關於我們 - 香港聾人子女協會 CODA Hong Kong

會長的話

陳佳儀創會會長
Cindy Chan, Founder & President

香港聾人子女協會於2013年成立，致力服務聾人所生的健聽子女和他們的家人。我們清楚知道，來自聾人家庭的健聽兒女，大都坐擁手語和口語，更從小穿越聾人和健聽社群，他們的雙語雙文化優勢，是我們很希望維持、欣賞的。可是，我們也知道，在香港，從聾人家庭長大，不是容易的事，很多健聽的聾人子女，從小目睹家人受壓逼；有時連自己是誰都不太清楚，無論在個人的身份層面，或如何處理家事，以至日後怎樣在社會立足，發揮自己的才能，有難以抒發的迷惘和矛盾，急需有人聆聽、理解、扶持。

在過去的短短年間，我和一群熱心付出、不可多得的CODA，針對聾人子女所需，提供了大大小小的支援，更因著了解CODA的優勢，著力培養提攜，使他們得以成長，作有貢獻的社會一分子。每個聾人家庭都有著獨特的需要，但他們都有同樣的渴望──父母子女之間和諧相處，彼此相愛。我們以家庭為本，組織了家庭探訪小組、免費補習計劃等的服務，讓我們得以接觸到一個接一個的聾人家庭，慢慢理解他們的環境，直接傾談，提供支援。另一方面，我們幾經辛苦地籌辦了「聾人子女日」、「聾人子女領袖訓練營」，聾人子女傳譯課程等等的培育活動，希望能帶動聾人子女了解自己的身份；建立自己的潛能；真正成為聾人和健聽世界之間的橋樑。

在教育宣傳方面，我們很慶幸，「聾人子女」這個新概念，近年獲得了不少媒體注意。我們的故事，讓香港電台「沒有牆的世界」拍了出來；我們上過手語隨想曲節目；CODA成長的苦與樂，被大學生拍成了記錄片。慢慢地，社會人士知道了有我們這一群有著手語、口語優勢的孩子，也明白了為何我們的經歷，自小就與眾不同。除了來自社會各方的鼓勵和支持源源不絕，我更感恩於聾人社群對CODA的重新認識和接納。現時，香港聾人子女協會跟很多聾人機構都有聯繫，而因著我們的出現，聾人機構都比以前更重視家庭服務，這是十分令人鼓舞的。

在未來，香港聾人子女協會將更努力為聾人子女和其家庭服務。協會剛拿到撥款，製作聾人親子教學影片；我們計劃成立聾人家長會，賦權讓聾人自己去擔當策劃、管理活動的角色，助人自助。我們也將成立手語傳譯培育小組，讓有心成為手語譯者的CODA接受適當的訓練；互相提點幫助。鑑於社會各方都熱心支援，我們會成立同行者小組，讓所有支持CODA的朋友聚首一堂，建立支援系統。聾人子女日和相關訓練，我們亦會堅持辦下去，希望通過長期的團隊建立、教育、宣傳，讓CODA成為身心健康，正直良善的好人。聾人子女協會很需要長期的資源支持運作，我們將會努力找尋合適的撥款來源，當財政穩健了，我們希能招聘職員，分擔會務。我們更希望找尋志同道合的專業人士，加入CODA的大家庭，我們願意在培訓、輔導、教育、宣傳等各方面，跟同行者一起分享，共同建立一條CODA的健康成長道路。

我們最終的遠景，是聾人子女能真正認識、接受自己，聾人家庭能擁有正面的價值和人生觀。這重要的使命，我們會一直堅持下去。在此，我感謝各界一直以來的注意、相助、提醒，感謝聾人社群對我們的了解和接納，更多謝一直努力的聾人子女協會執委，因為有了你們，這個協會才能一直運作，而聾人子女才有更美好的將來。

CODA HK was established in 2013. Our goal is to serve hearing children of Deaf parents and their families. As widely known, hearing children of Deaf parents enjoy the privilege of knowing both spoken and signed languages, as well as Deaf and hearing cultures. This advantage is to be nurtured and celebrated. Growing up in a Hong Kong Deaf family, however, is not always easy. Oppression of Deaf people is an unfortunate norm and has been witnessed and even experienced by many of their children. How these children go through their own identity development and learn how to handle multiple roles in their families is hard to imagine. We feel the urgency to listen, understand and support these children so that they can become independent and healthy adults who are productive members of the larger society.

I am very much privileged to be able to work with a group of passionate CODAs since three years ago. We have provided a wide range of service based on their actual needs. As CODAs ourselves, we understand each other and are able to nurture a positive environment where we can grow and contribute with our strengths. Each Deaf family is unique is someway, but their aspiration to love and care for each other is universal. Recognizing family is the basis of our service, we organize home visits and provide their children with school tutoring for free. By doing that, we have had the opportunity to talk to each and every CODA family and understand their immediate concerns and needs. We have organized activities like the CODA Day, leadership and interpreting training for CODAs. These activities help CODAs understand their unique situation and develop their potentials. I am hopeful that these CODAs can one day take on the mission of mediating between the Deaf and hearing world.

We are glad to be able to spread our public education message through the mainstream media over the past few years. Our stories have been adopted by 'A Wall-less World' by Radio Television Hong Kong, a special TV series dedicated to people with disabilities. We have been on a television programme called 'Hong Kong Sign Language Five-minuters'. University students were impressed by CODA stories and have turned them into documentaries. The public is now aware of 'Children of Deaf Adults', who have the advantage of knowing both signed and spoken languages. Knowing that we have a unique upbringing and experience is an important part of our identity. On the top of being grateful for the public attention and support, I am truly amazed by how much the Deaf community themselves are now more acceptive and supportive to CODAs. Currently, we maintain mutually beneficial relationship with many Deaf organizations. And we are thrilled to see that these organizations are now more inspired than before to provide specific services for Deaf families and their children.

CODA HK is committed to provide ever better services for hearing children of Deaf parents and their families. We have recently successfully obtained a funding to produce multimedia family education materials. In the future, we plan to establish Deaf parents' working group with specific focus on empowering them to design and administer their own independent family programmes. We hope to run a support group for sign language interpreters and provide appropriate training for those who are interetsed in learning more about professional interpreting. CODA Day and related teenager trainings will continue through the support of our consolidated team. And we strive to educate and make sure that CODAs become healthy, diligent and virtuous individuals. Our goal is to secure permanent and reliable source of funding to keep our projects running, and hire staff members to share the load from our volunteers. We are always looking for professionals to help us strengthen our training, education, counselling, and public relation programmes.

CODA HK's ultimate vision is creating a path for every CODA to learn about themselves, develop positive outlook and values. We are thankful to the public who have attended to us and support us as we grow. I am in debt to the Deaf community in Hong Kong who offer their empathy and selfless acceptance. Most of all, I would like to thank our committee members, whom I have worked together. Without you, CODA HK will never be in this place. Let's persevere and strive for a better future for all CODAs.