XN000022-1986-05-08 — Page 4

THURSDAY, MAY 8, 1986

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NOTING THAT MANY EMPLOYERS HAD GENERALLY BEEN UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT DISABLED PERSONS WERE ONLY CAPABLE OF DOING MENIAL JOBS, MR CHEN SAID THIS WAS SIMPLY NOT TRUE.

HE SAID THE ADVANCES IN RECENT YEARS IN THE VARIOUS REHABILITATION DISCIPLINES HAD HELPED TO WIDEN THE RANGE OF OCCUPATIONS WHICH DISABLED PERSONS WERE CAPABLE OF TAKING UP.

TECHNICAL AIDS HAD BEEN DEVELOPED TO HELP DISABLED PERSONS DO PARTICULAR JOBS, AND SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL TECHNIQUES, COUPLED WITH A PARALLEL DEVELOPMENT IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, SURGICAL METHODS, PROSTHETIC EQUIPMENT, VOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES AND

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VOCATIONAL TRAINING OR RETRAINING, HAD ALSO ENHANCED SUBSTANTIALLY THE EMPLOYABILITY OF THE DISABLED.

IN FACT, MR CHEN POINTED OUT, THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT SERVICE HAD BROUGHT MANY SATISFIED EMPLOYERS AND DISABLED EMPLOYEES TOGETHER OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

+MANY EMPLOYERS HAVE BEEN TAKING ON DISABLED EMPLOYEES REGULARLY THROUGH THE SERVICE AFTER A SUCCESSFUL FIRST PLACEMENT.

+THESE EMPLOYERS ARE HAPPY BECAUSE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE IR DISABLED WORKERS IS OFTEN ON A PAR WITH THEIR ABLE-BODIED EMPLOYEES.+

MR CHEN APPEALED TO THOSE EMPLOYERS WHO STILL HAD LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORKING CAPACITY OF DISABLED PERSONS TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND ON THEIR WORKING ABILITY.

+DO NOT JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, BUT LET A PLACEMENT OFFICER OF THE SERVICE ARRANGE FOR YOU A VISIT TO A FACTORY OR OFFICE IN WHICH DISABLED PERSONS ARE EMPLOYED, AND YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF,+ HE SAID.

ON THE WORK OF THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT SERVICE, MR CHEN SAID IT PROVIDED A FREE EMPLOYMENT PLACEMENT SERVICE TO PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED OR MENTALLY DISABLED PERSONS WHO WISHED TO SEEK EMPLOYMENT IN THE OPEN LABOUR MARKET.

IT ALSO SERVED EMPLOYERS WHO WISHED TO EMPLOY WORKERS WHO WERE CAPABLE ALTHOUGH DISABLED.

BUT, HE SAID, THE PLACEMENT OF DISABLED PERSONS INTO EMPLOYMENT WAS NOT DONE IN A HAPHAZARD MANNER.

PLACEMENT OFFICERS ASSISTING HANDICAPPED CLIENTS OFTEN HAD TO ASSESS RESIDUAL ABILITIES, EDUCATIONAL OR TRAINING BACKGROUND, WORK EXPERIENCES, APTITUDES AND ASPIRATIONS.

THEY WOULD THEN BE GIVEN BRIEFINGS ON THE PREVALENT LABOUR MARKET CONDITIONS AND VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE AS WELL AS MOCK INTERVIEWS TO PREPARE THEM FOR OPEN EMPLOYMENT.

TO PROVIDE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT. THE PLACEMENT OFFICER WOULD ALSO ACCOMPANY THE JOB-SEEKER TO THE INTERVIEW.

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