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Education in Hong Kong
Hong KongEducation

Blind Hong Kong student who reads Braille with her lips wins full scholarship for UK studies

Despite being blind and hearing-impaired, Tsang Tsz-kwan, 24, has continually impressed her teachers and peers

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Tsang Tsz Kwan, the first winner of the “Fly High Overseas Postgraduate Scholarship” for the disabled students. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Billy SK Wong

A blind student who got top exam results by reading Braille with her lips has received a scholarship for a master’s degree at a top UK university.

Tsang Tsz-kwan, 24, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was also the first person with multiple disabilities to be presented with the Cheng Ming Award, the highest honour bestowed upon students in one of CUHK’s colleges.

Being blind since infancy and hearing-impaired since Primary One, Tsang also suffers from a lack of sensitivity in her fingers, which forces her to read Braille with her lips.

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But her efforts earned her 5**, the top grade, in three subjects in the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE) in 2013, and she went on to be accepted to CUHK.

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Later this week, Tsang will leave Hong Kong for a one-year master’s course in social policy at University College London, with all tuition and daily expenses covered by the Fly High Overseas Postgraduate Scholarship.

Tsang Tsz-kwan meets the press at Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Tsang Tsz-kwan meets the press at Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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“I take much more time than ordinary people to accomplish everyday tasks,” Tsang, a translation graduate, said. “I worry the most about balancing the time for studies and other activities like school activities.”

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