Dr KWOK Kin-fun, Joseph

Joseph KWOK, Registered Social Worker (RSW), Ph.D., Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS, 2005), Justice of Peace (JP, 1997), was a former Associate Professor of City University of Hong Kong. His research and publication is mainly concerned with disability affairs. He has an intensive and extensive involvement in disability movements both at the global, regional and local levels. He was Global Chair of the Social Commission of Rehabilitation International (2008-2016) and its current Vice Chair, Vice Chair of Asian Pacific Disability Forum. He had participated in international and regional activities related to the drafting, adoption and monitoring of the UN Asia and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 1993-2012, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He has long years of involvement as initiator and project monitor in disability related projects in several Asian countries, and offers honorary consultancies to Macau Government, and some NGOs in Taiwan. He is a member of the Publication Organizing Committee, and co-editor of the Chinese translation of Community-based rehabilitation: CBR guidelines (WHO, 2010). In Hong Kong he had served in the following HKSAR Government Committees: Chairman of the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee, member of Women’s Commission, member of Community Investment and Inclusion Fund; and the following public organizations: member of Equal Opportunity Commission, member of the Public Complaints Committee of Hospital Authority, Governing Board member of Kowloon Hospital and Eye Hospital, former Vice Chair of the Admissions, Budgets and Allocation Committees of Community Chest, Vice Chair of Hong Kong Joint Council for People with Disabilities, vice chair of Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, member of Research Ethics Committee of Hospital Authority Kowloon Central and Kowloon East Clusters; a Voting Member of the Voting Committee of Riding For the Disabled Association, Chairperson of Fu Hong Society (2015-2018) and its current Council member, Chairperson of Accessible Information Development Association, Ltd. He was a recipient of the Kazuo Itoga Memorial Award by the Shiga Prefecture, Government of Japan in 2006 in recognition of his contribution to disability work in both Hong Kong and the Region. He was awarded “Promoter” of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 2013-2022, by UN ESCAP.