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105.
The Committee has established six specialist sub-committees in the areas of personnel, employment, access and transport, education, housing and sport and recreation. A rehabilitation unit has been set up in the Social Services Branch, Government Secretariat to co-ordinate rehabilitation policies and to oversee the implementation of the programme plan.
Size of the disabled population
106.
Comprehensive statisties on the disabled population are not available. Estim tes in 1980 are:
(a)
Deaf and partially hearing
35,000
(b)
Blind and partially sighted
.8,000
(c) Mentally ill
179,000
(a)
Mentally handicapped: mild
71,000
moderate
19,000
severe
3,000
(e)
Physically disabled
11,000
The 1981 Census will include questions on major disabilities. Separetely a Government working party is now examining how best to set up a Central Registry of the disabled.
Prevention of disabilities
107.
The principal preventive measures planned for
the next ten years are as follows:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(a)
(e)
to improve health education, so that the public understands how to prevent disabilities;
to adopt further measures to reduce accidents at work, on the road, at home or during recreation, and to reduce occup tional diseases;
to improve preventive activities, such as immunization programmes against tuberculosis, German measles, poliomyelitis and other communicable diseases;
to identify areas where legislation can assist in the prevention of disability; and
to examine areas of environmental protection which could assist in the prevention of disability e.g. noise, air and water.