An Executive Summary of the

Hong Kong Rehabilitation Programme Plan

Background

In January 2005, the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee (RAC)

decided to carry out a review of the Hong Kong Rehabilitation Programme
Plan (RPP). The review aims to make recommendations on the future
development of rehabilitation services in accordance with the following
two strategic directions:

z to promote cross-sectoral collaboration in providing a barrier-

free environment and diversified services for persons with
disabilities so as to facilitate their integration into the
community; and

z to empower persons with disabilities and their carers, so as to

help them become valuable social capital.

2. In March 2005, the then Health, Welfare and Food Bureau set up
a RPP Review Working Group (the Working Group), comprised of
representatives of persons with disabilities, self-help groups, rehabilitation
service providers, parents’ groups, the Hong Kong Council of Social
Service, business sector, RAC and relevant Government departments.
The review spanned two years, during which the Working Group
conducted a thorough examination of the existing rehabilitation services,
discussed the views collected (including over 100 written submissions) and
made recommendations on the future development of various rehabilitation
programme areas. All these have been incorporated into this new RPP.

3. In May 2007, the Working Group completed the review and

submitted the RPP to the RAC for endorsement. Recommendations set
out in the RPP will form the basis for various sectors of the community,
including the business sector, non-government organisations (NGOs) and
the Government, to forge collaboration in providing equal opportunities for
persons with disabilities and to facilitate their integration into the
community.

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Directions of Service Development

4. The RPP puts forward recommendations on the way forward for

various rehabilitation services. Regarding disability types for people
requiring rehabilitation services, the RPP proposes, on top of the former
eight categories of disability, including autism, hearing impairment,
intellectual disability, mental illness, physical disability, speech
impairment, visceral disability and visual impairment, to include two
additional new categories, namely Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
(AD/HD) and Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD). This is on the
consideration that early identification and intervention will go a long way
towards minimising the difficulties encountered by persons with AD/HD or
SpLD in formal education setting, while enabling them to enjoy equal
opportunities in learning and development.

5. Regarding the various rehabilitation programmes, the new RPP

proposes strategic directions for development, long-term and short-term
objectives, as well as specific measures. Recommendations on the
specific development directions for each programme area are summarised
as follows:

(1) Prevention and Identification: to stress the importance of

prevention and to recommend enhancement of preventive
work at different levels. Apart from public education on
disease and accident prevention, efforts should also be made
to forestall worsening of disease, recurrence and
complications;

(2) Medical Rehabilitation: to develop day rehabilitation

programmes and community rehabilitation services, and to
forge closer collaboration among different sectors and local
communities, with a view to facilitating early return of
persons with disease-induced disabilities to community life;

(3) Pre-school Training: to continue to work towards the

present policy objective of providing a full range of pre-
school training for pre-schoolers with disabilities with a

ii
 view to providing early detection and intervention to reduce
developmental delay and helping their families meet their
special needs;

(4) Education: to continue to provide appropriate support for

students with special educational needs. Further efforts
will be made in the following directions: empowering
teachers, establishing school networks to facilitate
professional sharing, enhancing professional support,
helping schools inculcate an inclusive culture, promoting
parent education and involvement, and fostering cross-
sectoral collaboration, etc.;

(5) Employment and Vocational Rehabilitation: to promote

employment of persons with disabilities which should be
oriented to the enhancement of their abilities and
development of their potential, and in collaboration with
various sectors of the community to create an environment
in which they can enjoy equal employment opportunities.
With this in mind, the new RPP recommends promoting
open employment, providing vocational training and
employment services, and creating more employment
opportunities for persons with disabilities;

(6) Residential Care: while the overall direction is to

encourage persons with disabilities to live in the community
with their families and friends, the special needs of those
persons with disabilities who cannot live independently or
be adequately cared for by their families are recognised. In
this connection, the RPP recommends that the Government
formulate a long-term plan, developing in a sustainable
manner various kinds of residential services with different
levels of support, including regulating residential services
and promoting the three-pronged development of private,
self-financed and subvented hostels, so as to provide more
service options for persons with disabilities;

(7) Day Care and Community Support: day care and

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 community support play an integral part in enabling persons
with disabilities to live in the community and facilitating
their full integration into the community. The RPP
supports continuous development of such support services
and recommends enhancing people-oriented services,
providing more support to carers, developing community
mutual help networks and rendering multi-disciplinary
support services;

(8) Development of Self-help Organisations: self-help

organisations, in the capacity of rehabilitation service users,
offer valuable advice for the development of rehabilitation
programmes. The RPP recommends supporting the
development of self-help organisations, establishing their
role and strengthening the collaboration of these self-help
organisations, Government departments and other sectors in
society;

(9) Access and Transport: a barrier-free environment is

fundamental to the full integration of persons with
disabilities into the community. The RPP supports
continuous implementation of the “Transport for All” policy
and considers it necessary to ensure continuous
advancement of the policy on barrier-free access facilities;

(10) Application of Information and Communications

Technologies (ICT): the use of ICT by persons with
disabilities is conducive to their communication with other
people, acquisition of information, studies and work,
thereby facilitating their integration into the community.
In this connection, the RPP recommends that continuous
efforts by all sectors of the community be promoted in
helping and supporting persons with disabilities in the use of
ICT;

(11) Recreational, Sports, Cultural and Arts Activities:persons

with disabilities will benefit through the participation in
recreational, sports, cultural and arts activities in

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 enhancing their capacity on various fronts. Besides, it is a
useful means to facilitate their integration into the
community. In this connection, the RPP recommends
providing persons with disabilities with suitable activities
and facilities to encourage their active participation in
mainstream activities, and organising special activities for
those who are unable to participate in mainstream activities.
It also recommends providing support to outstanding
athletes and artists with disabilities to pursue careers in
recreation, sports, culture and arts; and

(12) Public Education: understanding and acceptance of

persons with disabilities by the general public are essential
to the building of an inclusive society. In this connection,
the RPP recommends strengthening the comprehensive
public education programmes on rehabilitation with timely
evaluation of their effectiveness and conducting regular
review of strategy in light of the changing public attitude
and social environment.

The Way Forward

6. The directions of development, objectives and measures set out in

the RPP can be taken forward through enhanced collaboration between
Government departments and NGOs, the re-deployment of resources, as
well as collaboration among the NGOs, the business sector and the
Government.

7. The RAC will monitor the implementation of the various

recommendations set out in the RPP on a regular basis. The sub-
committees under the RAC will also follow up on the detailed
implementation of the recommendations and relevant concrete
arrangements.

8. We hope all stakeholders, including the NGOs, the business

sector and the Government, will strive to forge closer partnership, to take
the recommendations set out in the RPP into full consideration in the

v
strategic planning of the development of their services and activities and to
bring them in alignment with the overall development needs of
rehabilitation services; while working together towards a barrier-free
environment and the building of a harmonious, inclusive and caring
society.

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 Table of Contents

Page Number

Executive Summary i-vi

Chapter 1 Introduction 1-4
Chapter 2 Rehabilitation Services 5-15
Chapter 3 Prevention and Identification 16-24
Chapter 4 Medical Rehabilitation 25-29
Chapter 5 Pre-school Training 30-34
Chapter 6 Education 35-41
Chapter 7 Employment and Vocational Rehabilitation 42-46
Chapter 8 Residential Care 47-51
Chapter 9 Day Care and Community Support 52-59
Chapter 10 Development of Self-help Organizations 60-63
Chapter 11 Access and Transport 64-67
Chapter 12 Application of Information and 68-71
Communications Technologies
Chapter 13 Recreational, Sports, Cultural and Arts 72-77
Activities
Chapter 14 Public Education 78-82
Chapter 15 Other Issues of Concern 83-86
Chapter 16 Conclusion and Way Forward 87-88
Appendices
Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 In the early 1970s, the Government set up an interdepartmental

working group to look into the development of rehabilitation services,
having regard to the fact that rehabilitation services then still had ample
room for expansion to facilitate the full integration of persons with
disabilities into the community. Against this background, the first Hong
Kong Rehabilitation Programme Plan (RPP) was released in July 1976.
The RPP was developed in consultation with various relevant Government
departments and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS).
Recommendations put forward in the RPP on the sustainable development
of Hong Kong’s rehabilitation services formed the basis for the first White
Paper on Rehabilitation: “Integrating the Disabled into the Community: A
United Effort” published by the Government in 1977.

1.2 Development of rehabilitation services in Hong Kong has

continued to gain momentum since the publication of the White Paper.
The Government and the rehabilitation sector conducted regular reviews of
the RPP to address the needs of persons with disabilities and the whole
community in a timely manner. In late 1970s and early 1980s, Rehabus
service and Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department came
into operation respectively. In 1981, the Office of the Commissioner for
Rehabilitation was set up under the then Health and Welfare Branch to
coordinate the formulation of rehabilitation policy and provision of
rehabilitation services. In mid 1980s, various major rehabilitation
services experienced rapid development both in terms of quality and
quantity, including, among others, pre-school training, day activity centres,
hostels for mentally handicapped persons, half-way houses for discharged
mental patients and vocational rehabilitation services. In 1985, mandatory
requirements for barrier-free access of persons with disabilities were first
imposed on various kinds of buildings under the Buildings Ordinance
(Cap. 123).

1.3 1990s marked a significant milestone in the promotion of full

equal opportunities for participation of persons with disabilities in
community activities in Hong Kong. In 1995, the Disability
Discrimination Ordinance (Cap. 487) was enacted by the then Legislative

1
Council to ensure equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in areas
such as employment, access to education, housing and daily living in the
community. In the same year, the Government also developed the second
White Paper on Rehabilitation entitled “Equal Opportunities and Full
Participation: A Better Tomorrow for All” to reiterate its commitment on
the sustainable development of rehabilitation services with all hence,
Hong Kong’s rehabilitation services entered into a new era in which equal
opportunities for persons with disabilities and their full integration into the
community were on-going items on the social agenda. Meanwhile,
self-help groups for persons with disabilities, the chronically ill and parents
also started to mushroom in the early 1990s.

1.4 In 1997, the Mental Health Ordinance (Cap. 136) was enacted by
the then Legislative Council to provide necessary legal safeguards for
persons with mental disorder and/or mental handicap as well as their carers.
In the same year, the Government also introduced the policy on integrated
education and the new design standards under the Design Manual: Barrier
Free Access 1997. In parallel with the vigorous efforts by the
Government and the rehabilitation sector, public transport operators also
put in place a number of supportive measures, including the introduction of
low-floor buses and improvement to the access facilities at MTR stations.
In 1999, the Government, in collaboration with the rehabilitation sector,
conducted a review of the RPP, in order to formulate a development plan to
take Hong Kong’s rehabilitation services into the new millennium.

1.5 The new millennium saw Hong Kong breaking new ground in
community-based rehabilitation services through the provision of necessary
care and support to persons with disabilities and their families for living in
the community. Moreover, social enterprises were developed through the
tripartite efforts of the Government, the rehabilitation sector and persons
with disabilities. As at 2006, a total of over 80 social enterprise units
were set up by various rehabilitation agencies to create more employment
and vocational training opportunities for persons with disabilities.

1.6 At its meeting on 24 January 2005, the Rehabilitation Advisory

Committee (RAC) decided to carry out a new round of review of the RPP.
The review aims to propose the way forward for rehabilitation service
development in Hong Kong in accordance with the two major strategic

2
directions endorsed by the RAC. The two strategic directions are:

z to promote cross-sectoral collaboration in providing a

barrier-free environment and diversified services for persons
with disabilities so as to facilitate their integration into the
community; and

z to empower persons with disabilities and their carers, so as to

help them become valuable social capital.

1.7 The Working Group responsible for the review comprises

representatives from the RAC, persons with disabilities, rehabilitation
agencies, self-help groups, business sector and relevant Government
bureaux/departments. The membership and terms of reference of the
Working Group are at Appendix I of the Plan.

1.8 From March 2005 to April 2007, the Working Group held a total
of 16 meetings and four special meetings, as well as two briefing sessions
and four consultation forums. In the course of the review, the Working
Group received and discussed over 100 written submissions from
stakeholders. A summary of the submissions and views collected at the
four forums is at Appendix II of the Plan.

1.9 The Working Group carried out comprehensive analysis and

examination of the current services as well as views from stakeholders. It
also proposed the way forward with long-term and short-term goals for
rehabilitation service development in various key areas in accordance with
the two strategic directions laid down by the RAC.

1.10 The Working Group also proposed specific measures in achieving

various short and long-term goals. These specific measures help lay the
foundation for the further development of services by the Government and
non-government organisations (NGOs), and serve as guidance for private
organisations and groups committed to the support of rehabilitation service
development.

1.11 To facilitate the review, the Working Group conducted an

environmental scan in which the current situation of service users and

3
factors affecting the development of Hong Kong’s rehabilitation services
are examined. A summary of the data examined in the environmental
scan is at Appendix III of the Plan.

4
Chapter 2 Rehabilitation Services

Policy Objective

2.1 The overall objective of the rehabilitation policy in Hong Kong is

to prevent disabilities; to help persons with disabilities develop their
physical and mental capabilities as well as their ability to integrate into the
community; and to create a barrier-free physical environment through a
comprehensive range of effective measures, with a view to ensuring that
persons with disabilities can participate in full and enjoy equal
opportunities both in terms of their social life and personal growth. To
achieve the above objective, the RPP features a list of direct services and
measures for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, along with
recommendations on service development in meeting the changing needs of
the community and service users.

Service Areas

2.2 Major service areas covered under the RPP include:

(a) prevention and identification;

(b) medical rehabilitation;
(c) pre-school training;
(d) education;
(e) employment and vocational rehabilitation;
(f) residential care;
(g) day care and community support;
(h) development of self-help organisations;
(i) access and transport;
(j) application of information and communications
technologies;
(k) recreational, sports, cultural and arts activities; and
(l) public education.

5
Categories of Disability Requiring Rehabilitation Services

2.3 On the targets of the rehabilitation programme, the Working

Group decided to continue to adopt the eight categories of disability set out
in the 1998/99–2002/03 RPP, with the addition of two new categories,
namely Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Specific Learning
Difficulties. These categories of disability are listed below (1):

(a) Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder;

(b) Autism;
(c) hearing impairment;
(d) intellectual disability;
(e) physical disability;
(f) mental illness;
(g) Specific Learning Difficulties;
(h) speech impairment;
(i) visceral disability; and
(j) visual impairment.

2.4 Whilst persons with different disabilities require different

rehabilitation services, persons with disability of the same category may
also require different rehabilitation services due to different individual
capabilities and circumstances. It is of note that the major rehabilitation
services required for each category of disability listed below are made
available only for reference. The actual situation may vary from one
person to another(2). With this “person-oriented” principle in mind, people
from various sectors of the community can help by developing diversified
rehabilitation programmes to cater to the different needs of individuals,
thereby facilitating full integration of persons with disabilities into the
community.

