TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1979
MR. STRACHAN IDENTIFIED FIVE PREJUDICES WITHIN SOCIETY AND WITHIN GOVERNMENT WHICH HE SAID HINDERED THE REHABILITATION OF THE DISABLED.
DISABILITIES WERE OFTEN CONSIDERED TO BE SO GREAT THAT ABILITIES WERE IGNORED. LOSS OF INTELLIGENCE WAS OFTEN EQUATED WITH DISABILITY WHICH WAS SOMETIMES REGARDED AS CONTAGIOUS OR DANGEROUS.
IT WAS FEARED THAT STANDARDS MAY BE LOWERED AS A RESULT OF INTEGRATING DISABLED PEOPLE INTO THE COMMUNITY. DISABLED PEOPLE WERE OFTEN THE LAST TO BE CONSIDERED FOR VOCATIONAL TRAINING OR JOB PLACEMENT.
MR. STRACHAN SAID THAT GOVERNMENT WAS COMMITTED TO INTEGRATING THE DISABLED INTO THE COMMUNITY AND THIS GOAL HAD BEEN DECLARED IN A WHITE PAPER PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 1977.
+THIS WHITE PAPER RECOGNISED THAT IF DISABLED PEOPLE WERE TO DEVELOP THEIR PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL CAPABILITIES TO THE MAXIMUM THEY MUST BE PROVIDED WITH COMPREHENSIVE REHABILITATION SERVICES. THIS IS GOVERNMENT'S COMMITMENT.+
+ON THE OTHER HAND, MR. STRACHAN ADDED, SOCIETY HAS A COMMITMENT TO WELCOME THE DISABLED AMONG THEM. +
+ IT IS AN INTERESTING FACT THAT IN OUR COMMUNITY WE ARE WILLING TO GIVE LARGE SUMS OF CHARITY MONEY TO VOLUNTARY AGENCIES TO LOCK AWAY THE MENTALLY ILL AND OTHER GROUPS OF SEVERELY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN AND ADULTS JUST AS LONG AS THEY ARE KEPT OUT OF SIGHT.
*BUT ARE WE WILLING TO GIVE THE SAME GENEROUS TREATMENT, MONEY AND MOST OF ALL COMPASSION IF SIMILAR PEOPLE WISH TO LIVE, WORK, STUDY AND PLAY AMONG US?+ HE ASKED.
EXTERNAL TRADE FOR JANUARY
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THE TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE VALUE FOR JANUARY 1979 WAS $10,486 MILL FON, AN INCREASE OF 33 PER CENT COMPARED WITH THE SAME MONTH IN 1978.
DOMESTIC EXPORTS ROSE BY 40 PER CENT TO $3,817 MILLION, IMPORTS BY 25 PER CENT TO $5,358 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS BY 49 PER CENT TO $1,311 MILLION, ACCORDING TO MERCHANDISE TRADE STATISTICS FOR JANUARY RELEASED TODAY (TUESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.