Parents criticize Hong Kong kindergarten for rejecting physically disabled son

British expat Alan Wells and his wife were devastated by Hong Kong’s Teikyo Kindergarten’s decision to deny their physically disabled two-year-old son the chance to continue his education there on the grounds that he “cannot walk”.

Wells complained to the Equal Opportunities Commission in October, but the watchdog said on Friday it was considering dropping the investigation after it said the “allegations appeared without substance” and called the school’s decision “justified”.

The school also denied the allegations, arguing that it did not have the resources to accommodate the boy.

But Wells, a 38-year-old financial worker who has lived in Hong Kong for 13 years, said: “I have seen blatant discrimination here. This is a unilateral decision out of a lack of care and consideration applied solely to my son.”

The preschool’s decision meant Wells’ son was out of school and caused a delay in his education.

Wells said the family also turned to the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong because the kindergarten was a Japanese school. They had received no response so far.

The finance worker’s son was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare genetic disease that weakens muscles, at just seven months old. The condition means he faces a lifetime of physical challenges.