(1)
In alphabetical order of the English titles of these categories.
(2)
Service users of various rehabilitation services and social welfare are required to
fulfill established criteria and fall within the service scope of such services/welfare
benefit.
6
(1) Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)

2.5 It is common for children and adolescents with AD/HD to have

the following three symptoms: inattentiveness, hyperactivity and weak
impulse control. These lead to chronic difficulties in social life, learning
and work. These symptoms cannot be explained by any other objective
factors and psychiatric conditions and are not meeting with the standards
expected for a child’s intellectual ability or stage development. They are
generally regarded as being related to brain dysfunction.

2.6 As symptoms of AD/HD are most noticeable at the formal

schooling stage, healthcare professionals in this field usually provide
diagnosis on children suspected of suffering from AD/HD at this stage. In
light of the importance of early intervention, we will also provide these
children with appropriate pre-school training.

2.7 Major service requirements of persons with AD/HD may include:

(a) identification and assessment;

(b) pre-school training;
(c) education services; and/or
(d) medical rehabilitation.

(2) Autism

2.8 Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder and frequently

co-exists with a variety of other disabilities. In Hong Kong, children
suffering from autistic disorder are diagnosed under the following criteria
as laid down in the World Health Organisation’s International
Classification of Diseases, 10th edition:

(a) qualitative impairments in reciprocal social interaction;

(b) qualitative impairments in verbal and non-verbal
communications;
(c) restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour,
interests and activities; and
(d) developmental abnormalities which are apparent in the first

7
 three years of life.

2.9 Major service requirements of autistic persons may include:

(a) identification and assessment;

(b) pre-school training;
(c) education services;
(d) medical rehabilitation;
(e) day care and community support; and/or
(f) employment services and vocational training.

(3) Hearing Impairment

2.10 For the purpose of the RPP, the following classification of hearing
impairment is adopted:

Degree of Hearing Definition

Impairment
Profound Hearing loss greater than 90 dB
Severe Hearing loss from 71 to 90 dB
Moderately Severe Hearing loss from 56 to 70 dB
Moderate Hearing loss from 41 to 55 dB
Mild Hearing loss from 26 to 40 dB
Normal Hearing loss up to 25 dB

2.11 Major service requirements of hearing impaired persons may

include:

(a) identification and assessment;

(b) pre-school training;
(c) education services;
(d) medical rehabilitation;
(e) community support;
(f) use of hearing aids;
(g) barrier-free information and communication technological
equipment; and/or
(h) employment services and vocational training.

8
(4) Intellectual Disability

2.12 Intellectual disability, in accordance with the definition in the

American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders, fourth edition, 1994 (DSM-IV), is a condition with the
following features:

(a) significantly sub-average intellectual functioning: an

intelligence quotient (IQ) of approximately 70 or below on
an individually administered IQ test (for infants, a clinical
judgement of significantly sub-average intellectual
functioning);
(b) concurrent deficits or impairments in present adaptive
functioning (i.e., the person’s effectiveness in meeting the
standards expected for his/her age by his/her cultural group)
in at least two of the following skill areas: communication,
self-care, home living, social/interpersonal skills, use of
community resources, self-direction, functional academic
skills, work, leisure, health and safety; and
(c) onset before the age of 18.

In addition, four degrees of severity can be specified, reflecting the level of

intellectual disability:

(a) mild - IQ level 50-55 to approximately 70;

(b) moderate - IQ level 35-40 to 50-55;
(c) severe - IQ level 20-25 to 35-40; and
(d) profound - IQ level below 20-25.

2.13 Major service requirements of persons with intellectual disability

may include:

(a) identification and assessment;

(b) medical rehabilitation;
(c) pre-school training;
(d) education services;

9
 (e) residential care;
(f) day care and community support; and/or
(g) employment services and vocational training.

(5) Mental Illness

2.14 For the purpose of the RPP, persons with mental illness are
defined as:

“Persons who suffer from a range of disorders due to their

predisposition and/or physical, psychological and social factors.
These lead to acute or chronic disturbances which are emotional,
intellectual and/or behavioural and are accompanied, when the
illness is serious, by distortions of personality and social
relationships.”

2.15 Such psychiatric disorders may be classified broadly into three

main categories:

(a) Psychoses - these are serious disorders in which impairment

of mental functioning has developed to a degree that
interferes grossly with insight, ability to meet some ordinary
demands of life or to maintain adequate contact with reality.
Schizophrenia, which is perhaps the most disabling of all
forms of mental illness, starts usually in the teens or early
adulthood. Another common group of psychoses, the
affective psychoses, tends to occur later in life. These two
groups are together included in a group of mental illness
known as functional psychoses which may lead to prolonged
residence in mental hospitals. They dominate the current
provision of specialised psychiatric service. The other
group of psychoses is the organic psychoses which includes
common conditions such as acute confusional states and
dementia, with the latter occurring mainly in the elderly.
(b) Neuroses - these are mental disorders without any
demonstrable organic basis in which insight and reality
testing is intact. Behaviour may be greatly affected

10
 although usually remaining within socially acceptable limits
and without any disorganisation of personality. The severe
cases of neuroses can be fairly disabling and there is
considerable distress on the part of the patients.
(c) Others - these include personality disorders,
psychophysiological disorder, alcohol dependence, drug
dependence, etc.

2.16 The needs of persons with psychiatric disabilities depend on a

number of factors such as age, home environment and personality. A wide
range of closely related services are needed to avoid unnecessary in-patient
admission and to help discharged patients to re-adjust to life in the
community. Major service requirements of persons with psychiatric
disabilities may include:

(a) medical and community psychiatric rehabilitation;

(b) residential care;
(c) day care and community support; and/or
(d) employment services and vocational training.

(6) Physical Disability

2.17 Having regard to the advice of the Hong Kong Medical

Association in 1994, the RPP adopts the following definition for a person
with physical disabilities:

“A person with physical disabilities is defined as a person who

has disabilities of orthopaedic, musculoskeletal, or neurological
origin which mainly affect locomotor functions, and constitute a
disadvantage or restriction in one or more aspects of daily living
activities.”

2.18 Major service requirements of persons with physically disabilities

may include:

(a) medical and community rehabilitation care;

(b) pre-school training;

11
 (c) education services;
(d) residential care;
(e) day care and community support;
(f) employment services and vocational rehabilitation;
(g) barrier-free access and transport;
(h) barrier-free information and communication technological
equipment; and/or
(i) use of assistive devices.

(7) Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)

2.19 SpLD generally refer to difficulties in reading and writing

(dyslexia), motor coordination disorder, specific dysphasia, etc., and the
most common type is dyslexia. Dyslexia is not caused by mental
deficiency, sensory impairment or the lack of learning opportunities. It is
generally regarded as something relating to brain dysfunction. As a result
of persistent and serious learning difficulties in reading and writing,
persons with SpLD are unable to read and spell/write accurately and
fluently.

2.20 As symptoms of SpLD are most noticeable at the formal

schooling stage, relevant professionals in this field usually provide
assessment and diagnosis on children suspected of suffering from SpLD at
this stage. In light of the importance of early intervention, we will also
provide these children with appropriate pre-school training.

2.21 In general, dyslexia can be improved through appropriate

accommodations in teaching methods, tests and assessments, as well as
proper use of information technology. The findings of overseas
researches indicate that early identification and intervention for children
with dyslexia can effectively improve their literacy skills .

2.22 Major service requirements of persons with SpLD may include:

(a) identification and assessment;

(b) pre-school training; and/or
(c) education services.

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(8) Speech Impairment

2.23 Speech impairment is usually affiliated with other disabilities.

For the purpose of the RPP, speech impairment is defined as:

“Persons with speech impairment are persons who cannot

communicate effectively with others, or whose speech difficulty
draws undue attention to their speech acts to such an extent that
affects their academic, emotional and social developments.”

2.24 Major service requirements of persons with speech impairment

may include:

(a) identification and assessment;

(b) medical rehabilitation; and/or
(c) education services.

(9) Visceral Disability

2.25 Visceral disability was covered under the category of physical

disability as defined in the 1990 RPP. Upon the advice of the Hong Kong
Medical Association in 1994, physical disability was re-defined to limit its
application to disability affecting an individual’s locomotor function, and a
new definition was drawn up for visceral disability as any other disabilities
arising from diseases affecting the body’s organs.

2.26 For the purpose of the RPP, a person with viscerally disabilities is
defined as:

“A person with disabilities resulting from diseases or respective

treatment. The disability, not being limited to locomotor
functions in nature, constitutes disadvantages or restrictions in
one or more aspects of daily living activities.”

2.27 Major services needed by persons with viscerally disabilities may

13
include:

(a) identification and assessment;

(b) medical rehabilitation;
(c) community support; and/or
(d) retraining and employment services.

(10) Visual Impairment

2.28 In view of the world trend in classifying visual impairment, the

following definitions, which are based on the visual functioning of human
being, are adopted for the purpose of the RPP:

(a) Total blindness: persons with no visual function, i.e. no light

perception.
(b) Low vision:
severe low vision - persons with visual acuity (refers to the
visual acuity of the better eye with correcting glasses) of
6/120 or worse and persons with constricted visual field in
which the widest field diameter subtends an angular subtense
of 20 degrees or less, irrespective of the visual acuity;
moderate low vision - persons with visual acuity from 6/60
to better than 6/120; and
mild low vision - persons with visual acuity from 6/18 to
better than 6/60.

2.29 Major service requirements of persons with visual impairment

may include:

(a) identification and assessment;

(b) medical rehabilitation;
(c) pre-school training;
(d) education services;
(e) community support;
(f) employment services and vocational rehabilitation;
(g) barrier-free information and communication technological
equipment;

14
 (h) use of assistive devices; and/or
(i) barrier-free access and transport.

2.30 Fostering a caring and inclusive society through active public

education to enhance community understanding and acceptance of persons
with disabilities also serves as an integral part of the rehabilitation
programme. In addition, we also need to strive to assist and support
persons with disabilities to participate in recreational, sports and arts
activities in order to facilitate their development of potentials, full
participation in and integration into the community.

2.31 The following chapters give a detailed account of the current

rehabilitation services provided to cater to the special needs of persons with
disabilities as well as the directions of service development.

15
Chapter 3 Prevention and Identification

Policy Objective

3.1 Preventive measures, which are integral to the rehabilitation

programme, can reduce the disability prevalence rate. Such measures can
be divided into three levels as follows:

z minimising the incidence of impairment among the public

(primary prevention);

z preventing the development of disability once an impairment

has occurred (secondary prevention); and

z preventing daily lives of persons with disabilities from being

undermined by their disabilities and complications through a
wide range of rehabilitation measures, including medical,
educational and social interventions (tertiary prevention).

Background

3.2 Disability is attributable to many factors and may occur at

different stages of life (i.e. from embryonic stage, birth, infancy, childhood,
adulthood to old age). It can also be the result of genetic disorder,
biochemical disorder, disease, traffic accidents, sports injuries or
domestic/workplace accidents.

3.3 The pattern of disabilities has changed as a result of medical

advancement, improvement in occupational and traffic safety, the growing
proportion of elderly in the population and globalisation. In a hectic city
like Hong Kong, unhealthy lifestyle is one of the risk factors for many
disabling diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and
mood disorder.

16
Existing Services

3.4 Disabilities mostly stem from chronic illness and surveillance is

considered one of the most effective strategies in preventing and
controlling chronic illness. To this end, the Surveillance and
Epidemiology Branch under the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has set
up a surveillance system to monitor the health of the population, along with
a strategic framework developed for non-communicable disease (NCD)
prevention and control. Statistical data is collected through various means
including, among others, population surveys, sentinel surveillance system
as well as service records.

3.5 Moreover, improved occupational and traffic safety standards as

well as public education on accident prevention can also go a long way
towards the prevention of disabilities. The Government has strived to adopt
effective measures to improve safety standards and enhance public
awareness of the importance of accident prevention.

3.6 At present, the Government is working vigorously to take forward

the following specific preventive measures for disabilities:

Health Services

z providing territory-wide genetic services through Clinical

Genetic Service, including diagnosis, counselling and
prevention of genetic diseases;

z making available comprehensive health promotion and disease

prevention services for zero to five-year-old children by
31 Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs), including

(a) parenting programme,

(b) immunisation programme and
(c) health and developmental surveillance programme;

z providing universal hearing screening for newborns,

developmental surveillance service for pre-school children and
a mechanism for early identification of school children with

17
 learning difficulties and behavioural problems to ensure that
early detection and intervention will prevent development of
critical physical, psychological and social development;

z delivering Student Health Service to promote and maintain the

physical and psychological health of school children through a
comprehensive and preventive health programme. Services
available include health screening and assessment, physical
examination, individual counselling and health education.
The multi-disciplinary teams under the Adolescent Health
Programme deliver health promotion programmes to
secondary school students, their teachers and parents in the
school setting;

z providing health services for women below 64 years of age by

three Woman Health Centres (WHCs) and 31 MCHCs,
including antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, health
education, counselling and screening (e.g. physical
examination, blood test and cervical cancer screening, etc.);

z informing the public through Men’s Health Programme (MHP)

about men’s health on areas such as knowledge about relevant
diseases and lifestyles, with a view to encouraging a healthy
lifestyle and promoting health among men by raising public
awareness of men’s health; and

z providing Elderly Health Services (EHS) to enhance primary

health care to the elderly, to improve their self-care capacity,
to encourage healthy living and to strengthen family support
so as to minimise the risk of illness and disability. Services
are delivered to the elderly through 18 Elderly Health Centres,
18 Visiting Health Teams and various resource materials;

Promotion Through Education

z through cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration,

promoting health among different sectors and groups of the
community using various measures on healthy diet, physical

18
 activities, tobacco control, mental health, oral health, sexual
health, accident prevention and hygiene, and to launch the
Mental Health Month each year; and

z enabling students to have access to knowledge about mental,

physiological and social health through current school
curriculum and subjects to be offered in the 2009 New Senior
Secondary Curriculum, including Liberal Studies, “Health
Management and Social Care” etc, thereby developing a
healthy lifestyle. At present, schools also join hands with
parents and stakeholders in formulating policies and
implementing measures through administrative arrangement
and activities, with a view to bringing rich and multi-faceted
experience to students, while facilitating and ensuring their
proper and healthy development;

Home Safety, Occupational Safety, Traffic Safety and Sports

Safety

z developing prevention and early identification programmes

(such as anti-smoking, the Early Assessment Service for
Young People with Psychosis (EASY) Programme, fall
prevention and hypertension awareness) to reduce prevalence
of disabilities in the general population;

z improving the safety and health standards of workers and

fostering a safe and healthy working environment by
encouraging employers and employees to manage safety in a
self-regulatory manner, through education, training, promotion
and enforcement, with the objective to reduce occupational
accidents;

z enhancing the deterrent effect by increasing penalties for

failure to act in compliance with traffic signals (jumping red
lights) starting from 1 January 2006;

z developing a practical and effective road facility improvement

plan on the basis of the investigation into 100 traffic accident

19
 black spots conducted each year with detailed analysis of the
contributory factors and characteristics of traffic accidents;
and

z providing information on the prevention of sports injuries

through the website and hotline of the Central Health
Education Unit.

