“The hardest part was sewing the bottle cap on,” she said. “I researched different types of bags. Sometimes you need a bigger bag if you want to put more things inside.”
Walk around the room and the exhibition is full of discarded items — wine boxes, CD covers and straws — now reborn as pen holders, notepads and lamps. In a sense, Lee and the 15 or so people involved with the project have been “neglected” in one way or another by Hong Kong society, all of these people have struggled to get by because they all have intellectual disabilities.
Despite the pride she has for her daughter, Lee’s mother worries about her.
“Her character is too simple and warm. I’m worried she will get hurt and sometimes she has to be careful about what she says.”
People living with Down Syndrome are often stuck with menial jobs. But this exhibition — run by the local Salvation Army — gave Lee and others the chance to learn a new skill, partner with a local student to reinvent “trash” into treasure — all in an effort to raise disability awareness.
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There have been efforts around the globe to be more inclusive of people with Down Syndrome, including Target ads in the United States featuring child models and a TV ad by British department store, Marks & Spencer’s.
Two years ago, Freeman started volunteering with the Down Syndrome Association and realized part of the problem was that people didn’t know how to talk to those with the condition and that they were often treated as patients, instead of people.
He said that the aim of the exhibition was to show a more playful side of people with Down Syndrome.
“They just want to love and be involved in making people happy,” he said.
