Christmas is one of the busiest times of year for balloon twisting.
Hearing-impaired balloon artists Eugene Sung and Brave Lo are always the focus of the party, surrounded by youngsters asking them to bend balloons into a host of different shapes like animals, cartoon characters and decorations.
They may not hear the children say “thank you” but they can feel and see their excitement when they are handed one of their amazing balloon creations.
"I felt like I was Santa Claus. I twisted balloons and gave out presents to the kids," Brave said.
He started his career in balloon decoration and event planning six months ago. He and Eugene were born with hearing impairment.
Eugene said he loves art and thinks balloon art is particularly attractive.
"Balloons make me happy. This is art and I love art. When I see the kids happy, I am happy too."
With funding from the Social Welfare Department's Enhancing Employment of People with Disabilities through Small Enterprise Project, the YMCA set up an event planning social enterprise. They hired and trained hearing-impaired employees like Eugene and Brave.
Their tutor To Ka-chun has been teaching them balloon twisting since they were hired.
"They do it well. Because they cannot hear, they are focused. They will not be distracted by others and are more attentive."
Business Development & Account Executive of the social enterprise Douglas Cheng said hearing impairment augments their sight.
"They have a heightened sense of colour and aesthetics, so we help them to build on those strengths. We want to bring joy and happiness to others during this festive season. That applies not only to our customers but to our staff too. It is wonderful to see the employees’ self-confidence grow after they have done a great job."
