XN000022-1987-04-04 — Page 4

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SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 1987

+AND THE PROGRAMME MUST BE SUITED TO THE HONG KONG SITUATION, SHE ADDED.

MRS GOODSTADT SAID THAT SOCIAL WORKERS IN THIS FILED MUST ALSO HAVE SOME BASIC QUALITIES BEFORE THESE OBJECTIVES COULD BE ATTAINED.

+FIRST, THEY MUST HAVE A FIRM CONVICTION IN REHABILITATION WORK AND BELIEVE THAT THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED, EVEN OF THE MOST SEVERE GRADE, ARE CAPABLE OF BEING TRAINED AND THAT THE TRAINEES SHOULD NOT BE TREATED AS LITTLE CHILDREN OR BABIES AND BE GIVEN PASSIVE CARE AND THUS DEPRIVING THEM OF DEVELOPING THEIR POTENTIAL,' SHE SAID.

+SECOND, REHABILITATION WORKERS MUST HAVE DEDICATION AND IMAGINATION AND SHOULD NOT FOLLOW RIGIDLY A SET MODE OF TEACHING AND TRAINING THE HANDICAPPED.

+THE TRAINING SHOULD BE TAILORED TO THE APTITUDE AND RECEPTIVENESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL TRAINEE,+ SHE ADDED.

MRS GOODSTADT COMPLIMENTED THE ASSOCIATION FOR ITS DEDICATION TO SERVING THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED.

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MORE APPEALS OVER DISABILITY ALLOWANCE

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THE SOCIAL SECURITY APPEAL BOARD (SSAB) RECEIVED 132 APPEALS AGAINST THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT'S DECISION ON ELIGIBILITY AND PAYMENT OF SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS IN THE YEAR 1985-86, ACCORDING TO THE BOARD'S ANNUAL REPORT.

THIS REPRESENTED AN INCREASE OF 63 APPEALS, OR 91.3 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING YEAR.

THE REPORT SHOWED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THESE APPEALS WERE RELATED TO DISABILITY ALLOWANCE, ACCOUNTING FOR 118 CASES OR ABOUT 90 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL.

THE SSAB CHAIRMAN, MR CHIU CHUN-BONG, WHO HAS SERVED THE BOARD FOR FIVE YEARS, POINTED OUT THAT THE MAJORITY OF THESE APPEALS WERE AGAINST THE MEDICAL FINDINGS ON WHICH THE DECISION OF THE ELIGIBILITY OF AN APPELLANT FOR SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS WAS ORIGINALLY BASED.

IN PROCESSING THESE APPEALS, IT WAS ESSENTIAL FOR THE APPELLANTS TO UNDERGO A MEDICAL RE-ASSESSMENT, HE SAID.

/THE APPEAL