3.7 As for assessment, there are a total of eight Child Assessment

Centres in Hong Kong providing the following services, through a
multi-disciplinary team comprising paediatricians, health nurses, clinical
psychologists, social workers, speech therapists, physiotherapists,
occupational therapists, audiologists, optometrists and orthoptists:

z comprehensive physical, psychological and social assessment

for children with developmental anomalies;

z formulation of rehabilitation plan after developmental

diagnosis;

z assistance for arranging appropriate pre-school and school

placements for training, and remedial/special education where
necessary; and

z interim support to parents and children through counselling,

talks and support groups.

3.8 The Government also provides medical diagnosis and

assessments of problems related to vision, hearing, speech and mental
health for people of all ages, as well as assessment services for students
with learning difficulties or behavioural problems, while developing tools
for identification and assessment of such students.

3.9 On the community level, the Government has engaged in the

locally initiated Healthy City and Safe Community Programme. Under
the programme, the Government assesses the health needs of the
community in partnership with stakeholders at district level.
Interdepartmental and multi-disciplinary actions are also taken to promote

20
residents’ health, prevent disabilities and create a community environment
more friendly to persons with disabilities in terms of their rehabilitation and
living.

Directions for Sustainable Development

3.10 Preventive measures are introduced to minimise the incidence of

disabilities. To achieve this objective, the Working Group has made some
recommendations on the way forward for the prevention of disabilities as
follows:

z enhancing public awareness of the prevention of disabilities,

striving to improve the determinants of health in our
environment and individual’s capacity for health improvement,
encouraging the public to adopt a healthy lifestyle, and
avoiding or minimising exposure to high risk factors that
endanger health; and

z promoting the prevention, early identification and treatment of

diseases to forestall worsening of disease, recurrence and
complications.

3.11 The Working Group recommends the following short and

long-term objectives of service development in the aforementioned
directions:

Short-term Objectives

z enhancing public awareness of the importance of physical and

mental health, accident prevention and early medical
intervention;

z achieving early identification and intervention of potential

disabilities to minimise impairment-induced impact and
long-term financial burden; and

z providing effective and affordable treatment to prevent or slow

21
 down recurrence of diseases and incidence of complications,
thereby reducing disease-induced disabilities;

Long-term Objectives

z achieving the objective of “Health for All” derived from five

major strategies, including formulating health-enhancing
public policies, creating health-enhancing social environment,
mobilising active community participation, developing
personal skills and realigning health services; and

z developing a scheme for secondary prevention of recurrence

and complications against diseases which may require
substantial medical and healthcare intervention so as to
achieve reduction in the incidence of disease-induced
disabilities.

Specific Measures Proposed

3.12 Specific measures proposed include:

Health Services

z promoting the Comprehensive Child Development Service

(CCDS) Scheme under which services provided for zero to
five-year-old children and their families by the MCHCs of the
Department of Health (DH) will be strengthened through
enhanced alignment of medical and health, education and
social services offered by different service providers, so as to
ensure early identification of the needs of these children and
their families;

z raising front line medical staff’s awareness of individual

disabilities and rehabilitation services in order to assist persons
with disabilities and their family members in seeking early and
appropriate treatment and services;

22
z equipping front line primary care staff with more training on
disease prevention and treatment, and improving
communication and mutual understanding between persons
with disabilities and nursing staff;

z improving the disease surveillance system in such a way that

more accurate data will be captured for early detection of
unusual and serious diseases, in order to facilitate substantive
improvements to prevention, treatment and service planning;

z strengthening health promotion and disease prevention in

medical and healthcare services;

Promotion Through Education

z enhancing public awareness of some major public health

issues and disabilities through public education, with a view to
alerting the public to the importance of taking prevention, and
seeking early diagnosis and treatment;

z sustaining efforts in disseminating information and providing

guidance on work safety and health through multi-media
booths to raise the concerns of workers and the public;

z raising work safety awareness and introducing self-regulation

concept through education and promotion efforts on
occupational safety and health, thereby promoting work safety
and fostering a healthy working environment;

z setting up a working group to sustain efforts in promoting the

advantages of wearing seat belts in public light buses among
passengers;

z rolling out various evidence-based, cost-effective and

territory-wide prevention campaigns/rehabilitation
programmes, such as “Stair Climbing to Health”, “Exercise
Prescription”, “2 Plus 3 A Day Fruits and Vegetables
Promotion Programme”, “EatSmart@school.hk” Campaign,

23
 anti-smoking campaign and “Fall Prevention Community
Programme”, etc.; and

z launching a well-designed “Healthy and Safe City” campaign

in conformity with the guidelines of the World Health
Organisation (WHO), with the aim of creating a healthy living
environment conducive to health and disease prevention
through collaboration among different sectors and active
participation of the public, while exploring further measures to
protect the safety of bus passengers by drawing reference from
overseas experience in installation of seat belts on buses;

Other Measures to Promote Traffic Safety

z conducting a study on extending the probationary driving

licence scheme to cover drivers of private cars and light goods
vehicles through amendments to traffic legislation; and

z updating the “Road Users’ Code” and explore the idea of

imposing a heavier penalty on drink driving.

24
Chapter 4 Medical Rehabilitation

Policy Objective

4.1 The policy objective of the Government in respect of medical

rehabilitation is to restore patients’ functional capacity to the maximum
potential, to facilitate them to live independently and reintegrate into the
community.

Background

4.2 According to the Hospital Authority (HA), in 2005/06, among its

top ten disease burden, bed days occupied by patients with
psychiatric/intellectual disabilities ranked highest, accounting for 19% of
total bed days for the year, whereas bed days occupied by patients suffering
from cardiovascular accidents, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases,
accidental falls, nephritis and heart failure contributed about another 15%
of total bed days consumption. These are life-threatening diseases and may
lead to serious long-term disabilities.

4.3 The Global Burden of Disease Study conducted by the World

Health Organisation (WHO) in 2000 estimated that mental disorders had a
prevalence of about 10% for adults. The rate is at a similar level in the
local context.

Existing Services

4.4 A wide range of medical rehabilitation services is rendered to

persons with disabilities as follows:

z on top of acute and emergency medical services, day hospitals,

out-patient clinics and rehabilitation centres, as well as
multi-disciplinary rehabilitation programme and outreach
medical services are also provided. At present, apart from
their 20 238 beds to meet emergency and rehabilitation needs,

25
 public hospitals also provide 4 714 psychiatric beds, 700 beds
for persons with intellectual disabilities and 2 151 infirmary
beds for those in need of in-patient service;

z the pilot “Comprehensive Child Development Service” for

children of zero to five years old in Maternal and Child Health
Centres are introduced in four districts to facilitate early
identification and handling of children with
socio-psychological problems and their families;

z various community-based outreach programmes are put in

place, such as adolescent health assessment, anti-smoking
campaign, health promotion programme for schools, outreach
camps on obesity, diabetes mellitus and substance abuse;

z rehabilitation treatment is provided by 3 spinal cord

rehabilitation centres to patients with spinal cord pathologies
resulting in significant neurological deficit;

z community-based extended care for discharged patients is

provided in collaboration with NGOs;

z a Visiting Medical Practitioner Scheme is launched for persons

with disabilities living in Government/subsidised residential
rehabilitation services centres;

z transitional care training is provided for discharged patients

with mental, neurological or physical impairment through
community rehabilitation day services;

z transitional residential and day training services are delivered

for persons with severe disabilities to facilitate their return to
community life;

z patient resource centres in hospitals are set up to render

support to patients and their carers;

z adolescent mental health support in the community is provided

26
 through five project teams for adolescents aged six to 18 with
mild to moderate mental health problems, including
developmental, mood and behavioural disorders, with a view
to rendering early identification and intervention services as
well as appropriate welfare support; and

z a one-stop Early Assessment Service for Young People (aged

15 to 25) with Psychosis Programme provides services
including assessment, prescription of treatment regimen and
educational promotion.

Directions for Sustainable Development

4.5 The main objectives of medical rehabilitation services are to

prevent diseases from developing into disabilities as far as possible, and to
restore patients’ functional capacity to the maximum potential, thereby
facilitating their return to community life. In this connection, the future
strategic development of medical rehabilitation services can be taken
forward in the following directions:

z planning and coordinating the future development of

rehabilitation services through interdepartmental and
cross-sectoral collaboration, with a view to providing holistic
care to patients;

z reviewing and mapping out evidence-based clinical plans for

diseases (such as cardiovascular accidents, heart diseases,
diabetes mellitus, etc.) which may require substantial medical
and healthcare intervention, and devising guidelines and
referral mechanism, with a view to providing a continuum of
care and rehabilitative treatment to patients;

z encouraging patients with stable functional capacity in key

areas to seek early rehabilitation services after they recover
from critical illness, with a view to restoring their functional
capacity to the maximum potential;

27
 z developing day rehabilitation programmes and community
rehabilitation services and forging closer collaboration with
the community, with a view to facilitating early return of
people with disease-induced disabilities to community life;
and

z achieving optimum use of scarce resources by focusing on

acute and emergency medical services, while strengthening the
public-private medical partnership programme.

Specific Measures Proposed

4.6 Specific measures proposed to further develop medical

rehabilitation services include:

z subject to the review of the pilot “Comprehensive Child

Development Service”, extending the service to cover other
districts in phases;

z enhancing community outreach medical services for children,

and relevant measures include:

(a) offering visiting service to special schools and rendering

support and training to parents and community nursing
staff;
(b) introducing child and adolescent mental health services,
through which child psychiatrists can provide training
and support on child psychiatric disorder management to
paediatricians, thereby fostering stronger cooperation and
service networks, and ensuring continuity and
coordination in rehabilitation programmes; and
(c) providing professional support for certain newly emerged
child disabilities, e.g. attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, specific learning
disabilities and intractable epilepsy, and to establish a
referral mechanism for other rehabilitation units so as to
make more choices available to the public and reduce

28
 waiting time, say, for speech therapy service;

z exploring ways to strengthen the role of general practitioners

as family doctors for them to take responsibility for the
follow-up treatment of discharged patients and the
coordination of rehabilitation services for certain diseases,
such as cancer, cardiovascular accidents and low back pain, at
the community level, while encouraging them to maintain ties
with the allied health teams of private organisations or NGOs;

z strengthening the outreach service of community

psychogeriatric team with a view to providing treatment to
residents of elderly homes with complicated psychogeriatric
problems, and rendering training and specialised support to
visiting medical practitioners and nursing staff, while working
out a shared care programme with visiting medical
practitioners, under which arrangements will be made for the
latter to provide treatment to residents with relatively minor
mood and psychological problems;

z considering extending the coverage of the “Early Assessment

Service for Young People with Psychosis Programme”; and

z strengthening the liaison between various specialties and

psychiatric services provided under hospital clusters, with a
view to improving the mechanism of early detection and
intervention treatment, while setting up clinics providing
expeditious treatment for patients with depression, so as to
minimise their need for in-patient service and to enable them
to receive rehabilitation services in the community.

29
Chapter 5 Pre-school Training

Policy Objective

5.1 On the delivery of pre-school services, it is the Government’s

policy to provide children, from birth to six years old, with disabilities or at
risk of becoming disabled with early intervention to enhance their physical,
psychological and social developments, thereby improving their
opportunities for participating in ordinary schools and daily life activities
and helping their families meet their special needs.

Existing Services

5.2 At present, the Government provides a wide range of pre-school

services for children in need, including:

z Early Education and Training Centre (EETC) provides

services for children with disabilities from birth to two years
old as well as those aged between two and six who need EETC
service or those who are on waiting list for other pre-school
services. The objective of these services is to maximise the
developmental functioning of children with disabilities by
enabling their parents, through support and assistance, to
accept, understand, care for and train their children with
disabilities;

z Special Child Care Centre (SCCC) provides services for

children with moderate and severe disabilities aged between
two and six. The objective of these services is to develop
these children’s fundamental developmental skills and
intellectual ability, as well as the perceptual-motor, cognitive,
communication, social and self-care skills to facilitate their
smooth transition from pre-school education to primary
education. Residential facilities are also available in some
SCCCs to cater for the needs of children with disabilities who

30
 are homeless, abandoned or dwelling in abject living
conditions or family environment;

z Integrated Programme in Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centre

(IP in KG-cum-CCC) provides training and care to children
aged between two and six with mild disabilities with a view to
facilitating their full integration into normal pre-school setting
as far as possible so that they will stand a better chance of
future integration into the mainstream education;

z services specific for children with autistic features include the

provision of additional special child care workers at SCCCs to
provide intensive individual or group training to autistic
children;

z occupational therapy (OT), physiotherapy (PT) and speech

therapy (ST) can enhance self-reliance of children with
disabilities in daily living, correct deformities and prevent
deterioration in health. At present, centre-based OT, PT and
ST services are available in EETCs and SCCCs. For IP in
KG-cum-CCC, OT and PT services are provided by the
Central Para-medical Support Service Unit of the Social
Welfare Department (SWD) whilst ST service by district-
based speech therapist teams;

z the centre-based clinical psychologists (CP) or CPs from SWD

render support to EETCs, SCCCs and IP in KG-cum-CCC.
They assist in the assessment of psychological and intellectual
functioning of children with disabilities, and devising training
programmes to stimulate their normal emotional and
behavioural development;

z Parents/Relatives Resource Centre (PRC) provides a wide

range of support services to parents and relatives of children
with disabilities;

z respite service for children with disabilities provides parents

and carers with a safe place for temporarily placing their

31
 children with disabilities so that they can have a short break to
handle important personal business;

z Children Gateway Clubs provide social and recreational

activities for children with disabilities to facilitate them to
integrate into the community; and

z support and education services are made available to hearing

impaired pre-schoolers, including following up on children
issued with free hearing aids, parent counselling and
professional consultation.

Directions for Sustainable Development

5.3 For children with disabilities, the rapid development in their early
years is probably more critical relative to that of other children. Pre-school
training, it goes without saying, play an important part in the rehabilitation
of these children by minimising the risks of the disability-related impact on
their physical, social or psychological developments, and helping them
develop their potentials in full. In this connection, it is recommended to:

z continue to implement the present policy objective of

providing a full range of pre-school services for pre-schoolers
with disabilities; and

z undertake early intervention and provide appropriate services

to remove the obstacles stalling the development of pre-
schoolers with disabilities and help their families meet their
special needs.

