XN000022-1977-01-11 — Page 2

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1977

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT OF DISABLED IN COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT ******

THE SUCCESS OF EMPLOYMENT OF THE DISABLED WILL DEPEND ON THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE PHILOSOPHY THAT THE DISABLED IS AS MUCH A PART OF THE COMMUNITY AS THE NON-DISABLED AND IS THEREFORE ENTITLED TO THE SAME RIGHTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO AND SHARE IN ITS WEALTH,

THIS WAS STATED TODAY BY MR. KHOO TAI-PIN, SENIOR PRINCIPAL SOCIAL WELFARE OFFICER AND HEAD OF THE REHABILITATION DIVISION OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT, AT A ROTARY CLUB OF KOWLOON EAST MEETING.

HE SAID THE SUCCESS WOULD ALSO DEPEND ON THE WILLINGNESS TO GIVE SPECIAL CONSIDERATION IN THE WAY OF PRIORITY OR PREFERENCE TO THEM AND VE SOME BASIC BUT IRRELEVENT REQUIREMENTS

TO

ATTACHED TO JOBS TO ENABLE THE DISABLED TO SECURE A FAIR SHARE OF EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FROM WHICH THEY WERE OFTEN AUTOMATICALLY BARRED.

MR. KHOO POINTED OUT THAT IN HONG KONG THE PLIGHT OF THE DISABLED AND THEIR VOCATIONAL NEEDS HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO LIGHT LARGELY THROUGH SUCCESSIVE STUDIES DONE BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT.

AS THE BODY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PLACEMENT OF THE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY DISABLED, HE CONTINUED, THE DEPARTMENT IN 1967 ASSIGNED ONE OFFICER TO FIND JOBS FOR THE DISABLED.

+THE DEPARTMENT HAS NOW FIVE OFFICERS CONCERNED EXCLUSIVELY WITH SELECTIVE PLACEMENT AND HAS UP TO THE END OF DECEMBER 1976 PLACED 2,500 DISABLED PERSONS IN EMPLOYMENT, HE SAID.

+AS MORE DISABLED PERSONS ARE READY FOR THE LABOUR MARKET THE QUESTION IS POSED OF HOW MORE JOBS CAN BE FOUND FOR THEM, HE POINTED OUT.

HE STRESSED THAT TO CREATE MORE JOBS LEGISLATIVE MEASURES ADOPTED IN SOME COUNTRIES HAD BEEN IN THE FORM OF: IMPOSITION OF AN OBLIGATION ON EMPLOYERS TO EMPLOY A FIXED NUMBER OR QUOTA- THE RESERVATION OF CERTAIN TYPES OF WORK AND THE RESERVATION OR PRIORITY ALLOCATION OF POSTS.

+WHETHER IT IS CONSIDERED DESIRABLE TO RESORT TO LAW MAY DEPEND ON HOW EFFECTIVELY DISABLED PERSONS CAN OBTAIN EMPLOYMENT WITHOUT IT AND HOW MUCH THEY MAY BE ABLE TO RELY ON THE GOODWILL OF THE COMMUNITY, HE EXPLAINED. WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE READY FOR ANY OR ALL SUCH MEASURES WILL AGAIN DEPEND ON THE COMMUNITY'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE DISABLED.+

HOWEVER, HE ADDED: LEGISLATION OR NO, THIS ACCEPTANCE BY YOU. OTHER COMMUNITY-MINDED LEADERS AND THE PUBLIC WILL ENSURE GREATER ACHIEVEMENT IN THE REHABILITATION OF THE DISABLED, A SUPREME HUMAN ASPIRATION THAT CONCERNS US ALL.+