156
Rehabilitation of the Disabled
SOCIAL WELFARE
The object of rehabilitation services in Hong Kong is to integrate the disabled into the community. Services provided by government departments and welfare agencies are aimed at enabling handicapped people to develop their physical, mental and social capabilities to the fullest extent. These services are carefully co-ordinated by the Commissioner for Rehabilitation who also conducts an annual review of the Rehabilitation Programme Plan. The Social Welfare Department is responsible for the planning and development of a wide range of services for the disabled in order to meet their general welfare and social rehabilitation needs, either through direct service provision or subvention to welfare agencies. The Education Department is responsible for all aspects of the education and training of disabled children of school age and for boarding care and transport services in special schools. The Technical Education and Industrial Training Department co-ordinates vocational training for disabled young people and adults. Job placement for the deaf, the blind, the physically disabled, the mentally handicapped and discharged mental patients is the responsibility of the Selective Placement Service of the Labour Department. In April, the subvention and supervision responsibility for special transport for the disabled – the Rehabus - was transferred from the Social Welfare Department to the Transport Depart- ment, following the recommendation made by the Working Party on the Transport Needs of the Disabled.
The Social Welfare Department provides the handicapped with direct services including counselling, compassionate rehousing, financial assistance, and day and residential care. It also operates directly some facilities including an integrated programme in a child care centre, a composite club for the handicapped, residential homes and hostels, work activity centres and sheltered workshops. The services provided by subvented agencies include pre-school care, education and training programmes, integrated programmes in child care centres, special child care centres, home help service, halfway houses for discharged mental patients, sports, social and recreational programmes, sign language interpretation services, ear-mould production, hearing aid repair and mobility and orientation programmes for the blind.
By the end of the year, the Social Welfare Department and subvented welfare agencies provided a total of 1 120 day activity places and 2 905 sheltered workshop places. These facilities provide work or employment for disabled adults who are unable to compete in the open job market.
Disabled persons who cannot live independently and cannot be adequately cared for by their families, or who live in areas too remote from their places of training or employment are provided with residential care. By the end of the year there were 1 055 places in homes for mentally handicapped adults, 185 places in homes for the physically handicapped adults, and 398 places in homes for the blind.
For pre-school disabled children, subvented agencies and SWD provided 574 places for mildly disabled children in integrated programmes in child care centres, 660 places for moderately and severely mentally handicapped children in 14 special child care centres and 515 places for pre-school disabled children in seven early education and training centres.
Voluntary agencies also provided 18 social centres and two sports associations, and a fleet of 25 Rehabuses operating 23 scheduled routes for the use of handicapped people.
Further efforts were made to improve after-care and rehabilitation services for dis- charged mental patients. By the end of the year, 515 places were provided in half-way houses. The Committee on Public Education in Rehabilitation continued its efforts to foster a more positive public attitude towards mental illness.