When a three-year-old boy showed up with fingernail marks all over his swollen legs last month, his kindergarten teacher noticed immediately. A medical examination confirmed her suspicion, that the boy was a victim of child abuse. He has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and has problems paying attention or sitting still, and lacks self-control. His mother used to take care.
July 21, 2021
Mary Schaus with her eight-year-old son Alexander at their home in Pok Fu Lam.
South China Morning Post
Mary Schaus remembers how angry she was the day an attendant refused to unlock a toilet for the disabled, and her eight-year-old autistic son wet himself.
But that incident not only sparked her desire to raise awareness about people with special needs, but also inspired a new charity, the Talos Foundation, named after her son, Alexander Talos Schaus.
It hands out lanyards and stickers with a message in Chinese and English, saying: “Special Needs: Kindness and Compassion.”
Schaus, 45, an American who has lived in Hong Kong for 17 years and works in human resources for a law firm, recalled the incident in February that started it all.