(26 November 2011 – Hong Kong) The International Day of Disabled Persons (IDDP) - Ocean Park Fun Day 2011 was held today for the 19th consecutive year, welcoming guests with disabilities and their friends and families from all 18 districts to Ocean Park for free.
The IDDP Ocean Park Fun Day 2011 is organized by the Hong Kong Joint Council for People with Disabilities and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, with Ocean Park welcoming over 6,300 guests to its unique attractions, including the recently-opened Rainforest themed area.
Mr Shen Weijun, Deputy Secretary-General, representing Mr. Deng Pu-fang’s China Foundation for Disabled Persons said, “We are grateful to see Ocean Park provides various types of facilities to the disabled and the park is so friendly to them. I am sure more and more disabled persons from China will visit the park in the future.”
Mr. Cheung Kin-fai, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Joint Council for People with Disabilities said, “We are very grateful that Ocean Park has offered people with disabilities and their care-givers free admission tickets for the 19th year. The initiative has benefited more and more people every year and we are bringing in over 6,300 guests to the Park this time. I would like to extend my gratitude to Ocean Park, for its generous support to the IDDP.”
Mr. Matthias Li, Deputy Chief Executive of Ocean Park, said, “Apart from the IDDP, we have always offered free admission to holders of the Registration Card for People with Disabilities and half-price admission to one accompanying friend or family member. In that sense, we treat every day as IDDP.”
Mr. Li said the Park has recently introduced sign language learning activities with close to 1,000 staff having signed up already.
Mr. Simon Siu, who visited the Park on its day of opening 34 years ago, felt that Ocean Park’s facilities for guests with disabilities have undergone tremendous improvements over the past decades. He said, “The roads here used to be rough and steep, but they are now wide and flat which means I can maneuver my wheelchair easily. Going up to the Summit area is also easier now that I can take either the cable car or Ocean Express. I enjoy traveling in the park as I can virtually go anywhere I want.” Grand Aquarium and Ocean Park Tower are some of Simon’s favorites at Ocean Park.
In the past 19 years, over 70,000 guests with disabilities have benefited on the IDDP which valued around HK$13,500,000. However, Ocean Park offers these valued guests not just access to the Park, but also accessibility - through extensive wheelchair-enabled attractions and facilities, as well as inductive loop pad systems at ticketing and customer service counters, which enable more effective communication for visitors with hearing impairments by eliminating background noise. For the visually impaired, we have installed tactile warning strips, Braille and raised-letter guide books so that they could enjoy all the educational contents and excitement Ocean Park offers.