5.4 The Working Group recommends the following long-term and

short-term goals of service development along these two directions for
sustainable development:

32
 Short-term goals

z formulating measures to improve the delivery, waiting time

and utilisation of various pre-school services, and to provide
pre-schoolers with disabilities with appropriate services by
making full use of resources available; and

z improving the matching of pre-school services and ordinary

primary schooling for pre-schoolers with disabilities;

Long-term goals

z improving the opportunities of pre-schoolers with disabilities

for participating in ordinary schools and daily life activities;
and

z promoting activities aimed at facilitating inclusion to raise the

awareness and acceptance of the public on the needs of
children with disabilities and their parents.

Specific Measures Proposed

5.5 Specific measures proposed for the further development of pre-

school services are as follows:

z deploying resources to increase service places, especially in

districts with soaring demand;

z adopting a more flexible mixed-mode operation to cater for

the service demands in various districts;

z strengthening the collaboration between allied health

professionals and primary schools, and advising parents to
give their consent to send the assessment reports made on their
children prior to their leaving of pre-school services to the
primary schools concerned to facilitate appropriate follow-up
actions by the school operators;

33
z ensuring service quality by providing continuous on-the-job
training for staff engaged in services for pre-schoolers with
disabilities;

z continuing to provide parents with parent education activities

and support; and

z mounting on-going public education campaigns to facilitate

children with disabilities to integrate into schools and social
life.

34
Chapter 6 Education

Policy Objective

6.1 The policy objective of special education is to provide a

conducive learning environment for students with special educational needs
(SEN) so as to facilitate their education, help them develop their potential
to the full, enhance their independence and enable them to become
well-adjusted individuals in the community.

Background and Existing Services

6.2 Under the existing special education policy, students with SEN
are encouraged to study in ordinary schools if they can benefit from the
ordinary school setting. For those students with severe SEN or multiple
disabilities, they are placed in special schools for intensive support
services.

6.3 According to statistics, there are about 10 000 students with

(1)
SEN receiving education in ordinary schools in the 2005/06 school year.
Besides, there are about 6 500 students enrolled in the 55 special schools.
Of these schools, two are for children with visual impairment, four for
children with hearing impairment, seven for children with physical
disabilities, 41 for children with intellectual disabilities and one hospital
school.

6.4 To achieve the above policy objective, a series of support services

are provided for students with SEN based on five guiding principles,
namely early identification, early intervention, whole-school approach,
home-school cooperation and cross-sector collaboration. The support
services include the followings:

(1)
These students refer to those with intellectual disabilities, hearing impairment,
visual impairment, physical disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorders, specific learning difficulties and/or speech and
language impairment, who require special education support.
35
Identification, Assessment and Placement Services

z Based on the results of the assessment conducted by the Child

Assessment Centres of the Department of Health and Hospital
Authority as well as other professionals, students with SEN
are placed in the appropriate types of schools for education;

z Ordinary schools are requested to make use of the Observation

Checklists for Teachers developed by the Education Bureau
(EDB) to identify students’ SEN as early as when they are in
Primary One; and

z To ensure that appropriate remedial services are provided for

students in need, the EDB provides audiological,
speech/language and psycho-educational assessment services
as well as educational support and placement services;

Support Services and Additional Resources

z The EDB provides special schools with adequately trained

teachers and allied health personnel so that they may develop
appropriate curricula, rehabilitation services and
individualised education programmes for their students;

z To support ordinary schools to implement integrated education,

the EDB has put in place various support programmes, such as
the New Funding Mode and Educational Psychology Services,
etc. Through these programmes, ordinary schools would
receive additional manpower and resources as well as
professional support on curriculum adaptation, assessment
accommodation and teaching strategies; and

z Ordinary schools are encouraged to adopt a whole-school

approach (WSA) in implementing integrated education.
Schools should set up a Student Support Team to help
formulate school-based support strategies, coordinate support
measures, effectively deploy school resources, collaborate

36
 with parents and arrange systematic school-based support for
students with SEN;

Teacher Training

z The EDB provides special education training and organizes

workshops, seminars and sharing sessions, etc. for teachers so
as to enhance their professional capacity and equip them with
more effective learning support strategies. Moreover, the
EDB develops teaching resources for use by teachers and sets
up special schools cum resource centres, resource schools and
professional development schools, which would share
professional knowledge and skills with other schools;

Quality Assurance

z The EDB encourages schools to formulate a school-based

policy in supporting students with SEN, conduct year-end
evaluation and report results in the annual school report. EB
officers also conduct school visits to advise on the support
measures, deployment of resources and school self-evaluation,
etc.;

Public/Parent Education

z The EDB organizes seminars, workshops, briefing sessions

and talks from time to time for parents of students with SEN to
help them better understand their children’s learning
difficulties and the ways to provide remedial support. The
rationale of integrated education and the importance of
home-school cooperation are promoted to parents through
various publicity means and the EDB homepage;

Cross-sector Collaboration

z The EDB will continue to collaborate with relevant

Government departments/bureaux, NGOs, the business sectors,
field professionals, schools and parents on matters relating to

37
 assessment, educational support, post-school placement
opportunities and continuing learning, etc. for students with
SEN;

School Facilities

z To eliminate the physical barriers to integration of students

with SEN in ordinary schools, the EDB provides schools with
resources to improve the access facilities, including the
installation of lifts, ramps, accessible toilets, handrails and
signages, etc. These access facilities have also been included
in the design of a standard school;

Post-school Placement

z To facilitate students’ smooth transition from school to

training, working and adult life, special schools usually refer
prospective school leavers to the Vocational Training Council
(VTC) for assessment to determine which types of post-school
institutions are more suitable for them; and

z Exit pathways available to special school leavers include

further studies or training in the skills centres under the VTC,
the integrated vocational training centres, integrated
vocational rehabilitation services centres, sheltered workshops,
supported employment service and On-the-Job Training
Programme for People with Disabilities provided by the Social
Welfare Department. Moreover, the Hong Kong Institute of
Vocational Education, the VTC School of Business and
Information Systems, and the training and development
centres of the VTC welcome applications from persons with
disabilities. The Continuing Education Fund also provides
subvention for adults who have the incentive and capability
for further studies.

38
Directions for Sustainable Development

6.5 In line with the latest developments in education, the

Administration will continue to provide appropriate support for students
with SEN. Further efforts will be made in the following directions:

z empowering teachers;

z establishing school networks to promote professional sharing;

z enhancing professional support;

z helping schools inculcate an inclusive culture;

z promoting parent education and involvement; and

z promoting cross-sector collaboration.

Specific Measures Proposed

6.6 Specific measures proposed for enhancing the education services

for students with SEN include:

z developing a new senior secondary (NSS) curriculum to suit

the diverse ability range and needs of special school students
with intellectual disability, to implement the Research and
Development Project on the related curriculum, and to pilot
the adapted Applied Learning (formerly named
Career-oriented Studies) courses to pave way for the future
implementation of NSS for students with intellectual
disabilities. As for special school students pursuing the
ordinary curriculum, they should aim to achieve the same
learning outcomes of the NSS curriculum as their counterparts
in ordinary schools;

z working closely with teacher training institutions in the

implementation of the planned 5-year teacher training

39
 framework so as to enhance teachers’ training on special
education and to build up their professional capability in
supporting students with SEN;

z continuing to encourage primary and secondary schools to

adopt WSA in catering for students with SEN, to strengthen
the support network provided by special schools cum resource
centres, resource schools and professional development
schools, and to promote a culture of sharing and collaboration
among schools;

z continuing to develop special education teaching resources,

especially those for supporting students with autism spectrum
disorders and specific learning difficulties;

z better facilitating smooth interface between primary and

secondary education for students with SEN and further
promoting good practices among schools in nurturing an
inclusive school culture;

z compiling operation guides on integrated education for

schools and parents respectively. The former helps schools
formulate policies on supporting students with SEN and the
latter helps parents know how to take care of their children
with SEN and how to make school choices;

z continuing to collaborate with the social and rehabilitation

services sector as well as NGOs in enhancing the relevant
support services and promoting parent education;

z collaborating with the Department of Health and the Hospital

Authority in providing co-ordinated assessment services and
strengthening parent education so as to encourage parents to
give consent to the disclosure of their children’s SEN to
schools. This would allow schools to better understand these
students’ needs and provide them with the necessary support to
help them adapt to the school environment;

40
z continuing to closely communicate with parents and schools;
and

z continuing to facilitate the smooth transition of special school

leavers to post-school training, working and adult life.

41
Chapter 7 Employment and Vocational Rehabilitation

Policy Objective

7.1 The policy objective of the Government in assisting persons with

disabilities in attaining employment is to ensure that they have equal access
to participation in productive and gainful employment in the open market.

Background

7.2 According to the Special Topics Report No. 28: Persons with
Disabilities and Chronic Diseases published by the Census and Statistics
Department in 2001, the unemployment rate of persons with disabilities
was 12%, or 2.4 times of the overall prevalent unemployment rate of 5%.
The latest unemployment rate of persons with disabilities is projected to be
at around 13.2% based on the overall unemployment rate of 5.5% in the
third quarter of 2005. Nevertheless, the rehabilitation sector estimates that
the unemployment rate of persons with disabilities should reach 30% or
above.

Existing Services

7.3 To achieve the above policy objective, the Government strives to

provide a wide range of employment and vocational rehabilitation services
for persons with disabilities so as to equip them with job skills that meet
market requirements and assist them in securing suitable employment
commensurate with their abilities. These services include:

z providing sheltered work and integrated vocational

rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities who are not
ready for open market in order to enhance their working
capacity and opportunities of participating in open
employment;

42
z setting up the Marketing Consultancy Office (Rehabilitation)
to acquaint both public and private bodies with the working
abilities of persons with disabilities, as well as the services and
products offered by sheltered workshops, supported
employment units, integrated vocational rehabilitation services
centres and social enterprises for persons with disabilities;

z providing market-oriented vocational training/retraining

programmes for persons with disabilities who are able to
participate in open employment through skills centres,
integrated vocational training centres, employees retraining
scheme, supported employment service and on-the-job
training programme;

z providing job-matching service for job seekers with

disabilities and employers who plan to recruit persons with
disabilities, and roll out a number of measures for priority
appointment of applicants with disabilities for Government
posts; and

z implementing a series of thematic programmes to assist

persons with disabilities in finding employment and encourage
employers to recruit persons with disabilities. These
programmes include On-the-job Training Programme for
People with Disabilities, Sunnyway On-the-job Training
Programme for Young People with Disabilities, “Enhancing
Employment of People with Disabilities through Small
Enterprise” Project, Work Orientation and Placement Scheme
(formerly known as the Trial Placement cum Mentor Scheme
for People with Disabilities), and Enlightened Employers
Award and Outstanding Disabled Employees Award, etc.

43
Directions for Sustainable Development

7.4 Promotion of employment of persons with disabilities should be

oriented to the enhancement of their abilities and development of their
talents and potential, and in collaboration with various sectors of the
society to create an environment in which they can enjoy equal
employment opportunities. With this in mind, it is recommended to:

z continue to promote open employment of persons with

disabilities with a view to helping them achieve self-reliance
and independence and providing them more chances to
develop their potential;

z continue to provide vocational training and employment

services for persons with disabilities; and

z develop diversified measures to create more employment

opportunities for persons with disabilities.

7.5 The Working Group recommends striving for the following long-
term and short-term goals of service development along the above
directions for sustained development:

Short-term goals

z mobilizing cross-sectoral resources in the community to create

more varieties of vocational training and employment
opportunities to persons with disabilities by taking into
account their needs and the practical situation of the
community. These include continuing to encourage NGOs to
develop social enterprises, and the development of sustainable
on-the-job training and employment projects through the
Community Investment and Inclusion Fund;

z enhancing communication and co-operation with employers

and providing them with necessary support, with a view to
encouraging more employers to offer employment
opportunities for persons with disabilities; and

44
 z enhancing the employability of persons with disabilities by
providing them with practical and diversified vocational
training which can meet the changing market needs;

Long-term goals

z improving the employment opportunities of persons with

disabilities in both public and private sectors.

Specific Measures Proposed

7.6 The specific measures proposed for promoting employment of

persons with disabilities and developing vocational rehabilitation services
include:

z raising the awareness of the Government departments and

private sector of the working abilities of persons with
disabilities and various vocational rehabilitation services, as
well as encouraging them to employ and provide job trial
opportunities to persons with disabilities;

z continuing to provide persons with disabilities with diversified

vocational training and employment services that meet market
requirements, which include skills training, on-the-job training,
job trials and job placement services etc;

z enhancing the skills of job seekers with disabilities in

searching for job information, writing job application letters
and handling job interviews;

z making every effort to provide necessary assistance and

support to the employers of persons with disabilities, which
include referral of suitable job seeker and provision of time
limited post placement services, etc.;

45
z encouraging more employers to provide employment
opportunities to persons with disabilities by giving
recognitions to employers of persons with disabilities;

z promoting the setting up of social enterprises for persons with

disabilities and improving their opportunities of obtaining
outsourcing contracts from the Government as well as the
public and private sectors;

z promoting the setting up of employment indicators for persons

with disabilities by both public institutions and Government
subvented organizations, and to appeal to organizations which
have met the indicators to raise the indicators;

z encouraging the private sector to set up employment indicators

for persons with disabilities;

z encouraging the public and private sectors, and government-

subvented organisations to publicize the numbers of
employees with disabilities; and

z conducting timely statistical surveys on employment situation

of persons with disabilities so as to gauge the effectiveness of
the existing measures.

46
Chapter 8 Residential Care

Policy Objective

8.1 The policy objective of the Government in respect of the

provision of residential services aims at providing appropriate residential
care and necessary training and support services for those persons with
disabilities who cannot live independently and those who cannot be
adequately cared for by their families, with a view to improving their
quality of life and helping them develop independent living skills. In
addition, the boarding service of special schools is to cater for the long-
term boarding needs of students with disabilities and to facilitate them to
receive school education.

