HONG KONG
COUNCIL
LEGISLATIVE
28 June 1989 香港立法局————————————一九八九年六月二十八日
76
this year to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of the Child.
Rehabilitation
Sir, as a responsible society we must give those children who have a physical or mental disability the very best help and care, and provide all possible support and encouragement to their parents, including professional assistance.
Over the past two decades, Hong Kong's rehabilitation services have grown from the most rudimentary to the wide-ranging and sophisticated range we have today. Although we should not be complacent, we should not ignore the many impressive achievements of which we can rightly be proud. I would like to pay special tribute to the many voluntary agencies whose dedicated organizers and personnel have contributed so much.
In the field of rehabilitation, early detection is paramount, for conditions must be treated early and skills have to be learnt at the optimum learning period for the child. Apart from the family health centres which help in the detection of disorders, there are three special child assessment centres which provide specialist help. Another three will be established by 1994. Moreover, the combined screening programme provides all Primary I pupils with screening for hearing, vision and speech defects and learning difficulties.
The general philosophy is to train and educate disabled children in a normal environment. But many children's disabilities need special teaching methods and facilities.
At the pre-school level, there are about 1 800 places available in special and integrated nursery programmes. There is a shortfall in this area and 882 more places are planned over the next five years. Training is also provided in the child's home to ensure that what is taught is compatible with his home environment.
Although there are now 71 special schools, as has been pointed out, there is a serious shortfall of schools for mentally handicapped children. Efforts are being made to provide additional places and it is anticipated that demand will be fully met within five years. To ameliorate the immediate problems due to the shortfall, home-based resource teaching is arranged for those without a school place.
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