XN000022-1984-10-12 — Page 8

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1934

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MORE JOBS SOUGHT FOR DISABLED ******

THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT'S PLACEMENT SERVICE FOR THE MENTALLY DISABLED DEPENDED VERY MUCH ON THE CLOSE COOPERATION OF EMPLOYERS FOR ITS SUCCESS, THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, MR RON BRIDGE, SAID TODAY.

MR BRIDGE WAS SPEAKING AT A CEREMONY ORGANISED BY THE DEPARTMENT'S SELECTIVE PLACEMENT SERVICE (SPS) FOR THE PRESENTATION OF SOUVENIRS TO THE TOP TEN EMPLOYERS OF DISABLED PERSONS.

PLACEMENT OFFICERS DEALING WITH BOTH THE MENTALLY RETARDED AND THE EX-MENTALLY ILL HAD ALL BEEN SPECIALLY TRAINED, AND WERE SUPPORTED BY MEDICAL SPECIALISTS IN HOSPITALS AND CLINICS, HE SAID.

HE SAID THE SPS HAD, SINCE JULY, TAKEN OVER THE TASK OF PROVIDING FREE EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE TO MENTALLY DISABLED PERSONS.

THIS WORK HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN DONE BY THE FORMER JOB PLACEMENT UNIT OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT.

MR BRIDGE SAID THE NEW SERVICE, WHICH IS NOW BEING PROVIDED FROM A NEW OFFICE IN TSUEN WAN AND AN EXISTING OFFICE IN WAN CHAI, WAS A DIFFICULT ONE.

+THE DIFFICULTY DOES NOT ARISE FROM A LACK OF WORKING ABILITY ON THE PART OF THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED BUT RATHER FROM A LACK OF UNDERSTAND ING BY MANY PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS OF THE NATURE OF THE DISABILITY AND FROM AN ENTRENCHED PREJUDICE AGAINST THESE JOB SEEKERS, HE SAID.

HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT THAT ALTHOUGH THE INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY OF THE MENTALLY RETARDED MIGHT BE IMPAIRED, THIS COULD BE COMPENSATED BY OTHER SKILLS AND APTITUDES IN WHICH THEY MIGHT FUNCTION ADEQUATELY, OR EVEN EXCEL.

+MENTALLY RETARDED PEOPLE ARE WELL ABLE TO FILL JOBS FOR WHICH A HIGH LEVEL OF INTELLIGENCE IS NOT AN IMPORTANT QUAL IF ICATION.+

SIMILARLY, PEOPLE WHO HAD MENTAL ILLNESS COULD BE TREATED AND COULD RECOVER TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT THE EFFECT OF THE IR ILLNESS UPON THEIR EMPLOYMENT WOULD LIKELY TO BE SLIGHT OR NON-EXISTENT, MR BRIDGE SAID.

ANY EX-MENTALLY ILL PATIENT THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT SERVICE TRIED TO PLACE WOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN TREATED BY A MEDICAL SPECIALIST AND HIS CONDITION WOULD HAVE BEEN STABILISED.

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THE TOP TEN EMPLOYERS WERE AUDIOTRONICS LTD, HONG KONG SECURITY LTD, DURABLE ELECTRICAL METAL FTY. LTD, WILSON PARKING (H.K.) PTY. LTD, HUNG NIEN ELECTRONICS LTD, URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT, EASTERN TIME LTD, MILLIE'S HANDBAGS AND SHOES FTY. LTD, SECURITY ALLIANCE LTD, AND NATIONAL ELECTRONICS AND WATCH CO LTD.

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