Existing Services

8.2 The Government strives to achieve the above policy objective by

carrying out the following measures:

z providing a wide range of residential services for persons with

severe/moderate intellectual disabilities and persons with
severe physical disabilities aged 15 or above who are unable to
live independently in the community. Apart from
accommodation and meals, daily living skills training as well
as social and recreational activities are provided to residents.
Nursing service is also made available to residents in hostels
for persons with severe intellectual/physical disabilities;

z providing care and attention home service for persons with

severe intellectual/physical disabilities aged 15 or above who
are unlikely to benefit from regular day training placement and
do not yet require infirmary care. Apart from accommodation,
meals and nursing service, services like intensive personal
care, living skills training, physiotherapy, occupational
therapy as well as social and recreational activities are also
provided to residents;

47
z providing home living for persons with disabilities aged 15 or
above who can only live semi-independently. Guidance and
assistance for residents in performing some domestic tasks and
daily activities are provided to develop their independent
living, social and communication skills and enable them to
maintain contact with their families and the community;

z providing transitional halfway house service for ex-mentally

ill persons aged 15 or above. Apart from accommodation and
meals, halfway house also provides necessary training and
counselling for residents to help them rebuild relationship with
their families and reintegrate into the community;

z providing long stay care home service for discharged patients

with chronic psychiatric disabilities aged 15 or above. This is
for the purpose of equipping residents with the necessary
abilities to progress to more integrated living in the
community through the provision of long-term residential care
and active maintenance services;

z providing care and attention home service for elderly persons

aged 60 or above with visual impairment or severely low
vision and poor health or physical/psychiatric disabilities. The
services involved include accommodation, meals, personal
care, nursing service, infirmary care as well as regular
activities organised to meet the social and recreational needs
of residents;

z providing small group home service for persons with mild

intellectual disabilities aged six to 18 who cannot be properly
cared for by their families with a view to enabling them to
receive residential care in a home-like environment until they
can return to their families or a long-term alternative
placement arrangement can be secured;

z providing emergency placement service for the destitute and

homeless persons with disabilities aged 15 or above to prevent

48
 them from exposure to risks due to the lack of immediate
shelter and basic care;

z providing place of refuge for children with disabilities and

juveniles aged eight to under 18 (or 21 for disabled wards of
the Director of Social Welfare) according to the Protection of
Children and Juveniles Ordinance, Cap. 213 to ensure their
safety. The children and juveniles will receive from the place
of refuge temporary residential care and various skills training
services; and

z providing boarding service for special school students,

including those with hearing impairment, visual impairment,
physical disabilities and moderate/severe intellectual
disabilities, in order to cater for their long-term boarding needs
and to facilitate their schooling during school days.

Directions for Sustainable Development

8.3 With an ageing population, the demand of persons with

disabilities for residential services will increase progressively. Moreover, it
is envisaged that drastic changes in social environment and increase in
work pressure will also lead to a rise in the number of persons with
psychiatric disabilities and their demand for residential services. In this
connection, it is recommended to:

z formulate long-term plan for persons with disabilities in terms

of residential services and develop in a continuous manner
various kinds of residential services with different levels of
support to meet the needs of persons with disabilities;

z continue to strive to help persons with disabilities to live in

the community and to ensure that residential services and
community support services complement each other and are
developed in parallel; and

49
 z continue to plan for territory-wide provision of boarding
service in special schools.

8.4 The Working Group recommends the following long-term and

short-term goals of service development along the above directions for
sustained development:

Short-term goals

z regulating hostels for persons with disabilities and promoting

the parallel development of private, self-financed and
subvented hostels to provide more service alternatives for
persons with disabilities;

z developing diverse long-term and short-term residential

services to meet the different needs of persons with disabilities;

z deploying resources for residential services so as to maintain a

steady increase in the number of new residential places;

z reviewing the direction of the “ageing-in-place” policy in

terms of residential services; and

z setting up two additional boarding sections in the New

Territories to cater for the long-term boarding needs of school
children with physical disabilities;

Long-term goal

z taking care of the needs of persons with disabilities including

the provision of hostels and other rehabilitation facilities as
early as in the stage of town planning and the Housing
Department’s district planning.

50
Specific Measures Proposed

8.5 Measures proposed for the development of residential services are

as follows:

z developing transitional residential, day care, nursing and

support services to facilitate persons with severe disabilities to
live in the community;

z reviewing the present waiting list status of residential services,

and formulate strategies to shorten the waiting time;

z establishing a planning mechanism to identify suitable vacant

Government premises located close to urban areas for building
hostels for persons with disabilities;

z developing diversified self-financing hostels for persons with

disabilities with different degrees of self-care ability;

z providing elderly residents in hostels for persons with

disabilities with appropriate sustained care services in the light
of the ageing users of residential services;

z regulating subsidised, self-financed and private hostels for

persons with disabilities and conduct consultation with the
trade and family representatives in due course;

z providing staff engaged in residential services with necessary

continuous on-the-job training with a view to developing
human resources and improving service quality; and

z continuing to review the demand for boarding places in special

schools in order to meet the needs of students and bringing it
in line with the development of special schools.

51
Chapter 9 Day Care and Community Support

Policy Objective

9.1 The policy objective of the Government in respect of the

provision of the day care and community support services for persons with
disabilities aims at making available training and support to persons with
disabilities in response to their needs, assisting them in developing their
potential, enabling them to continue to live independently at home and
preparing them for full integration into the community. These services also
aim at strengthening the carers’ caring capacity and relieving their stress so
as to provide a better quality of life for persons with disabilities and
themselves.

Existing Services

9.2 The Government strives to achieve the above policy objective by

providing the following services:

• Day Activity Centre (DAC) provides day care and training for
persons with severe intellectual disabilities aged 15 and above
who are unable to benefit from vocational training or sheltered
employment. They will be trained to become more
independent in their daily lives and to prepare them for better
integration into the community or for transition to other forms
of service or care where appropriate. Training programmes
provided by a DAC include self-care, social and interpersonal
skills and simple work skills;

• Training and Activity Centre for Ex-mentally Ill Persons

(TAC) is set up to enhance the social adjustment capability of
ex-mentally ill persons. It aims to help them become more
independent in their daily lives and develop their social and
vocational skills. A social club is attached to each centre
providing them with social and meaningful leisure activities;

52
• Rehabilitation and Training Centre for Visually Impaired
Person (RTC) provides comprehensive rehabilitation training
programme for visually impaired persons to develop skills for
independent living and help them regain self-confidence. The
programme covers orientation and mobility training,
communication and social skills, home management, work
practice and community life education;

• Library services for visually impaired persons provides

reading aids, talking or Braille books/magazines/CDs to meet
their educational and recreational needs;

• Multi-service centre for hearing impaired persons provides

various services, including casework and counselling services,
sign language interpretation services, ear-mould production
and repair services and audiological and speech therapy
services;

• Home-based Training and Support Service (HBTS) is set up to

enable persons with disabilities to become more independent
in their daily lives and social functioning through the
provision of home-based, centre-based or community-based
training and activities. HBTS also provides occupational
therapy service and network support for persons with
disabilities and their families;

• Specialised Home-based Training and Support Service

(SHBTS) renders territory-wide specialised support services to
persons with severe physical disabilities. In addition to short-
term and intensive therapy or maintenance exercises for
service users, SHBTS also assists persons with disabilities to
overcome the adaptation problems at homes so as to enhance
their quality of life;

• Agency-based Occupational Therapy (OT) Service provides

OT, advice and assistance to persons with disabilities of DACs,
sheltered workshops (SWs) and integrated vocational

53
 rehabilitation services centres (IVRSCs) to help them
overcome problems in their daily lives and develop their
potential to the fullest extent as their disabilities permit;

• Agency-based Clinical Psychology (CP) Service provides

psychological support services to people with developmental
disabilities. The Clinical Psychologists offer professional
advice and advisory services to staff of rehabilitation units in
regard to the training and management of service users with
challenging behaviour. They also provide training to the
parents/carers so as to facilitate the rehabilitation process of
service users;

• Central Psychological Support Service (CPSS)(Adult Service)

renders visiting psychological service and expert support to
staff of rehabilitation units such as DACs, SWs, and hostels
where no agency-based CP service is available;

• Central Para-medical Support Service (CPMS) provides OT

professional advisory and support services for DACs and
SWs/IVRSCs, it also provides direct OT service for autistic
persons to improve their behavioural, communication,
independent living and social skills and abilities. CPMS also
provides advisory service on physiotherapy for DACs;

• Community-based support projects provide, inter alia, holiday

care service, home respite service, day care service for persons
with severe disabilities, home care service, personal
development programme, special support programme for
autistic persons and persons with intellectual disabilities with
challenging behaviour, support for newly blind person scheme,
home-based rehabilitation training and junior gateway clubs.
The objective of the projects is to provide a better quality of
life for persons with disabilities and their families by offering
care and support service for persons with disabilities,
strengthening carers’ caring capacity for persons with
disabilities and relieving their stress;

54
 • Social and Recreational Centre for the Disabled organizes a
variety of activities to fulfil the social, recreational and
developmental needs of persons with disabilities and assists
them in integrating into the community;

• Parents/Relatives Resource Centre provides a comprehensive

range of support services to the family members of persons
with disabilities;

• Community Mental Health Link (CMHL) attached to halfway

houses (HWHs) or training and activity centres (TACs)
provides additional care and support to ex-mentally ill persons
and their families/carers in the community. The district-based
services include tangible services (e.g. meals, laundry and
shower), outreaching visits, consultation on employment,
counselling, networking to local resources,
social/recreational/educational programmes, programmes for
families/carers and public education programmes; and

• Community Mental Health Care Services are support services

providing additional care and support to ex-mentally ill
persons in the community. The services, which consist mainly
of outreaching visits and other kinds of assistance, aim to
provide continuous support to mental patients newly
discharged from psychiatric wards/ hospitals and halfway
houses so as to help them solve their adjustment problems and
re-integrate into the community. Vocational rehabilitation
services are also provided to residents idling at halfway houses
so as to develop and maintain their social and economic
functioning.

Directions for Sustainable Development

9.3 One of the main objectives of our rehabilitation policy is to help

persons with disabilities integrate fully into the community. Day care and
community services can help persons with disabilities continue to live at
home by developing their abilities to live independently and enhancing the

55
caring capacity of their families, so as to improve the quality of their lives.
These services have been playing a very important role in achieving this
particular objective of the rehabilitation policy. Hence, it is recommended
to:

• continue to develop the day care and community support

services, with special efforts dedicated to enhancing people-
oriented service programmes, support to carers, community
mutual help networks and multi-disciplinary support, with a
view to helping persons with disabilities integrate fully into
the community; and

• promote tripartite collaboration among the Government,

business sector and the community, and explore and utilise
social resources for providing support and services to persons
with disabilities in an innovative manner.

9.4 The Working Group recommends the following long-term and

short-term goals of service development along these two directions for
sustained development:

Short-term goals

• strengthening the existing day care and community-based

services to cater to the needs of persons with disabilities
effectively;

• enhancing the appropriate support services to persons with

severe disabilities living in the community;

• mapping out the development strategies for community-based

support services; and

• providing support to carers and improve their caring capacity;

56
 Long-term goals

• intensifying mental health education in the community; and

• giving holistic care to persons with disabilities in order to cater

to their needs in different development stages.

Specific Measures Proposed

9.5 The proposed measures for the development of day care and
community support services include:

• taking forward the development of, and initiating further

planning for, diversified community-based support services
for persons with disabilities;

• continuing to develop day care services and home care

services for persons with severe disabilities, with a view to
supporting their living in the community with all necessary
assistance;

• reviewing the integration and coordination between

mainstream welfare projects such as integrated home care
services and community-based support services for persons
with disabilities to ensure that the services cater to the needs
of persons with disabilities;

• strengthening the existing support for the carers of persons

with disabilities to relieve their burden;

• mounting publicity and public education initiatives to help

members of the community, carers of persons with disabilities,
parents and professionals such as social workers or teachers to
become more aware of various community support services
and their proper use;

57
 • enhancing collaboration among different sectors/organisations
at district level, for example, making good use of the District
Coordinating Committee under the Social Welfare Department
(SWD) for deploing district resources effectively and to
promote public education of mental health in the community
with reference to district characteristics; and

• continuing to exchange views and consult the stakeholders

through efforts by relevant Government departments to gauge
their views and aspirations regarding the community-based
support services.

Development Needs

9.6 Statistics indicate that among the users of DACs and Hostels,
11.9% are aged 50 or above and 14.3% of trainees in SWs and IVRSCs are
aged 50 or above. To meet the development needs of these elderly users
and trainees, the following additional services have been provided by SWD.

Extended Care Programme in Day Activity Centre (DAC)

• persons with intellectual disabilities may exhibit physiological

traits of ageing prematurely. They are in need of health and
physical care rather than intensive skill training. For this
reason, an extended care programme has been put in place in
DACs and Hostels by SWD since October 2005 to better cater
to the health and physical care needs as well as social and
recreational needs of service users aged 50 or above to ensure
their quality of life; and

Integrated Work Extension Programme (IWEP)

• the Integrated Work Extension Programme (IWEP) has been

implemented by SWD since October 2005 to cater to the
nursing/caring needs of trainees of SW and IVRSC who may
not be able to cope with the normal vocational rehabilitation
training due to old age or deterioration in health and work

58
capacities. Under IWEP, social, recreational and
developmental activities are also organised so that they can
receive training and care in an environment familiar to them.

59
Chapter 10 Development of Self-help Organisations

Policy Objective

10.1 The policy of the Government on promoting the development of

self-help organisations for persons with disabilities aims at promoting the
spirit of self-help and mutual help among persons with disabilities and their
families/carers, and encouraging the active participation of persons with
disabilities and self-help organisations in the formulation of rehabilitation
policies so as to ensure that planned services are tailored in a way such that
the special needs of persons with disabilities can be met.

Background and Existing Services

10.2 A self-help organisation refers to a group of individuals with the

common goal of furthering their own welfare and interests. Among the
members, a sense of group solidarity will be developed through experience
sharing and exchanges of information to address their common problems.
Apart from providing community support services and social, educational
and leisure activities for persons with disabilities and their families/carers,
a self-help organisation may also promote a spirit of helping others to help
themselves among persons with disabilities. A self-help organisation also
plays a very important role in building “social capital” and promoting
volunteer movement. Through seminars, media publicity and social
campaigns, a self-help organisation will help foster a positive image of
persons with disabilities and promote their rights and interests. Where their
disabilities prevent persons with disabilities from expressing themselves
and advocating their rights, their parents or relatives may organise
themselves to fight for the interests of persons with disabilities on the
latter’s behalf.

10.3 The Government has long been in strong support of the

development of self-help organisations and the participation of persons
with disabilities in such organisations. Persons with disabilities and self-
help organisations are invited to help develop rehabilitation policies and
services through their representation in the existing advisory bodies or

60
other rehabilitation service mechanisms. The Government will appoint
them according to their expertise, experience and performance.

10.4 At present, persons with disabilities or their carers are appointed

to the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee and its subcommittees in their
personal capacity. In addition, they are involved in the working group
tasked with the responsibility for the drafting of the Hong Kong
Rehabilitation Programme Plan. Persons with disabilities also participate
in advisory committees on matters relating to transport, building access or
employment and vocational training either in their personal capacity or as a
representative of a self-help organisation.

10.5 On the other hand, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) gives
financial support and professional advice towards the development of self-
help organisations. Up to now, over 70 self-help organisations are
registered in the regular contact list of SWD. They include groups of
persons with different disabilities such as persons with physical, sensory,
mental or intellectual impairments, chronic illness, occupational injuries
and diseases, autism and learning difficulties etc.

