XN000022-1996-12-06 — Page 17

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SWD distributes blankets to street sleepers

Staff of the Social Welfare Department distributed a total of 371 blankets to street sleepers in a territory-wide operation during the cold spell early this (Friday) morning.

Of the total, 141 were distributed in West Kowloon, 28 in East Kowloon, 154 on Hong Kong Island, 36 in New Territories East and 12 in New Territories West.

Meanwhile, the department's hotline 2343 2255 received a total of 29 calls between 12 am and 9 am this morning.

Among the calls, eight were relating to cold spell matters where two of them required further outreaching service.

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Education prepares visually impaired for a career

One of the fundamental aims of the educational effort is to prepare visually impaired students for the pursuit of a satisfying career upon leaving school, the Director of Education, Mrs Helen C P Lai Yu, said today (Friday).

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Asian and Pacific Regional Seminar on Information Technology for the Visually Impaired People, Mrs Yu noted that information technology played a key role in enhancing the life of visually impaired people.

The Education Department has since 1990 provided adaptive aids to facilitate the use of computers, and the Government subvented essential technical devices including circuit television, navigator, optacon for the training of visually impaired students in special schools, she said.

"To meet our students' needs in different educational settings and to promote full integration, visually impaired students in mainstream schools are given assistance to use the high-tech aids at the Ebenezar School, a special school for visually impaired children," Mrs Yu said.