NGO bridges silence for the deaf

A non-governmental organisation says having a hearing impairment should not be an impediment to seeking mental health support. That is why Silence Limited, one of 11 Operation Santa Claus beneficiaries this year, has launched a project titled "Finding a Way to My Heart." The NGO's Operations Director, Ken Ng, said Silence Limited would provide sign language interpretation services via the project for people with hearing loss during their consultations at public hospitals. "Mental health issues [are] not easy to diagnose by equipment or machines. Basically, the psychiatrist or the doctors have to talk or communicate with the patients to find out what the real issue is," he told RTHK. "But many of our clients report that it is not easy to get an in-house sign language interpreter to attend the consultation," said Ng. Established in 2008, Silence Limited aims to bring people with hearing impairments together, promote social inclusion, and foster equal development. "Our projects mainly focus on trying to fill up the gaps of existing services, how to improve the mental health situation of our clients. So we will provide or acquire sign language interpreters to participate in the medical consultation sections as well as the workshops or even the activities of our programme," Ng said. Jointly organised by RTHK and South China Morning Post, OSC funds charitable projects that focus on children and youth, the elderly, the community, those with physical and mental disabilities, medical projects, and those concerning the environment. If you wish to make a donation, please visit the Operation Santa Claus website at https://oschk.org/.