10.6 A service agent funded by SWD provides consultation and

consultancy services to self-help organisations to facilitate the development
of their work, and also assists in the establishment of new mutual aid
groups/self-help organisations. The agent organises a wide range of
training programmes for persons with disabilities and their families to
enhance their skills and confidence in participating in the work of such
organisations, thereby strengthening the management of these organisations
and their ability to take forward their work.

10.7 SWD’s financial support scheme for self-help organisations was

first introduced in 2001. The financial support is granted to self-help
organisations on a project basis for a term of two years. Since the
commencement of the funding scheme in 2001, a total of 60 self-help
organisations of persons with disabilities have received financial support
for their services to members. SWD will continue to render support and
give its endorsement of self-help organizations’ application for public
housing flats which would be used as their offices or activities centre.

61
Directions for Sustainable Development

10.8 Since the publication of the White Paper on Integrating the

Disabled into the Community in 1977, persons with disabilities and their
families have been active in forming self-help organisations to voice out
their needs and comment on policies and services of interest to them. They
advocate that persons with disabilities should have a part to play in the
policy formulation and service provision. The importance of their requests
has been recognised by both the local and international communities.
Hence, it is recommended to:

z continue with the support and facilitation of the development

of self-help organisations for persons with disabilities in order
to establish their role in social capital building; and

z assist in providing a platform for the collaboration of these

self-help organisations, Government departments and other
social sectors (including the business sector) to promote multi-
sectoral partnership.

10.9 The Working Group recommends the following long-term and

short-term goals of service development along these two directions for
sustained development:

Short-term goals

z providing appropriate support to self-help organisations;

z enhancing the participation of persons with disabilities in the

formulation of relevant policies; and

z enhancing the recognition and support to self-help

organisations by the Government and the business sector in
order to achieve cross-sectoral cooperation;

62
 Long-term goal

z strengthening the role of self-help organisations as a bridge

between the Government and the disabled community and
bolster the linkages between self-help organisations and other
sectors to build social capital and help improve governance.

Specific Measures Proposed

10.10 The measures recommended for the future development of self-

help organisations for persons with disabilities include:

z providing project-based financial support to self-help

organisations or recommend them to charitable funds with a
view to enabling them to carry out worthy projects and
provide appropriate services to their members;

z appointing more appropriate persons with disabilities to serve

on different policy consultative/formulation bodies of the
Government;

z giving recognition to the partnership projects run by business

sector and self-help organisations;

z stepping up publicity and promotion of the nature and

functions of self-help organisations for persons with
disabilities in the wider community, facilitating their building
up of a cross-sectoral network and tapping of more resources;
and

z regular meetings of relevant Government departments and

statutory bodies with self-help organisations to exchange
views on the latter’s development.

63
Chapter 11 Access and Transport

Policy Objective

11.1 The policy objective of the Government in respect of access and

transport is to create a barrier-free physical environment for persons with
disabilities, which permits their free access to all buildings and use of
public transport.

Existing Services

11.2 The Government strives to achieve the above policy objective by

carrying out the following measures:

z formulating appropriate overall policies through timely

consultation with the Sub-committee on Access of the
Rehabilitation Advisory Committee;

z implementing “Transport for All” policy which sets out clear

objectives and directions for better transport service;

z providing a discussion platform for persons with disabilities to

work with the public transport operators and the relevant
Government departments to improve the public transport
service through the Working Group on Access to Public
Transport by People with Disabilities;

z making available special transport service such as “Rehabus”

and “centre bus” provided by rehabilitation centres to persons
with disabilities who cannot access public transport service;

z stipulating obligatory and recommended requirements for

barrier-free access to buildings in the Design Manual: Barrier
Free Access 1997, and conducting inspection to and instituting
prosecution against non-complied buildings;

64
 z carrying out improvement works for the Government
buildings constructed before 1997 on the recommendations of
the Sub-committee on Access of the Rehabilitation Advisory
Committee; and

z giving advice to Government departments, NGOs and persons

with disabilities on issues related to the provision of barrier-
free access through the Environmental Advisory Service.

Directions for Sustainable Development

11.3 Since the last Rehabilitation Programme Plan review in 1998,

Hong Kong has made significant progress with regard to the provision of
barrier-free transport and building facilities for persons with disabilities.
With an ageing population, however, demand on such facilities has been on
the increase. At the same time, scientific and technological advances have
enabled many people with severe disability to leave their hostels or
residence to take up employment and participate in social activities. As
such, it is recommended:

z to continue to implement the “Transport for All” policy; and

z to ensure continuous advancement of the policy on barrier-free

access facilities.

11.4 The Working Group recommends to work for the following long-
term and short-term objectives of service development along these two
directions for sustained development:

Short-term goal

z enhancing acceptance and support among various Government

departments and the community for the provision of barrier-
free transport and access facilities; and

Long-term goal

65
 z establishing and implementing fully the standards applicable
to barrier-free transport and access facilities in Hong Kong.

Specific Measures Proposed

11.5 Our policy objective to create a barrier-free physical environment

for the persons with disabilities cannot be achieved without the
collaboration and acceptance of the community. The aims are the
development of new facilities and services that are more accessible to
persons with disabilities; and the gradual improvement of existing facilities
to cater to the needs of the persons with disabilities as far as possible.
Specific recommended measures include:

z implementing the policy of “Transport for all”, and

formulating measures for and conducting timely review of the
“5-Betters Strategy” under the policy. The “5-Betters
Strategy” includes:

(a) better accessible transport services for all;

(b) better public transport infrastructure and facilities for all;
(c) better streets and pedestrian areas for all;
(d) better planning standards, guidelines and procedures; and
(e) better partnership for actions and result;

z strengthening the “Rehabus” services for persons with

disabilities who cannot access public transport services;

z examining the feasibility of introducing wheelchair-accessible

liquefied petroleum gas taxi services as soon as possible;

z requiring all franchised bus companies to purchase low floor

buses whenever they place order for new buses. It is
anticipated that in the coming five years, all franchised bus
companies will purchase around 90 low floor buses every year;

z improving the facilities in public transport interchanges so as

to facilitate the use by persons with disabilities;

66
z raising the awareness of “Transport for All” in the community
through more intensive promotion and public education;

z conducting timely review of the Design Manual: Barrier Free

Access to ensure that the requirements therein can reflect
changing social needs;

z stepping up inspections of buildings and take enforcement

actions against persons for breaches of access and facilities
requirements; and

z completing as soon as practicable the access improvement

works of the pre-1997 Government buildings.

67
Chapter 12 Application of Information and Communications
Technologies

Policy Objective

12.1 The policy objective of the Government in supporting persons

with disabilities in the use of information and communications technologies
(ICT) in their daily lives is to enhance their capacity to lead an independent
life, thereby improving their quality of life and facilitating their integration
into the community.

Background and Existing Services

12.2 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

defines “digital divide” as “the gap between individuals, households,
businesses and geographic areas at different social-economic levels with
regard both to their opportunities to access information technology and to
their use of the internet for a wide variety of activities” (1). With this broad
definition, “digital divide” exists in every society in some form or the other
but to different extent.

12.3 As a substantial proportion of our population already has the

opportunities to access ICT and use the internet, digital divide is less a
problem in Hong Kong as compared with other places in the world.
However, we note that persons with disabilities may have more difficulties
and less opportunities in using ICT as compared with other people because
of their physical impairments. To address the problems, the following
measures are introduced to bridge the “digital divide” between persons
with disabilities and the rest of the community:

• providing personal computers with internet connection,

movable chairs and various adaptive devices at Community

(1)
Understanding the Digital Divide published by Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development in 2001
68
 Cyber Points, District Cyber Centres and rehabilitation service
units to facilitate the use by persons with disabilities;

• providing training programmes on the use of ICT for persons

with disabilities;

• organising train-the-trainer programmes so as to empower

trainers in conducting courses for persons with disabilities in
the use of ICT;

• setting up a “Central Fund for Personal Computers” to assist

persons with disabilities in acquiring computer facilities for
supported employment or self-employment at home;

• launching the “Jockey Club IT Scheme for People with Visual

Impairment” to support NGOs which provide
services/training/schooling to persons with visual impairment
and tertiary institutions to acquire advanced Chinese screen
readers and Braille displays, and to subsidise individual person
with visual impairment who requires the use of
high-performance information technology for the purpose of
studies or employment, but has genuine financial difficulty in
the purchase of the aids;

• subsidising discharged patients with severe disabilities

(including tetraplegic patients) to acquire computer facilities
and adaptive devices to facilitate their reintegration into the
community;

• providing barrier-free webpages in Government websites for

access to information on public policies and services by
persons with disabilities;

• organising various educational and publicity activities to

encourage both the public and private sectors to adopt
barrier-free web design; and

69
 • setting up “Digital Solidarity Fund” to provide funding for non
governmental organizations to organise activities to bridge the
digital divide.

Directions for Sustainable Development

12.4 The continuous advances in ICT have opened up many new

opportunities for persons with disabilities. The use of ICT by persons
with disabilities has been effective in aiding their communication with
other people, acquisition of information, studies and work, thereby
improving their quality of life and facilitating their integration into the
community. The Government will strive to empower persons with
disabilities to make good use of the opportunities brought about by the
digital world, by

• continuing to support persons with disabilities in the use of

ICT; and

• raising public awareness of the needs of persons with

disabilities in the use of ICT and rendering them with the
necessary assistance and support.

12.5 The Working Group recommends the following long-term and

short-term objectives of service development along the above two
directions for sustainable development:

Short-term Objective

• enabling more persons with disabilities to acquire the capacity

and opportunities to use ICT;

Long-term Objectives

• bridging the digital divide between persons with disabilities

and the rest of the community; and

70
 • supporting the research and development work on computer
software and assistive devices for persons with disabilities in
the use of IT.

Specific Measures Proposed

12.6 Specific recommended measures for facilitating the use of ICT by

persons with disabilities include:

• continuously increasing and improving computer facilities and

adaptive devices for persons with disabilities at the
Community Cyber Points, District Cyber Centres and
rehabilitation service units so as to facilitate access by them;
and

• encouraging the community to adopt barrier-free web design

and drawing up concrete plans to promote such design
especially to the public sector, public utilities, and services
sectors which have an impact on people’s livelihood.

71
Chapter 13 Recreational, Sports, Cultural and Arts Activities

Policy Objective

13.1 The policy objective of the Government in promoting the

participation of persons with disabilities in recreational, sports, cultural and
arts activities is to provide appropriate activities and facilities to persons
with disabilities, with a view to giving them opportunities to develop their
potentials, improving their quality of life, and facilitating their active
participation in community activities and full integration into the
community.

Background and Existing Services

13.2 At present, “universal participation” and “individual

enhancement” are the two main targets of the Government’s strategy in
promoting participation of persons with disabilities in recreational, sports,
cultural and arts activities and their development in these areas. Each year,
the Government organises nearly 1 000 recreational and sports activities
specifically for persons with disabilities to enhance their participation.
Since its establishment in June 2001, the Hong Kong Paralympians Fund
has subsidised over 100 athletes with disabilities to participate in
international sports events. As at March 2006, the Fund has allocated
over $8.6 million for development of target sports and as subsistence
allowance to athletes with disabilities. Moreover, the Jockey Club Arts
for the Disabled Scheme launched in 2004 provides training and support
for the “universal participation” and “individual enhancement” of persons
with disabilities in the arena of arts and culture. The Scheme will benefit
over 40 000 persons with disabilities within five years.

13.3 We strive to achieve the above policy objective by carrying out

the following measures:

• organising nearly 1 000 free recreational and sports activities

for persons with disabilities each year;

72
• subsidising sports associations and NGOs to organise
recreational and sports activities for persons with disabilities;

• subsidising NGOs to set up gateway clubs through optimum

use of the existing facilities of rehabilitation centres, with a
view to organising recreational and cultural activities for
people with intellectual disabilities during weekends and
holidays and promoting “a Society for All” through the
participation of volunteers and parents;

• offering half-price concession to persons with disabilities and

their companions for participating in community recreational,
sports, cultural and arts activities;

• providing barrier-free recreational and sports facilities, and

offering half-price concession to persons with disabilities,
their companions and approved rehabilitation service agencies
for booking the facilities;

• providing barrier-free cultural and arts facilities, and offering

concession to non-profit making organisations for persons
with disabilities for booking venues to conduct various
cultural and arts activities;

• the Jockey Club Arts for the Disabled Scheme and the Music
Office co-organising the Outreach Music Interest Class for
persons with disabilities and a three-year Instrumental Music
Training Scheme for students with disabilities. The two
training courses are tuition free with free musical instruments
made available to participants;

• the Hong Kong Paralympians Fund supports development of

persons with disabilities in sports by offering encouragement
to athletes with disabilities who have strived to bring glory to
Hong Kong in their athletic careers, and helping retired
athletes with disabilities to secure employment and
commending on their contributions;

73
 • launching the Jockey Club Arts for the Disabled Scheme to
provide persons with disabilities with basic training courses on
visual and performing arts, school-based arts projects and
train-the-trainers workshop. The Scheme also commissioned
the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Arts with the
Disabled Association Hong Kong to conduct a two-year
research on teaching methods and assistive devices, and to
compile a user manual for cultural and arts training of persons
with disabilities;

• launching a three-year Personal Development Programme for

non governmental organizations to organise a series of
subsidised systematic and structured arts and skills training
courses for persons with disabilities to develop their potentials
and improve their quality of life;

• organising the International Festival of Inclusive Arts in

December 2006 to show to the public the artistic talents of
persons with disabilities through the cooperation and
exchanges of experience in arts activities between people with
or without disabilities; and

• launching the Healthy Exercise-for-All Campaign which

includes a series of “fitness exercise” specially designed for
persons with disabilities.

Directions for Sustainable Development

13.4 Recreational, sports, cultural and arts activities are essential to a

balanced life and are of particular importance to persons with disabilities.
These activities can help improve greatly the physical fitness of persons
with disabilities, their social skills and competence, and are essential
components for an effective programme of social integration. In fact,
persons with disabilities in Hong Kong have long been very enthusiastic in
participating in recreational, sports, cultural and arts activities. Their
efforts have produced remarkable results, winning the recognition of the
general public. In the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, the 26 athletes
74
representing Hong Kong achieved great triumph by winning a total of 19
medals, including 11 gold, seven silver and one bronze. A number of arts
troupes of persons with disabilities in Hong Kong have won prestigious
awards in many international and local performance events. In this
connection, the Working Group recommends to continue:

• providing persons with disabilities with suitable activities and

facilities to encourage their active participation in mainstream
recreational, sports, cultural and arts activities;

• providing customised recreational, sports, cultural and arts

activities for persons with disabilities who are unable to
participate in mainstream activities due to physical
impairments; and

• supporting athletes and artists with disabilities who have the

potentials and talents to pursue a career in recreation, sports,
culture and arts.

