XN000022-1983-12-17 — Page 5

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1983.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR HANDICAPPED URGED

***

A SENIOR OFFICER OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT TODAY (SATURDAY) CALLED FOR COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR THE HANDICAPPED TO HELP THEM GAIN COMPLETE REHABILITATION.

THE APPEAL CAME FROM THE REGIONAL OFFICER (EAST KOWLOON), MR KWOK KA-CHI, WHEN HE OPENED A SEMINAR ON INTEGRATION OF THE HANDICAPPED+ AT THE KWUN TONG COMMUNITY CENTRE.

MR KWOK SAID SERVICES PROVIDED TO THE DISABLED BY BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND VOLUNTARY AGENCIES WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH.

+TO HELP THEM TOWARDS COMPLETE REHABILITATION, WE NEED THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY TO TREAT THEM EQUALLY AND TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES, HE SAID.

HE SAID IT WAS ENCOURAGING TO NOTE THAT QUITE A NUMBER OF EMPLOYERS IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR HAD BEEN HELP

NG THE DISABLED BY GIVING THEM JOBS OR BY PLACING ORDERS WITH SHELTERED WORKSHOPS. MR KWOK EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT MORE EMPLOYERS WOULD FOLLOW SUIT.

A COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC EDUCATION IN REHABILITATION HAD BEEN SET UP BY THE GOVERNMENT AFTER THE 1981 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF DISABLED PERSONS, HE SAID, ADDING THAT THE SEMINAR TODAY WAS TO PROMOTE THIS WORK.

THE SEMINAR FORMS PART OF THE TERRITORY-WIDE PUBLICITY PROGRAMME CO-ORDINATED BY THE COMMITTEE.

FIVE SPEAKERS, FROM THE FIELDS OF SOCIAL WORK, PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHOLOGY, INCLUDING A MEMBER OF THE REHABILITATION DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE, GAVE TALKS ON THE DISABLED PEOPLE.

THE PANEL DISCUSSION, CHAIRED BY DR NELSON CHOW, A SENIOR LECTURER IN SOCIAL WORK, THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, WAS FOLLOWED BY AN OPEN FORUM.

15