This time, I invited Joy to take part in a special volunteer service. It happened that Dr. Poon, who is very dedicated to serving visually impaired individuals, called our counselling centre. He asked if we could find about five or six young volunteers who are really interested in photography to help.
After I understood the reason, Dr. Poon explained that the main group they were serving was visually impaired young people who are also photography enthusiasts. I asked, “Did I hear that right?” And Dr. Poon said, “Yes, they’ve been learning photography for quite some time. I would like these volunteers to go with them to various places to take photos together. Then everyone can share their work, and we will have an exhibition at the art centre showing both the volunteers’ and the visually impaired youths’ photographs.”
I thought that sounded special and interesting, so I invited Joy and her group of photography enthusiasts to join Dr. Poon’s activity. Joy was paired with a young man named John, who had been learning photography for about five or six years. When John was younger, he was not visually impaired, but due to a serious illness and a traffic accident, his vision gradually blurred until now he is about 90% blind. He can only see some shapes in very bright conditions.
But John is still passionate about photography because he wants to capture the images he remembers from his childhood from his own perspective as a visually impaired person. On that day, John said, “I want to go to the tram tracks and take photos of the trams.” So, Joy carefully guided him to Causeway Bay, helped him cross the street, and found a safe spot. John managed the entire process by himself, using his hearing to sense when the tram was approaching and capturing the moment. He was incredibly happy and even asked Joy to take photos with him so they could share their perspectives afterward over afternoon tea, comparing how each of them saw Causeway Bay and the trams.
In this narrative, the collaboration between Joy, an avid youth volunteer photographer, and Dr. Poon, a committed advocate for visually impaired youth, highlighted a profound professional insight: that boundaries are not barriers, but spaces for shared growth. By integrating visually impaired young photographers into a mainstream photography project, the experience demonstrated that everyone's unique strengths can enrich a collective endeavour. Joy and her peers discovered that visually impaired participants brought new perspectives, challenging conventional views on both photography and inclusion. Professionally, this story underscores the importance of recognizing and valuing diverse inner strengths. It reminds us that professional environments thrive when we allow individuals to contribute beyond perceived limits, embracing their unique viewpoints as integral parts of a shared professional and creative journey.
