51. Existing facilities for rehabilitation of the deaf are still far from adequate. Because of a shortage of places in schools for the deaf the Department operates seven clubs which provide 335 children with suitable courses of instruction and extra-curricular activities. Grants were made from the Lotteries Fund to purchase hearing aids for deaf children studying at school and for other deaf persons.
52. The physically disabled include persons who are severely in- capacitated by injuries, diseases and congenital deformities. Training in such skills as carpentry, electrical appliance repairing, leather work, gardening, light mechanical work, printing and tailoring are mainly provided in the Aberdeen Rehabilitation Centre and the World Rehabilitation Fund Day Centre which are operated by the Depart- ment. Sheltered work is also available for the severely disabled in the Department's Settlement for the Severely Disabled. Voluntary agencies also provide facilities for the education and training of the physically disabled; these include the Red Cross Tsz Wan Shan School, the John F. Kennedy Centre, the Lutheran World Federation Pui Oi Club and the Heep Hong Club. More services for spastic children were made available during the year. The Save the Children Fund expanded their hostel facilities for spastic children. The Society for the Protection of Children opened a new training centre for spastic children.
53. Liaison and Placement. Vocational assessment, guidance and training represent only part of the rehabilitative process; rehabilita- tion is not complete unless the disabled trainee is restored to a normal place in the community. To this end the Family Services Division has a Liaison and Placement Unit whose primary task is to ensure as far as possible the placement of selected disabled persons in suitable remunerative employment; it achieves this by maintaining frequent con- tacts with Government Departments, factories and business houses; and other employers. The extent of successful rehabilitation may be measured by the fact that, during the year, the unit found suitable employment for 300 disabled persons, out of a total of 472 applying for jobs.
54. Recreation for the disabled became increasingly popular in recent years. Last year a 3-day camping event was organized for 200 disabled children. The Y. Men's Club also organized similar outings for deaf children. During the summer 60 people including some disabled persons took part in a Physically Handicapped and Able Bodied Camp.
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