The Young Reporter
Resolving disability through faith-the story of Sa'diyya Nesar
- 2020-10-30
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Shameel IbrahimEdited by: Jay Ganglani
- 2020-10-30
Sitting in a wheelchair, and spreading positivity, despite her adversities through her words and writings, a Pakistani woman talks about her struggles of being a woman with disabilities. One such personality is Ms Sa'diyya Nesar. She is a disabled woman, who wishes to empower people through her writing, speeches and community care initiatives. She has written a book called Strength from Within and was recently awarded the 2020 Social Justice Fellowship under the theme of 'disABILITIES and Empowerment: Less Assumptions, More Conversations' by the Resolve Foundation. Ms Nesar, born and raised in Hong Kong was diagnosed with myopathy, which results in weak muscles since birth. She uses a wheelchair and needs assistance when going out, when moving around at home and while laying down, where she has to use a breathing machine. According to the Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics, there were 578,600 people with disabilities, as of December 2013. Among them, 320,500 persons said that they had disabilities which had a "restriction in body movement." In 2013, she graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature and later began to write for different news outlets about her struggle with disability. She refers to her struggle as a result of "attitudinal barriers"— which refers to stigmas associated with disability. Ms Nesar also believes that it is an assumption that people with physical disabilities mainly suffer from physical barriers. "It's usually assumed that the main challenge for those with disabilities in everyday life is their health or the physical barriers that we face. It's actually not. The main challenge lies in being judged or being treated differently. Being treated differently in a way that is derogatory instead of accommodating. There's a lack of inclusion and the alienation that can come from that. …
A fancy walk leads locals to meet ethnic minorities' neighbours
- 2020-10-27
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: ShukmanSoEdited by: ShukmanSo
- 2020-10-27
Arabic signs, Islamic symbol on restaurant signboard, grocery store filled with spices line along Kwai Chung’s Ping Lai Path, a community surrounded by industrial buildings. The local cultural tour group led by the guide, Minhas Rashad, an inhabitant of South-Asia speaking fluent Cantonese, shows visitors an ordinary day of the South Asian and the Chinese residents live and gather in the area - a feature the community is notorious for. "Hong Kong is a wonderful city for travelling. For tourists, Hong Kong might be a city with Buddhist temples, Cha Chaan Teng, natural scenery on islands," said Minhas Rashad. "However, for us, it is not the full story." Having lived in Hong Kong for more than 30 years, Mr Rashad thinks a warm-hearted community is important, however, Hong Kong people are more self-conscious and too busy that they barely pay attention, care and communicate with neighbours. "Now, the situation has changed," Mr Rashad said. "This is not a typical cultural tour as usual. Unlike Chungking Mansions, Ping Lai Path is way beyond tourist attraction," said Fikiyo Yiu, an officer from Hong Kong S.K.H. Lady MacLehose Centre who organizes this community project for ethnic minorities uniquely. The tour is operated by a community centre called Kung Yung Koon, that welcomes visitors to get a glimpse of the South Asian immigration history and living culture by exploring in Kwai Chung district. It is one of the projects of 'Our community of Love & Mutuality: Nurturing Cultural Diversity & Community Legacy in Kwai Chung'. "As to enhance cultural sensitivity in Hong Kong, our project targets residents who live nearby the tour instead of foreign tourists," said Ms Yiu. Ms Yiu thinks the tour is a starting point for Hong Kong people, especially those living nearby to contact South Asians eating and living culture. …
