SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 1978
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VICTORIA PARK SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF OPEN DAY
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MISS ELIZABETH ROWE, PRINCIPAL EDUCATION OFFICER (SPECIAL EDUCATION), TODAY PAID TRIBUTE TO THE SCHOOL, THE STAFF AND THE PUPILS OF VICTORIA PARK SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF FOR THE QUALITY OF THE WORK THEY HAD ACHIEVED IN ONE OF THE MOST DEMANDING TASKS
IN EDUCATION,+
SPEAKING AT THE OPEN DAY HELD AT THE SCHOOL THIS (SATURDAY) AFTERNOON, MISS ROWE SAID THE SCHOOL OVER THE LAST 18 YEARS HAD EXPANDED ITS FACILITIES AND ESTABLISHED TWO SPECIAL CLASSES FOR DEAF CHILDREN WITH ADDITIONAL HANDICAPS.
SHE NOTED THAT THE PROGRESS THESE CHILDREN WERE MAKING IN THE SPECIAL CLASSES WAS CONVINCING PROOF OF THE CAPABILITY OF THESE SEVERELY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN TO BENEFIT FROM EDUCATION.
MISS ROWE ADDED: +IT WILL ALSO SERVE AS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO ALL PARENTS WHO SUSPECT THEIR CHILD MAY HAVE HEARING IMPAIRMENT, OR INDEED ANY OTHER PROBLEMS, TO SEEK ADVICE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. TECHNIQUES ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR ASSESSING HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN BABIES AS YOUNG AS SIX MONTHS AND THE EARLIER A CHILD CAN BE ASSESSED THE EARLIER REMEDIAL TREATMENT CAN BE STARTED AND FULL USE MADE OF THE CHILD'S RESIDUAL HEARING.
+AS A RESULT OF THE HIGH STANDARD OF WORK BEING ACHIEVED IN THE SCHOOL, SEVERAL PUPILS EACH YEAR ARE NOW MAKING SUFFICIENT PROGRESS IN SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT TO BE ABLE TO BE TRANSFERRED TO SPECIAL CLASSES IN ORDINARY PRIMARY SCHOOLS. THIS IS MOST ENCOURAGING.+
MISS ROWE ALSO POINTED OUT THE FACT THAT SO MANY PUPILS WERE NOW SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATED IN ORDINARY SCHOOLS COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE SKILL AND DEDICATION OF THE STAFF OF THIS SCHOOL.
IN HER ADDRESS, THE PRINCIPAL OF THE SCHOOL, MRS. KATHERINE LEUNG, THANKED THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOR THE GUIDANCE- THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT FOR THE ASSISTANCE IN PROVIDING HEARING AIDS AND AUDIOLOGICAL EQUIPMENT- THE Y.W.C.A. FOR PROVIDING SOCIAL WORK SERVICE, AND THE VARIOUS SCHOOLS, PARTICULARLY ST. STEPHEN'S GIRLS' COLLEGE AND THE RED CROSS CADETS, FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE SCHOOL'S INTEGRATION PROGRAMMES.
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