XN000022-1983-06-16 — Page 2

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 1983

COMMUNITY URGED TO ACCEPT HANDICAPPED

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THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR JOHN CHAMBERS, TODAY (THURSDAY) APPEALED TO THE COMMUNITY TO ACCEPT THE HANDICAPPED, PARTICULARLY THE MENTALLY RETARDED.

SPEAKING AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE DIRECTORS OF PO LEUNG KUK, HE DESCRIBED HONG KONG AS A +TOLERANT SOCIETY+ THAT INCLUDED PEOPLE OF MANY DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES, RACES, LANGUAGES AND RELIGIONS AND POLITICAL PERSUASIONS.

IN GENERAL, WE ALL MANAGE TO LIVE QUITE HAPPILY TOGETHER DESPITE THE MANY CONTRASTS AND CONTRADICTIONS. LET US EXTEND THIS ACCEPTANCE OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES TO THE HANDICAPPED, ESPECIALLY THE MENTALLY RETARDED, HE SAID.

MR CHAMBERS SAID SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING WERE NOT EXPENSIVE AND THIS IS WHERE WE CAN ALL HELP+,

HE SAID THE NEED TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE REAL NATURE OF MENTAL HANDICAP AND THOSE SUFFERING FROM IT WAS MOST IMPORTANT IN THE SUCCESSFUL REHABILITATION OF THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE.

TOO OFTEN, THE MENTALLY RETARDED, PARTICULARLY THOSE MORE SEVERELY HANDICAPPED, WERE SHUNNED AND OSTRACISED BY THE IR NEIGHBOURS AND THOSE WHO SHOULD BE THEIR FRIENDS, HE CONTINUED.

THEY WERE BELIEVED TO BE PECULIAR AND UNPREDICTABLE, EVEN DANGEROUS, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT SUCH PEOPLE WERE MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT CRIMES AND DISTURB SOCIETY THAN ANYONE ELSE.

NOT MANY EMPLOYERS WERE PREPARED TO GIVE THEM JOBS ALTHOUGH THEY OFTEN PROVED TO BE LOYAL AND DILIGENT WORKERS WHEN THEY WERE EMPLOYED IN POSITIONS WHICH WERE WITHIN THEIR CAPABILITIES,

MR CHAMBERS SAID THAT BASED ON EXPERIENCE IN BRITAIN, THE NUMBER OF MENTALLY RETARDED PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WAS ESTIMATED AT ABOUT 105 000.

EXCEPT FOR ABOUT 4000, ALL OF THEM COULD BE TRAINED TO LIVE AND WORK INDEPENDENTLY, WITH THE MINIMUM OF ASSISTANCE OR SUPERVISION, HE SAID.

ONE OF THE MAJOR DIFFICULTIES FACING THE MENTALLY RETARDED IN A MODERN URBAN ENVIRONMENT, MR CHAMBERS SAID, WAS THE HIGH DEGREE OF COMPETITIVENESS IN ALL SPHERES OF LIFE.

THE PRESSURE TO DO WELL WAS SO KEEN THAT EVEN MANY NON-HANDICAPPED PEOPLE COULD FEEL INADEQUATE AT TIMES, HE SAID.

/+AGAINST THIS