XN000022-1972-09-12 — Page 4

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Tuesday, September 12, 1972

ANOTHER GROUP OF DISABLED PEOPLE FOUND "OPEN" EMPLOYMENT

Thirty-one disabled people were assisted by the Social Welfare Department's

Liaison and Placement Unit into commercially-competitive jobs during August.

The group included 17 crippled, eight deaf, two former mental patients,

two cured tuberculosis patients, one blind and one mentally retarded.

They were accepted into "open" industry

workshops

as unskilled and semi-skilled workers.

employment in a garment factory to carpentry.

as opposed to sheltered

The jobs ranged from

Topping the list of industrial organisations taking on disabled during

the month was the Swiss Plating Corporation limited, which accepted 13.

This large placement became possible when the management decided to

divide the group into different shifts so that some could work in the morning,

others in the afternoon and others at night. All entered the factory as general

workers.

The Lever Garment Factory accepted a group of six, engaging them

all as sewers.

The Commerce and Industry Department took on a blind person as a

telephone operator, and the Urban Services Department employed a crippled man

for cleansing duties.

Mr. Chan Shiu-wing, Acting Officer in charge of the Unit, says the

August total, though only slightly better than July's 28, was still satisfactory

because students on holiday were still in the market competing for temporary

jobs.

He expects the position to improve in September when schools and the

universities re-open.

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