HK’s economically active disabled, elderly offer us a lesson in stoicism

Monday Vibes

On a busy stretch of Queen’s Road West in Sai Ying Pun, there is a small tailoring shop that can give us a lesson in forbearance and humility, even when you may not be looking for one.

The shop is run by three elderly disabled men who don’t let their severe visual handicaps get in the way of going about their jobs efficiently. They have devised their own methods of attending to customers — all male — taking accurate measurements, writing out invoices and as such, establishing a general flow of business that makes their shop indistinguishable from legions of other tailoring businesses in Hong Kong that generally employ ablebodied people. These elderly men have witnessed it all — Hong Kong’s growing pains, its prosperity, its descent into chaos, its robust weathering of the COVID-19 pandemic and the general calm that they exude make it clear that nothing flusters them.

Further down the road, if you go in a westerly direction, it is impossible to miss a corner shop run by two whitehaired gentlemen in their mid-to-late 80s. Wiry and watchful, they mainly sell backpacks and articles of essential clothing that busy travelers and tourists often forget while packing in a hurry. Business has dried up but these gentlemen are not giving up — not yet.

Elderly people such as these, running micro-establishments across the city and contributing to Hong Kong’s economy steadily in their own humble ways, undaunted by advancing age and degrees of disability, are the unsung heroes whose voices habitually get lost in the cacophony of younger, angrier voices.

As per a Census and Statistics Department (CSD) survey, excluding people with intellectual disabilities, in 2013, it was estimated that there were 578,600 people with disabilities — an increase of some 60 percent as compared with 361,300 in 2007. These are statistics not to be ignored in a population of 7.4 million.

A more recent snapshot as per Social Welfare Department figures, cases registered under the Social Security Allowance Scheme for disability allowances stand at 152,818 as of March 2020, and 29,666 applications had been lodged between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020 seeking allowances. Under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme, 17,026 were eligible on account of permanent disabilities by March.

But this does not always capture the full picture. When it comes to people with intellectual disabilities (PIDs), enumeration is harder. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong, in a written response in the Legislative Council on Dec 13, 2017, pointed out, “Based on the experience of various rounds of territorywide surveys, we consider it not possible to make a precise estimate of the number of PIDs by means of such surveys since some families might regard intellectual disabilities as a sensitive topic.”

A significant proportion of Hong Kong’s population is disabled. And despite varying degrees of disability and infirmity, many are employed and contribute meaningfully to the city’s economy. For example, according to the Hong Kong Blind Union, the city has 174,800 visually impaired as per CSD’s 2014 figures, accounting for 2.4 percent of the total population. Of these, 109,400 people (62.2 percent) have multiple disabilities and 114,400 of the city’s visually impaired residents are aged 70 and older. Significantly, of those aged 70 and above, 1,200 or 7.4 percent are employed.

It is telling that the disabled elderly need to find employment. The current payable monthly amount of assistance of the government’s Normal Disability Allowance and Higher Disability Allowance stands at HK$1,770 ($228) and HK$3,540, respectively.

It does not help that Hong Kong’s economy contracted 8.9 percent in the first quarter year on year, and government officials warn of a full-year contraction of as much as 7 percent after the economy shrank 1.2 percent last year. Also, unemployment has risen for six straight months while small business sentiment is near record lows. It is reassuring that on Thursday, LegCo passed a HK$627 billion bill to provide support to Hong Kong people battered by the coronavirus and months of social unrest.

Amid all uncertainties, the stoicism of the elderly and the infirm, who keep contributing to Hong Kong’s economy despite all odds, is inspiring. Their voice of wisdom must not be drowned out by the city’s younger, angrier voices.