USJ Department of Social Worker Hold Awareness Campaign in Local Community
USJ Department of Social Worker Hold Awareness Campaign in Local Community
18
May
18/05/2026
Members of the public experience the challenges faced by people with disabilities first-hand, raising awareness of community inclusion.
In response to World Social Work Day 2026, students from the Department of Social Work at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Saint Joseph (USJ), organised the “Social Workers United, Walking Together with the Community” promotional event on the afternoon of 19 April in Fai Chi Kei area. The event attracted a large number of enthusiastic participants. Through three unique experiential games, the event allowed participants to personally experience the challenges faced by people with various disabilities in their daily lives, thereby enhancing public empathy towards vulnerable groups and promoting a community culture of inclusion for people with and without disabilities.
The event officially commenced at 2.00 pm, with three themed experience zones set up on-site to simulate the living conditions of people with visual impairments, physical disabilities and hearing and speech impairments. Guided by social work students, participants tried on specially designed audio devices to listen to recordings representing varying degrees of hearing loss, and attempted to complete communication tasks using non-verbal methods. They also experienced the difficulties of daily mobility in a wheelchair and, through digital jigsaw puzzles, were able to see the world as it appears to people with different eye conditions. Many members of the public remarked after completing the experience that the process was more challenging than they had imagined. They gained a profound understanding of the daily inconveniences faced by people with disabilities and expressed a greater willingness to offer assistance in future.
A representative from the organising body noted that World Social Work Day aims each year to recognise the contributions of social workers, whilst raising public awareness of social justice and the rights of vulnerable groups. “We specifically chose ‘experiential learning’ this year because empathy cannot be achieved through explanation alone; it must be felt first-hand. Seeing the public so engaged, and even young children offering to help elderly people with mobility difficulties nearby, is the greatest achievement of the event.”
The atmosphere on site was lively, with participants spanning different age groups, including families with children, young students and the elderly. One parent, who took their children through all three experiences, found the event educational, believing it taught their children to respect differences from a young age. They encouraged the public to put the spirit of ‘Community Togetherness’ into practice in their daily lives.
The event concluded successfully at 5 pm. The organisers thanked the public for their support and the social work students for their assistance, and expressed their hope to organise more similar public education events in the future to build a barrier-free society together.
