HA Seminar #4 — Life with Deaf is Cool: A Visit to the Deaf Cafeteria

(refer to the photo album here for more highlights)

Date: 7 February 2026 (Sat) 

What better way to learn about inclusion than by living it for a day? That was exactly what happened at HA Seminar #4, where our Honours Academy students stepped into the world of the deaf community at the lively and welcoming Deaf Cafeteria (聰鳴茶座).

Built around the theme of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), this experience was aimed at letting our HA future leaders feel what inclusive engagement is all about: through smiles, shared signs, and human connection.

The Seminar began with a warm welcome (and a delicious lunch!) with the café’s hearing-impaired staff, before we dove into active learning mode. Led by the energetic and engaging Alan, Head of Social Enterprise at Deaf Cafeteria, we kicked off a fun and insightful session on the basics of Hong Kong Sign Language. Alan’s approachable teaching turned initial nerves into laughter and curiosity. Soon we were fingerspelling, signing with each other, and gradually building shared confidence.

And the best part? We each got to apply what we just learned to signing sentences! Watching our HA students come up with creative gestures based on their own identity and hopes was a real sense of shared discovery.

And it did not stop there.

In the cookie decorating activity, our creative future leaders turned those signs into edible art themed around “inclusion” and “HA spirit”. Meanwhile, the DIY drip coffee bag station added an extra layer of heart. Everyone packed a coffee bag with a handwritten message, either to themselves or to a fellow HA buddy. A little reminder that encouragement, like coffee, is best shared warm.

The message behind every activity was clear: inclusivity is not performative; it is participatory. It calls us not just to know, but to do. Not just to listen, but to listen differently.

As our HA students move toward planning their own projects, from community engagement initiatives to applying for the Residential Learning Award AY2025/26, this experience will stay with them. Not just as a memory, but as a model for the change they want to lead.

To Alan and the amazing team at Deaf Cafeteria: thank you for your warmth, passion, and powerful reminder that life with deaf is not just cool. It is connected, creative, and full of heart.