13.5 The Working Group recommends the following long-term and

short-term objectives of service development along the above directions for
sustainable development:

Short-term Objectives

• providing more train-the-trainer progammes;

• ensuring recreational, sports, cultural and arts activities and

facilities are suitable for participation and use by persons with
disabilities; and

• trainers and the staff involved can understand the special

needs of persons with disabilities when receiving training and
participating in activities;

75
 Long-term Objectives

• ensuring the needs of persons with disabilities will be taken

into account in the development of all new recreational, sports,
cultural and arts activities and facilities;

• persons with disabilities are capable of benefiting, displaying

their talents and integrating into the community through
participation in recreational, sports, cultural and arts activities;
and

• persons with disabilities in Hong Kong are capable of making

strides and building up their names in sports and arts, both
locally and internationally.

Specific Measures Proposed

13.6 Measures proposed for further promotion of participation of

persons with disabilities in recreational, sports, cultural and arts activities
include:

• providing barrier-free recreational, sports, arts and cultural

venues and facilities for persons with disabilities;

• taking into account “universal participation” and “individual

enhancement” in promoting recreational, sports, cultural and
arts development for persons with disabilities;

• organising recreational, sports, cultural and arts activities with

the target of “a Society for All” in mind to provide persons
with disabilities with equal opportunities of participation;

• enhancing the knowledge on the needs of people with

disabilities among the staff of recreational, sports, cultural and
arts venues and those involved in organising recreational,
sports, cultural and arts activities, so that they are able to

76
 effectively assist persons with disabilities in using the facilities
and participating in the activities; and

• giving proper recognition, education, training and support to

persons with disabilities with talents in sports and arts and the
determination to excel.

77
Chapter 14 Public Education

Policy Objective

14.1 The policy objective of the Government in respect of the public

education on rehabilitation is to organize comprehensive public education
programmes that would raise public awareness of the rights and needs of
persons with disabilities and their contributions to the community. These
programmes are devised to change public attitude and for their accepting
the two main objectives of rehabilitation policy: full participation and equal
opportunities.

Background

14.2 Since the publication of the White Paper on Rehabilitation -Equal

Opportunities and Full Participation: A Better Tomorrow for All by the
Government in 1995, we are pleased to note that the level of public
awareness and acceptance of the rights, needs and contributions of persons
with disabilities has been noticeably on the rise. The active participation of
persons with disabilities in a wide range of areas, be it employment, public
affairs, or sports, cultural and arts activities, has achieved remarkable
results and won wide public recognition.

14.3 In fact, according to the findings of a follow-up survey in 2002

commissioned by the Sub-committee on Public Education on
Rehabilitation of the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee, and conducted by
the Chinese University of Hong Kong, public discrimination against
persons with disabilities had shown signs of positive changes as compared
to the results of the benchmark survey conducted in 1994. These changes
include the general acceptance of integration of persons with disabilities
into society and the willingness to have social interaction with them. That
said, no significant changes were found in other aspects. For example,
acceptance of persons with psychiatric disabilities among the respondents
was still at a level lower than that of persons with intellectual disabilities.
The survey also found that public awareness of the Disability

78
Discrimination Ordinance was inadequate, with only about 60% of the
respondents giving a positive reply.

14.4 There is still some public misunderstanding and resistance

towards persons with disabilities as evidenced by the opposition from local
residents against the setting up of rehabilitation services centre, the
difficulties of introducing barrier-free physical environment and the low
employment rate in open market for persons with disabilities.

Existing Services

14.5 At present, the Government strives to achieve the above policy

objective by carrying out the following measures:

z the Sub-committee on Public Education on Rehabilitation of

the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee sets an appropriate
yearly theme to facilitate the implementation of various public
education programmes on rehabilitation;

z the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) makes an annual

funding contribution to NGOs, local organisations and
Government departments for organising public education
programmes on rehabilitation, with a view to enhancing public
understanding and acceptance of persons with disabilities;

z LWB co-hosts the “Mental Health Month” as an annual event

with various Government departments, NGOs and local
organisations to promote public awareness of mental health,
their acceptance of persons with psychiatric disabilities and
the integration of the ex-mentally ill into the community;

z annual celebration to mark the International Day of Disabled

Persons is co-organised by the Joint Council for the Physically
and Mentally Disabled, NGOs, local organisations and
Government departments to drive home the message of “a
society for all”;

79
z the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education allocates
funding to NGOs, local organisations and Government
departments for public education programmes to promote
equal opportunities;

z a wide range of public education and publicity programmes

are organised by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC)
to disseminate the message of equal opportunities;

z EOC’s Community Participation Funding Programme on

Equal Opportunities encourages local organisations to hold
activities centred around the theme of promoting equal
opportunities and eliminating discriminations on the grounds
of disability, sex, marital status, pregnancy and family status;

z the Social Welfare Department encourages the public to give

active support to persons with disabilities for their integration
into the community through various public education
programmes and publicity campaigns at both district and
territory-wide levels;

z with the Home Affairs Department as the coordinator and

funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Hong Kong
Council of Social Service and its member agencies organise a
variety of summer youth programmes to enhance mutual
understanding among young people with or without
disabilities and facilitate the participation of persons in
community services; and

z launching the International Festival of Inclusive Arts in

December 2006 to cultivate an inclusive society and build an
accepting and caring society through encouraging persons
with or without disabilities to cooperate and share experiences
in the arts.

80
Directions for Sustainable Development

14.6 The primary objective of rehabilitation services is to ensure the

full integration of persons with disabilities into the community and their
access to equal opportunities. This cannot be achieved without arousing
public awareness of the relevant issues of concern and fostering positive
attitude in the community towards persons with disabilities. In this
connection, it is recommended to:

z continue with comprehensive public education programmes on

rehabilitation with timely evaluation of their effectiveness; and

z conduct regular review of the strategy of public education on

rehabilitation services to take into account changing public
attitude and social environment.

14.7 The Working Group recommends to work for the following long-
term and short-term goals of service development along these two
directions for sustainable development:

Short-term goal

z achieving greater acceptance and understanding of the rights,

needs and contributions of persons with disabilities by the
local population; and

Long-term goal

z developing Hong Kong into a caring and inclusive society that

allows persons with different abilities to develop their
potential and make contributions to the society.

Specific Measures Proposed

14.8 Specific measures proposed in the promotion of future

development of public education on rehabilitation include:

81
z setting clear themes for the annual public education
programmes as a focal point around which NGOs, district
organisations and Government departments could organise
relevant public education activities to enhance the
effectiveness of the programmes;

z promoting more participations of the business community, the

media and the academic circle in organising public education
activities;

z stepping up the implementation of public education

programmes on mental health and raising public awareness of
its importance, promoting public acceptance of persons with
mental health problems and providing support to ex-mentally
ill patients for their reintegration into the community;

z conducting timely statistical surveys on the effectiveness of

the public education programme and formulating public
education strategy in accordance with the survey results; and

z capitalising on information technology by using the internet as

one of the major publicity and education platforms of public
education.

82
Chapter 15 Other Issues of Concern

15.1 During the Working Group’s discussion on the Rehabilitation

Programme Plan (RPP), a number of very important subjects which may be
outside the scope of RPP discussion were raised by some Members. These
include the implementation of the International Classification of
Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in Hong Kong, mental health,
standardization of sign language and the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities recently signed by the majority of the State
Parties of the United Nations. The Working Group considered these four
subjects worth addressing and should be followed up outside the context of
RPP review.

International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

15.2 The World Health Organization published the ICF in November

2001 as the international standards for description and measurement of
health and disabilities, and appealed for application by all countries. The
essence of the ICF is on the incorporation of socially constructed
disabilities to the physically, mentally or emotionally constructed
disabilities of medical domain. In accordance with the ICF, disability
results from the interaction between persons with impairments, attitudinal
and environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective participation
in society on an equal basis with others.

15.3 The Working Group agreed that this might become an

international trend for interpretation of disabilities, and considered that the
application of the ICF might create major impacts on existing mechanism.
As such, the Working Group recommended the Government to make
reference to experience of other countries in the implementation of the ICF
and explore the feasibility of implementing the ICF in Hong Kong.

Mental health

15.4 Mental health has become a major issue of concern around the
globe. Good mental health is not only beneficial to a person’s daily living
and work, but is also very important in maintaining a happy family and
fostering a harmonious society. With the understanding that the World
83
Health Organization has announced that depression is emerging as one of
the second most common illnesses in the 21 century, the Working Group is
of the view that the issue of mental health requires greater attention.

15.5 At the time when the RPP review was in progress, the then Health,
Welfare and Food Bureau was coordinating the overall policies and
programmes on mental health. It spearheaded relevant policy formulation
and worked closely with the Hospital Authority, Department of Health and
Social Welfare Department to deliver services on mental health. Through
the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee, stakeholders were involved in
advising on the development of mental health policy and services. The
rights of persons with mental illness are safeguarded under the Mental
Health Ordinance and the Disability Discrimination Ordinance.

15.6 The Working Group noted that multidisciplinary and cross-

sectoral approach is adopted in the provision of relevant medical care and
rehabilitation services. Collaboration among self-help groups, NGOs,
Hospital Authority and Social Welfare Department takes place via regular
liaison meetings, Joint Community Work and Aftercare Unit meetings and
other occasions on various levels. Hospital Authority and Department of
Health conduct disease surveillance, researches and surveys.

15.7 Prevention, early identification and early intervention are

considered the key areas for attention. Publicity efforts should continue
and be further enhanced to raise public awareness of mental health. The
target is to encourage the participation of the whole community.

15.8 Thoughts and efforts can be directed towards further

enhancement of the provision of integrated services, intersectoral
collaboration and tripartite partnership. It is recommended that a multi-
sectoral working group be set up under the leadership of Health, Welfare
and Food Bureau (renamed as the Food and Welfare Bureau after
1 July 2007) to map out a sustainable strategic way forward.

84
Standardisation of Sign Language

15.9 The issue of standardizing sign language was put forward to the
Working Group for consideration. It was gathered that there was a range of
varieties of sign language in Hong Kong. These different “versions”,
overlap to a certain extent. It was speculated that the diversity of the sign
language in Hong Kong was attributed to the lifestyles of most people with
hearing impairment of socializing in small circles. Some said that the lack
of formal education of a standardized sign language had resulted in the
diverse development of various “versions” of the sign language in Hong
Kong.

15.10 From the education policy angle, the Education Bureau aims to
prepare children with hearing impairment to integrate and communicate
with the hearing community. All along, the medium of instruction for
special schools for children with hearing impairment is either oral or total
communication with due regard to the educational needs of their students.

15.11 Over the past decades, various parties have tried to help
standardizing the sign language in Hong Kong. These include:

(a) Speaking with Sign published by the Social Welfare

Department in 1972;
(b) Sign Language Dictionary published by the then Education
Department in 1990;
(c) Hong Kong Sign Language VCD published by the
Vocational Training Council in 1999;
(d) Deaf Blind Rehabilitation Training Manual and CD Rom on
Tactual Sign Language – Vocabulary List published by the
Hong Kong Society for the Blind in 2003;
(e) Hong Kong Sign Language published by the Hong Kong
Association of the Deaf in 2004;
(f) Basic Sign Language (CD Rom) publish by the Hong Kong
Society for the Deaf in 2004;
(g) Open Assessment for Sign Language Interpreters organised
by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service in 2005; and
(h) Hong Kong Sign Language – Elementary published by the
Hong Kong Society for the Deaf in 2005; and

85
 (i) Hong Kong Sign Language – Intermediate published by the
Hong Kong Society for the Deaf in 2006.

15.12 However, it has been very difficult, if not impossible, to get all
the different groups to agree upon one single system, according to various
RPP Review Working Group Members who were/are closely involved in
the above projects.

15.13 The Working Group considered this a policy issue worth

exploring, and therefore recommended it for consideration by the
Rehabilitation Advisory Committee. The latter recognised the importance
of having a common system of sign language for all sign language users in
Hong Kong, and decided to form a working group to further consider the
issue and to map out the way forward.

The United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with

Disabilities

15.14 During the RPP review, the Working Group noted that the United
Nations endorsed on 13 December 2006 a Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities. The Working Group suggested the
Administration to keep track of the implementation of the Convention and
the possible impacts to the provision of rehabilitation services in Hong
Kong.

86
Chapter 16 Conclusion and Way Forward

16.1 Since the publication of the first Hong Kong Rehabilitation

Programme Plan (RPP) in 1976, remarkable achievements have been made
in the development of Hong Kong’s rehabilitation services, especially in
terms of the promotion of equal opportunities, the building of an inclusive
society as well as the creation of a barrier-free environment. Because of
the achievements, the quality of life of persons with disabilities has also
been significantly improved. All of these would not have been possible
without the concerted efforts and commitment of persons with disabilities
and their family members, rehabilitation agencies, the Government and
indeed the community as a whole.

16.2 For rehabilitation services in Hong Kong to achieve sustainable

development, it is necessary for the Government and all sectors of the
community to continue to work for enhanced collaboration. Parents,
peers, neighbours and the whole community should render great support to
persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities should also turn
themselves into valuable social capital by moving towards self-reliance and
self-empowerment and actively participating in social activities.

16.3 In the past two years, the Working Group which led the review of
the RPP evaluated Hong Kong’s achievements in the development of
rehabilitation services over the past 30 years or so, and put forward
recommendations on the future direction of service development.

16.4 The short-term goals proposed in the RPP generally refer to goals
that can be achieved through cross-sectoral collaboration within three to
five years upon the completion of the review, while the long-term
objectives refer to the ultimate achievements to be made through concerted
efforts by various parties to take forward sustainable development of
rehabilitation services.

16.5 The specific measures set out in the RPP can be carried out
through enhanced coordination between government departments and
NGOs or re-deployment of resources on one hand, and collaboration
among rehabilitation agencies and the business sector on the other.

87
16.6 We hope all stakeholders, including the Government, NGOs and
the business sector, will strive to forge closer partnership. They should
also take the recommendations set out in the RPP into full consideration in
the strategic planning of the development of their services and activities
and bring them in alignment with the overall development needs of
rehabilitation services, while working together towards a barrier-free
environment and the building of a harmonious, inclusive and caring
society.

16.7 The successful completion of the RPP is largely attributable to the

tireless efforts of members of the Working Group, rehabilitation agencies,
persons with disabilities and their parents in their pursuit of the goals of
equal opportunities for persons with disabilities and their full integration
into the community. The Rehabilitation Advisory Committee and its
sub-committees undertake to oversee the implementation of the
recommendations set out in the RPP as well as the results achieved.

