Deaf group attacks fax-booking scheme

The Housing Authority has launched a service that allows the hearing-impaired to make bookings at clinics by fax. But a support group said the fax was obsolete and the deaf should be allowed to book online or via text messages. The Silence Association may file a judicial review if the authority refuses to offer online or text booking. Siu Yat-chan, a committee member of the association, said text messaging was the most common way the deaf communicated. Some 92,000 people in the city have impaired hearing; 8,600 of these are completely deaf and 28,000 have difficulty talking.