How Hongkonger whose son has rare genetic disorder helps others with special needs

Shortly after his third son was born, Law Kai-hong faced the devastating possibility that his baby might never be able to walk normally. His son is one of only two Hongkongers born with Kabuki syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes varying degrees of skeletal and other abnormalities.

After the boy started walking at the age of two, Law lost sleep worrying that his son might be bullied at school because of his mild intellectual disability, weak muscles and slow development. The son is now 21 and has overcome his disability to win many swimming and rowing awards, but Law still worries what the future might hold for his youngest child.

Law, 59, also happens to run the Haven of Hope Sunnyside School, the special needs facility in Tseung Kwan O. His experiences as parent and educator fuel his determination that the school, which marks its 35th anniversary this year, continues to do its best to give children with disabilities the opportunity to explore their full potential.

“I’ve had to struggle and overcome many obstacles as my special needs child was growing up so it’s easy for me to empathise with students’ parents. That’s why I would pull out all the stops for my school,” says Law, who became the principal of Sunnyside in 1991.

But his dedication to special needs children began much earlier, when he was counselling a pupil at another school who still could not add or subtract in Primary Five.

“Neither the parents nor the school did anything to help the slow learner catch up with her studies and promoted her to the next grade despite her poor grasp of knowledge. That’s why I want to rectify the situation and help these marginalised students,” Law says.