funding from the Simon K.Y. Lee & Lee Chi Hung Scholarship for the Hearing Impaired or the T.M. Gregory Memorial Scholarship will be decided by the committee. 2) Applicants are encouraged to apply for other scholarships and government funding. |
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Renewal of Application | Scholarships must be reapplied for annually and can be renewed yearly for up to a maximum of five years. | Scholarships must be reapplied for annually and can be renewed yearly for up to a maximum of two years. | |
After Completing the Course | 1. Scholarship recipients who have completed local or overseas courses must return to Hong Kong immediately after graduation. 2. The organization will arrange for scholarship recipients to host sharing sessions and participate in committee meetings to encourage other hearing-impaired individuals and demonstrate to society that, with proper support, hearing-impaired individuals can realize their potential and contribute to society. |
1. Scholarship recipients who have completed local or overseas courses must return to Hong Kong immediately to provide services. 2. After graduation, recipients must serve the recommending organization for at least three years. For courses shorter than one year, recipients must serve for one year. If the agreement is breached, recipients must repay part or all of the scholarship, with the amount determined by the organization. |
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Review Committee | Education and Scholarship Committee | ||
Application Method | 1)Interested individuals can obtain application forms via mail, phone, or download from the Hong Kong Society for the Deaf website: https://www.deaf.org.hk/documents/form/D2獎學金申請表.pdf 2)Completed forms should be submitted along with relevant documents via email, mail, or in person to the Counselling Centre. 3)Upon receiving the application documents, the responsible social worker will arrange a meeting with the applicant. Address: 6/F, Sheung Mei House, Sheung Tak Estate, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories, Hong Kong Counselling Centre, Hong Kong Society for the Deaf (Simon K.Y. Lee & Lee Chi Hung Scholarship for the Hearing Impaired / T.M. Gregory Memorial Scholarship) Email : cc@deaf.org.hk Application Period: Starting from June each year |
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Inquiries | For any inquiries, please contact the on duty social worker of Counselling Centre Phone: 2711-1974 Fax: 2760-9442 Whatsapp: 5498-4831 |
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Remarks | 1) Applicants must have a brief meeting with the responsible worker when submitting their application. 2) Eligible applicants will be invited to attend an interview with the Scholarship Committee. 3) Applicants must submit all required documents before the application deadline, late applications will not be accepted. 4) Applicants must complete the application form and provide necessary information(including the applicant and household members) to the organization. Financial proof documents should be based on the tax year (from April 1st to March 31st of the following year). |
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