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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
children and the elderly. These people have always been a weaker group and their rights have not been respected or even neglected. For instance, the design of a lot of facilities in Hong Kong take only the able-bodied in mind. Although in the last ten years or so, government made improvements on access facilities such as constructing ramps for wheelchair users and installing braille buttons in lifts for the visually handicapped, assistance to the disabled is still rather limited. Their needs are often neglected.
Recently, a body called Housing Power (literal translation) made a report entitled 'Access for the Disabled 96' (literal translation) after a relatively broader survey on the facilities and access roads within the territory. I do not intend to discuss access roads in non-government bodies or commercial arcades today. I shall focus on Urban Council facilities only.
In the above-mentioned survey, 19 Urban Council facilities including civic centres, parks, recreational grounds and markets were covered. The survey has found that there are tall steps at the front entrances of 11 venues with 7 of them further blocked at the entrances by concrete columns and not installed with lifts for the disabled. The toilets at some venues are often locked up or converted into storerooms.
On the whole, the Space Museum, Science Museum and Walled City Park are considered the best in the sense of providing barrier-free access to the disabled. Council facilities that cause difficulties to the disabled are the Wanchai Market, the Indoor Games Hall of the Hong Kong Park, the Hong Kong Squash Centre and the Hong Kong Coliseum. The above information shows that this Council has not fully provided free access in their buildings and recreational facilities to the disabled.
The Disabled Discrimination Ordinance is already in force, but relying on the law to check discrimination is not the way to tackle the root of the problem. We should tackle it with a more positive attitude. We must bear in mind that public acceptance, understanding and concern for the disabled is the basis of a caring social attitude. We can only be free of discrimination if we can provide barrier-free access for the disabled to integrate into our society.
Perhaps some people will question whether it is worthwhile to spend a lot of money on installing special facilities to a small group of people. I can only say that it is a great pity if the rights of the disabled are neglected for financial reasons.
Providing convenience to the disabled has to do with the concept of equal values. Human value should not be undermined by disability. On the contrary, we should treat the disabled positively and give them every convenience so that they can lead a normal living like every other ordinary person.
I stress that the Urban Council should take the lead in the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities. We should review our facilities as soon as possible to see if they are up to standard in respect of convenience for the disabled.
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