Final l7 Assignment - Signature Assignment - Planning Tool
Final l7 Assignment - Signature Assignment - Planning Tool
Final l7 Assignment - Signature Assignment - Planning Tool
C. Possibilities
Describe your possible solutions (innovation) and the tests you completed. What other
innovations are out there to address the problem? How is your solution unique? Consider
the feedback you received from your end users, mentors, and your colleagues in this
course that shaped revision. How did their feedback impact your final innovation?
D. Professional Identity
Who are you in this problem and innovative solution? How has uncovering the problem
and creating an innovation become part of your professional identity? Share your
professional purpose statement. Why should we invest in the innovation you are
proposing?
E. The Proposal
What are you asking viewers to do? How can they contribute to and support your
innovation? What will they get in return? What will your end users get and how will they
be better off and how will the world be a different, better place when your innovation is
enacted? How will you be different when this innovative idea becomes reality?
My home Hong Kong, once part of the British colony, our slogan is under China’s ‘One
Country Two systems’.
Our residents and citizens come from all over the world. Although with majority at 92% of
Chinese background and 8% foreign, we all are united in identifying ourselves as ‘Hong
Kongers’. With 7.5 million inhabitants. Here is our population breakdown by age, with 7.8% and
8% of the population made up of birth to nine, and 10 to 19 years old respectively. As you can
see it is fairly equally distributed. My Community scan helped me find resources found for teens,
at risk populations, elderly and universal health care coverage for all.
Quality of Education as well as living seems high right? But who is missing? Further
research propelled me to look into the lacking rights of refugees, the homelessness issue rising
from Covid, and the lack of basic equal rights and resources granted to individuals with special
needs. Within my community scan I often came upon limitations from various support resources,
an inability to easily cater to individuals with physical disabilities “Disabled visitors should
contact us in advance in case extra assistance is needed, such as wheelchair access” (Leisure and
Cultural Services Department, 2020). This emphasized a lack of Universal Design.
My empathy for individuals with special needs has been a culmination of local experiences as
well as comparing the IDEA rights granted in the United states compared to lacking rights in
Hong Kong. When I was 16 I volunteered at a “child care home, Mother’s choice” (Mother’s
Choice, 2021). Here I worked in the special needs section known as “wee care” (Mother’s
choice, 2021). I was shocked that an adoption home had separated babies and young children
with special needs and disabilities from their peers without. Through my conducted interview
with a Wee Care specialist, I was shocked to learn that the special needs ‘Wee Care’ section only
“has capacity for 12 children” (anonymous, personal communication, February 4, 2021) at a
given time, and children with special needs can only be adopted by families abroad.
I learned that lack of inclusion wasn’t limited to Mother’s Choice, rather it was a result of
our community limitations. Lack of inclusion for individuals with special needs and disabilities
has been an ongoing issue as followed by enacted policy.
The Disability Discrimination Ordinance 24 of Hong Kong states that “It is unlawful for
an educational establishment to discriminate against a person with a disability—
(a)by refusing or failing to accept that person’s application for admission as a student; or
(b)in the terms or conditions on which it is prepared to admit that person as a student” (Disability
Discrimination Ordinance, 2013). Whilst this first policy, enables the right to education for all,
further local state policies cause limitations to the type of access. Hong Kong policy has focused
on giving every student education however, “children with more than one special needs or
disabilities” are forced “to go to special needs schools”, separated from the general educational
classroom. Hong Kong has shown that we focus on the weaknesses as opposed to strengths of
special needs individuals by separating them from the general population… starting from early
education.
“So much of life depends on our social bonds going to schools forming relationships,
earning an income, taking part in recreational activities and contributing to our community and
culture. When people with a disability are excluded from all this, it’s much harder to escape from
poverty” (End The Cycle CBM, 2013, 00:04). How will you learn to interact, engage and
become a part of the entire community if you are marginalized based on perceived weaknesses?
Would you feel you are being given an equal chance of a fulfilled and happy life?
As a result of the marginalized educational policies, Hong Kong has formed cultural
misconceptions and a stigma against individuals with special needs. “Sometimes family
members may feel ashamed and discourage social interaction” (End The Cycle CBM, 2013,
00:33). Why don’t we shape the community from the ground up, and change stigmas through
positive practices of inclusion? “Communities that include with disability also gain huge
benefits of the active and valuable contribution of these people and their families” (End The
Cycle CBM, 2013, 01:39).
All children regardless of with or without disability should have a real portrayal of the big
picture. Children without disabilities also gain from inclusion as they build new friendships and
understand one another. As a future educator, mother, and global citizen, I believe lack of
inclusion is doing a terrible disservice to many members of our society. From a compassionate
stand point, the needs of all children to feel confident, accepted and integrated into our society is
a basic human need. Our Hong Kong community can be strengthened as a whole, when we unite
all of our members.
