SUNDAY, APRID 24, 1977
+THEY ALSO HAVE TO ASK THE APPLICANT TO CONSIDER A JOB WHICH IS COMMENSURATE WITH HIS AGE, RESIDUAL CAPACITY, APTITUDE AND INTEREST.
+ALSO TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT ARE SUCH FACTORS AS PERSONALITY, PAST EXPERIENCE AND LOCALITY OF RESIDENCE, MR. KHOO SAID.
HE POINTED OUT THAT ALTHOUGH THE DISABLED WAS GIVEN AS MUCH HELP AS POSSIBLE IN THE INITIAL STAGE TO EASE INTO THE JOB, ADJUSTMENT DIFFICULTIES WERE BY NO MEANS UNKNOWN.
+SOMETIMES IT IS A QUESTION OF WRONGFUL EXPECTATIONS BETWEEN THE EMPLOYER AND THE EMPLOYEE. AT OTHER TIMES, IT MAY BE DUE, ON THE PART OF THE DISABLED, TO THE LACK OF CONFIDENCE, INADEQUATE PREPARATION FOR A SPECIFIC JOB OR INABILITY TO ADJUST TO THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS THE ATTITUDE OF THE WORKMATES.+
IN VIEW OF THESE PROBLEMS, HE SAID, PLACEMENT OFFICERS HAD TO MAKE FOLLOW-UP VISITS AS FREQUENTLY AS CIRCUMSTANCES DICTATED. THESE VISITS WOULD CONTINUE FOR A PERIOD OF THREE MONTHS BEFORE A PLACEMENT WAS DECLARED SUCCESSFUL.
MR. KHOO CONGRATULATED THOSE DISABLED WHO HAVE ACHIEVED +VOCATIONAL EQUALITY WITH THEIR NON-DISABLED PEERS+ FOR THEIR STAMINA, PERSERVERENCE AND ADJUSTMENT AND THANKED THEM FOR THE IR CO-OPERATION WITH THEIR PLACEMENT OFFICERS, THEIR WORKMATES AND MANAGEMENT AS A WHOLE.
+THEY MAY NOT REALISE IT, BUT THE EYES OF THE COMMUNITY ARE UPON THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE THE VANGUARD OF A NEW GENERATION OF WORKERS WHO, DESPITE THEIR VARIOUS DISABILITIES, ARE ACCEPTED AS ORDINARY WORKERS, AS IF SUCH HANDICAPPING CONDITIONS ARE NON-EXISTENT.+
DESPITE THE ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE PAST TEN YEARS. MR. KHOO EMPHASISED THAT WHAT HAD BEEN DONE FOR THE DISABLED STILL SEEMED INSIGNIFICANT, CONSIDERING THE SIZE OF THE LABOUR FORCE IN HONG
KONG.
HE URGED EMPLOYERS TO BE SYMPATHETIC TO THE CAUSE AND TO TAKE A LITTLE MORE TOUBLE TO HIRE THE DISABLED IN ORDER TO MAKE THE SCHEME A SUCCESS.
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