Peacher Poon Lai-ching never imagined sharing on stage about the story of her special needs son, Jack Lee King-ngon. But that’s exactly what she did when the two of them performed in a musical in February.
Jack, who has autism, developmental delays, and a severe speech impairment, proudly held up his award-winning painting Touching Message during Sign in Dance, a sign language dance performance. The audience burst into applause.
“I was ecstatic. All that hardship and effort paid off at that moment,” Poon said, recalling how she and her 18-year-old son practised for the show for three months.
Their journey continued as they performed in sign language shows across the city with deaf dance crew, Fun Forest.
The mother and son hoped to raise awareness about the city’s 59,000 children with different abilities and special educational needs (SEN).
“People with SEN face different obstacles. Rather than expecting them to live up to society’s expectations, the public should [learn] about them and understand their obstacles to build an inclusive place,” Poon said.
His talent shines through
When Jack was diagnosed with special needs at the age of two, Poon left her job to become a full-time carer. The family sold their flat and found different therapy treatments and activities to help Jack discover his talents. And his talent shone through, especially in art.
In 2018, he won a gold medal at the Asian Youth Art Festival in Japan for a painting titled I Am Picasso, a replica of a famous painting by the artist, Pablo Picasso.
To showcase her son’s talent, Poon printed his art on T-shirts and sold them at events. She didn’t expect to sell 200 pieces in just one week. Most of the proceeds pay for Jack’s education, but some of it is donated to special needs organisations.
“I want people to know that my son is not what you expect. [He isn’t] a burden to society ... He can earn his own money and give back,” the mother said.
Use the crossword below to test your knowledge of the vocabulary words in the story.
Sample answers
1. Quick question: Jack has autism, developmental delays, and a severe speech impairment.
2. Think about it: Peacher Poon wants people to understand the obstacles that SEN students face and to build a more inclusive society. (accept other reasonable answers)