C. Possibilities
Script here
D. Professional Identity
I am a future educator, social entrepreneur and global citizen looking to strengthen and unite
my Hong Kong community through leading and building an inclusive student recreational center.
Uncovering this problem has made me aware of all the community actions that still need to be
done to enrich the lives of others in Hong Kong. I am a compassionate, positively hopeful and
passionate person, the skills learned and the knowledge gained from Human Centered Design,
combine these personality traits outwards to become an effective innovator. I have learned to
always understand and identify the needs of the other, so my actions are tailor made and
appropriate/effective to benefit the other. When thinking about the future, I am determined to
leave a positive mark on my world, this world, the world of others. I can foresee and am
extremely grateful that this approach has influenced the course of my future actions forever, it
has become a part of my personal and professional identity. This helped me form my
professional purpose statement.
My purpose as an educator is to give each and every child an equal chance of happiness. I will
use my passion to ensure that my Hong Kong community is inclusive, so my demonstrated
students experiences can extend to outside environments compassionately to build a better
humanity.
Members of the Hong Kong society as well as global citizens around the world who believe in
granting equal rights for all individuals, have the opportunity to invest in my innovation
HongClusion. In doing so, you will know that you are contributing to the well being, happiness,
and equal opportunities for children who do not find inclusion in their daily interactions.
“understand how well being is created. How we’re connected to one another and how another
person’s happiness is so do deeply tied to our own” (Skoll World Forum, 2013, 05:42). In being
good global citizens we care not only about ourselves but also about those around us.
HongClusion has the potential to also change commonly held Asian collectivist stigmas against
individuals with disabilities. Sometimes seeing is believing. “Education is the most powerful
weapon which you can use to change the world” (Mandela, 1990). Remember how education
comes in many forms.
E. The Proposal
Script here
Investment and involvement comes in many shapes and forms. You can invest through
crowdsourcing and funding which goes towards the initial building and continuous development
of the center. You can sign up to be a paid activity leader or special needs assistant. You can
volunteer your time towards being a helper in our center. You can you can simply spread
awareness throughout your community of the valuable center and what it means for positive
change. Finally, if you have a child or you yourself are a student living in Hong Kong, you are
welcomed and encouraged to actively participate and join our center. Our center can only live
out it’s vision with your active participation! Each and every action is equally valued, no matter
who you are, you know you are leading your life with love of those around you.
“The people who write the songs in the culture of the day are going to change society”
(Skoll World Forum, 2013, 07:38). Knowing that your contributions (whatever that may look
like) are providing equal opportunities for both children with and without disabilities through fun
and engaging hands on learning whilst building new friendships, is knowing that you are helping
our community as a whole. Students of Hong Kong finally have a chance of an inclusive
environment. HongClusion is more than a center, it builds a community. when our students
attend they will build confidence, grow through their endless capabilities, and accept one another
no matter the different abilities and strengths we all posses. Through this meaningful innovaton, I
will know that I have enriched the lives of others, and you can too! We will know that we are
leaving a world that is better than the one we entered.
Reference List
Anderson, B. B. (2020, October 26). Five innovations to support inclusive education for children
with disabilities in low-resource contexts. All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for
Development. https://allchildrenreading.org/news/five-innovations-to-support-inclusive-
education-for-children-with-disabilities-in-low-resource-contexts/
development/curriculum-area/special-educational-needs/index.html
End The Cycle CBM. (2013, March 26). InDepth: SOCIAL INCLUSION and Disability [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=sZCYYMeVHNw&ab_channel=EndTheCycleCBM
Census. https://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/en/Snapshot-02.html#:
%7E:text=1.,2006%20to%2080.0%25%20in%202016
Kwok, J. (2015). Estimating Population with Disabilities in Hong Kong:For What and Whose
https://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/asia/resource/z00ap/vol5no1/population.html
Leisure and Cultural Services Department. (2020). Other Facilities & Venues. List of Facilities
Mandela, N. (1990). speech. Madison Park High School, Boston; reported in various forms
Mother’s Choice. (2018). Guide to International Adoption from Hong Kong. Guide to
https://www.motherschoice.org/app/uploads/2016/10/Mothers-Choice-Guide-to-
Intercountry-Adoption-20180406.pdf
Skoll World Forum (2013, April 29). Dare To Imagine - Skoll World Forum [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYK_BCgxEK8&ab_channel=Skoll.org
Stanford Design School. (n.d.) An Introduction to Design Thinking: Process Guide.
http://web.stanford.edu/~mshanks/MichaelShanks/files/509554.pdf