16.8 Hong Kong is an ever-changing society full of both opportunities

and challenges. We look to the whole community for their active
participation in building a harmonious and inclusive society; their support
for persons with disabilities to seize opportunities, overcome challenges
and develop their potentials; and their collaboration with persons with
disabilities to make contributions to the community and share the fruit of
Hong Kong’s success.

88
Appendix I 2005-2007 Rehabilitation Programme Plan Review
Working Group

Membership

Chairperson : Deputy Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food

(Family & Women)
Members : Mrs Grace Y M CHAN
Mr CHEUNG Kin-fai
Mr Benny CHEUNG
Ms Christina KAN
Mr KO Nam
Dr Joseph KWOK Kin-fun
Mr LAW Wai-cheung
Mrs Julie LEE LAU Chu-lai
Mrs Heidi TONG HUI Sim-kiu
Mr TSANG Kin-ping
Ms Nancy TSANG
Ms Deborah WAN, BBS
Mrs Winnie K Y WONG
Mr YEUNG Ka-sing
Mr Philip C H YUEN
Representative of the Hospital Authority
Representative of the Education and Manpower Bureau
Representative of the Department of Health
Representative of the Labour Department
Representative of the Social Welfare Department
Representative of the Transport Department
Representative of the Vocational Training Council
Commissioner for Rehabilitation
Secretary : Assistant Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food
(Rehabilitation)

1
Terms of Reference

• Taking stock of the rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities

• Identifying service needs and recommending targeted services

• Setting future directions for development of rehabilitation services

2
Appendix II Public Views Received during the Rehabilitation
Programme Plan Review

Directions of Overall Development

• To promote cross-sectoral/inter-departmental collaboration in

providing a barrier-free environment and diversified services
for persons with disabilities so as to facilitate their integration
into the community.

• To empower persons with disabilities and their carers to turn

them into valuable social capitals.

• To formulate effective policies to meet the needs of an ageing

disabled population and the increasing number of persons with
psychiatric disabilities.

• To promote rehabilitation services along the line of

whole-person development and whole-person care.

• To include scientific research as a strategic focus for preventing

disabilities.

Definition of Disability

• As one may have disabilities of various degrees in a number of

aspects or different aspects at different stages of life, it is
inappropriate to pigeonhole disabilities rigidly. Rehabilitation
services should be people-oriented while meeting specific needs
of individuals.

• To further explore the feasibility of implementing the

International Classification of Functioning, Disability and
Health (ICF) in Hong Kong.

1
 • To consider including specific learning difficulties and attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the Hong Kong Rehabilitation
Programme Plan.

• Dyslexia should not be classified as a disability because once a

person with dyslexia leaves school, it will no longer have any
bearing on his daily life. It serves no purpose to single out and
label these people who have already integrated into the
community.

• To conduct regular statistical surveys to update the data of

different categories of persons with disabilities with a view to
formulating appropriate rehabilitation policies and services.

Prevention and Identification

• To strengthen education to the public on upkeeping of mental

health, early identification of mental health problems and the
importance of early receipt of treatment.

• To further promote occupational and road safety to reduce

accident-induced disability.

• To develop effective measures for disease prevention by

carrying out extensive consultation with persons with
disabilities, people with chronic illness and self-help
organisations.

• To strengthen trainings on understanding of individual

disabilities and rehabilitation services for front line medical
staff in hospitals, government clinics and maternal and child
health centres so as to assist persons with disabilities and their
family members to receive early and appropriate treatment and
services.

2
Medical Rehabilitation
• To strengthen the cooperation between Hospital Authority’s
various hospital clusters and relevant government
departments/rehabilitation agencies in order to achieve better
coordination in the provision of healthcare and rehabilitation
services in various hospital clusters and enhance
communication between both sides.

• To increase training places for nurses to cope with the shortage

of nurses in rehabilitation services.

• To provide visiting medical practitioner service to persons with

disabilities in hostels to improve their primary medical care.

• To strengthen outreaching psychiatric service provided to

hostels for the persons with intellectual disabilities.

• To continue the provision of evening consultation sessions in

respect of psychiatric service so as to ensure that patients’
daytime work will not be affected.

• To conduct review of the current arrangements for patients to

queue up for consultation chips and bookings with a view to
improving the queuing system for the benefit of persons with
disabilities.

• To strengthen psychiatric manpower and service.

• The Department of Health should step up training for nurses of

maternal and child health centres.

Pre-school Training and Education

• To provide necessary ongoing training for staff engaged in

pre-school training service to raise service quality.

3
• To keep a close watch on the demand for pre-school training
service, especially in newly developed and remote
communities.

• To enhance the speech therapy service provided to students

with special educational needs.

• To continue to implement inclusive education policy in line

with a whole-school approach and conduct timely review of its
effectiveness to ensure appropriate use of resources.

• Special schools should be retained as they have their particular

role to play.

• To continue to offer various channels of further studies and

training to persons with disabilities upon their graduation from
secondary schools. Apart from higher education and
vocational training, adult education (including user-pay
education programmes) should also be developed.

• For students with intellectual disabilities, the education they

receive should aim at providing them with training on basic
living skills and also develop their gifts and talents in sports and
arts.

• To give more support in terms of teachers, curriculum design

and special arrangements in examination etc to students with
specific learning difficulties or attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder.

• To incorporate the message of “a Society for All” into the

curricula of primary and secondary schools so as to facilitate
the understanding and acceptance of persons with disabilities
among the younger generation and nurture an inclusive culture
in schools.

4
 • To take care of students with special educational needs, schools
should discuss the needs and progress of students with their
parents, seek cross-sectoral collaboration and make optimum
use of resources with a view to providing students with joint
support through family, school and cross-sectoral collaboration.

• Recommend the establishment of a mechanism under which

more recognition should be given to schools dedicated to
inclusive education.

• The Education and Manpower Bureau should encourage

schools to draw up individualized education programmes for
each of their students with special educational needs when
necessary.

• Parents, teachers and students have been under enormous

pressure as support and services for students with attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder at primary education stage are
excessively wanting.

Vocational Training and Employment

• To enhance government departments’ and the community’s

awareness and support of persons with disabilities social
enterprises to facilitate the employment of persons with
disabilities.

• To continue to encourage the public sector and subvented

organisations to set an indicator for employment of persons
with disabilities.

• To continue to provide persons with disabilities with diversified

and market-oriented vocational training and employment
services, and review the effectiveness of the services.

• To explore the feasibility of granting tax concessions to private

5
 firms with disabled employees as an incentive for them to
employ more persons with disabilities.

• To study the idea of introducing an employment quota system

for persons with disabilities through legislation to safeguard the
employment rights of persons with disabilities.

Residential Care

• To develop diversified residential services by continuing to

provide subvented hostel service to those in need, assisting
NGOs in developing self-financing hostels and regulating the
service quality of private hostels.

• The establishment of a continuous assessment mechanism on

service users after admission should aim at identifying their
changing needs of service with a view to providing them with
the most suitable services. It is not for assessing whether they
are fit for leaving the hostels.

Day Care, Community Support and the Development of Self-help

Organisations

• To continue to strengthen the day care and community support

services provided to persons with disabilities living in the
community with a view to improving the quality of life of
Persons with disabilities and their carers.

• To establish district coordination committees to provide district

support network for the ex-mentally ill and progressively
expand the network to cover other persons with disabilities.

• To address the present uneven distribution of community

support services among different districts by beefing up such
services in local districts with service gaps.

6
 • To facilitate the development of self-help organisations to
establish their important role in enhancing social capitals.

• To assist self-help organisations in building a platform for

collaboration with various sectors of the community.

Access Facilities and Transport

• To enhance public understanding and support of the provision

of barrier-free access for persons with disabilities.

• To step up prosecution of against persons in breaches of the

requirements on barrier-free access and facilities.

• To explore viable options for improving the access facilities of

buildings constructed before 1997.

• To conduct timely review of the Design Manual: Barrier Free

Access.

• To continue to enhance Rehabus service for persons with

disabilities who are unable to use public transport.

• To continue to encourage public transport operators to provide

barrier-free public transport service and facilities.

• To explore the feasibility of introducing wheelchair accessible

taxi service.

• To encourage public transport operators to provide

concessionary fares for persons with disabilities.

• To implement the policy of “Transport for All” on an ongoing

basis.

7
Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and
Participation in Arts, Recreational and Sports Activities

• To encourage the development of computer softwares and

adaptive devices to assist persons with disabilities in using ICT.

• To continue to encourage the business sector to adopt

barrier-free webpages.

• To explore ways of improving the quality of life of persons

with disabilities through the use of ICT.

• To involve representatives of persons with disabilities and

people who are familiar with their needs in the consultation
framework for recreational, sports and arts development.

• To direct every effort to provide barrier-free recreational, sports

and arts centres and facilities for persons with disabilities.

• To take into account “universal participation” and “individual

enhancement” in promoting recreational, sports and arts
development for persons with disabilities.

• To enhance the knowledge on the needs of persons with

disabilities among the staff of recreational, sports and arts
centres and those involved in organising recreational, sports and
arts activities, so that they are able to effectively assist persons
with disabilities in using the facilities and participating in the
activities.

• As many organisations nowadays provide their services through

interactive voice response system and this has caused
inconvenience to people with hearing impairment, it is therefore
recommended that fax and short message service (SMS) of
mobile phones from hearing impaired persons be accepted.

8
Public Education

• To set a clear theme for the annual public education

programmes as a focal point around which government
departments and NGOs could organise activities to enhance the
effectiveness of the programmes.

• To urge the business sector and the media to help organise more
public education activities.

• To conduct timely evaluation of the effectiveness of public

education activities so as to identify the appropriate
development direction.

• To capitalise on the internet as a platform of public education.

• As one may have disabilities at different stages of life, the

message of respecting others with different levels of abilities
should be conveyed by public education.

9
Appendix III Environmental Scan

Background

To facilitate the review of the Hong Kong Rehabilitation Programme

Plan (RPP), the Working Group responsible for the review has taken stock of the
number of rehabilitation service users and examined the factors affecting the
service development. A summary of the data/factors examined by the Working
Group is set out in this annex.

Summary

(a) Number and Prevalence Rate of Service Users

2. A territory-wide survey on persons with disabilities and chronic diseases

was conducted by the Census and Statistic Department (C&SD) throughout the
entire year of 2000 to gauge the total number and prevalence rate of persons
with selected types of disability and chronic diseases. The data from this
survey have been published in the Special Topics Report No. 28 on Persons with
Disabilities and Chronic Diseases.

3. At the time of enumeration, it was estimated that there were 269 500
persons with disabilities. The overall prevalence rate of persons with disabilities
was 4 %. For the number of persons with individual types of disability, please
refer to Table 1. The survey also estimated that the total number of mentally
handicapped persons in Hong Kong was about 62 000 to 87 000, representing a
prevalence rate of some 0.9% to 1.3%.

1
Table 1: Number and Prevalence Rate of Service Users

Types of Disability Number of As % of

Persons the total population of
Hong Kong
Restriction in body movement 103 500 1.5
Seeing difficulty 73 900 1.1
Hearing difficulty 69 700 1.0
Mental illness 50 500 0.7
Speech difficulty 18 500 0.3
Autism 3 000 <0.05
Total: 269 500 4.0

Note:

(1) Classification and definitions of disabilities adopted by the Special Topics Report No. 28 on
Persons with Disabilities and Chronic Diseases are as follows:

z “Persons with restriction in body movement” were defined as those who had been
diagnosed as being physically handicapped under medical assessment tests (such as
spasm, paraplegia and quadriplegia, and loss of limbs) or perceived themselves as
having long-term difficulty in movement of upper/lower limb or other parts of the
body;

z “Persons with seeing difficulty” referred to those who had been diagnosed as being
blind or having low vision under medical assessment tests or perceived themselves as
having long-term difficulty in seeing with one eye or both eyes whether with or
without correcting glasses/contact lenses. Nevertheless, nearsightedness,
farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia were excluded;

z “Persons with hearing difficulty” were defined as those who had been diagnosed as
having hearing impairment under medical assessment tests or perceived themselves as
having long-term difficulty in hearing. Based on the information collected in the
survey, they were classified into three categories: (i) unable to hear at all; (ii) required
a specialised hearing aid in order to be able to hear well; and (iii) not required a
specialised hearing aid;

z “Persons with speech difficulty” referred to those who had been diagnosed as having

2
 speech impairment under medical assessment tests or perceived themselves as having
long-term difficulty in speaking and being understood by others. They were classified
into three categories in the survey: (i) unable to speak at all; (ii) required a specialised
aid in order to be able to speak and be understood by others; and (iii) not required a
specialised aid;

z “Mentally ill persons” were defined as those who had been diagnosed as being
mentally ill under medical assessment tests (including ex-mentally ill) or had
been/were being treated by psychiatrists or had received/were receiving some form of
rehabilitation services provided for ex-mentally ill persons (such as psychiatric clinics,
private psychiatrists, halfway houses and community psychiatric nursing services) at
the time of enumeration;

z “Autistic persons” referred to those who had been diagnosed as being autistic under
medical assessment tests; and

z “Mentally handicapped persons” referred to those who had been diagnosed as being
mentally handicapped (or with intellectual disabilities) under medical assessment tests.
Down's syndrome was included.

(2) A service user may have more than one type of disability and hence the overall number of
persons with disabilities is smaller than the sum of the number of persons with individual
types of disability.

(3) The survey also collected information on persons with intellectual disabilities residing in
institutions and in domestic households. However, there was strong indication of
under-estimation in respect of the number of persons with intellectual disabilities in domestic
households as derived from the survey findings. Hence, the analysis of survey findings
pertaining to the persons with intellectual disabilities has been separated from that of persons
with other types of disability in this report. A crude statistical assessment indicated that the
total number of persons with intellectual disabilities in Hong Kong was likely to be in the
region of 62 000 – 87 000, representing a prevalence rate of some 0.9%-1.3% for persons
with intellectual disabilities in Hong Kong.

(4) Statistical data on persons with visceral disability in Hong Kong is not available for the time
being. However, the survey estimated that there were some 882 700 persons reporting their
requirement for long-term (i.e. lasting at least six months) medical treatment, consultation or
medication (referred to as “persons with chronic diseases”). The prevalence rate of persons
with chronic diseases was 13.0%. Among these 882 700 persons, 731 600 indicated that

3
 they did not have any selected type of disability as shown in Table 1.

(5) The C&SD will conduct another survey in 2007/08 with a view to updating the related
figures and information.

(b) Social Factors Affecting the Number of Service Users

(i) Elderly Population

4. Hong Kong has the lowest birth rate among the 225 countries and places
in the world, with only 7.63 new births per 1 000 population. The fertility rate
is only 0.91 birth per woman. This, coupled with the increase in average life
expectancy, means that the ageing of our population will become more
pronounced. According to the Hong Kong Population Projections 2004-2033
published by the C&SD in 2004, it is estimated that people aged 65 and above
will account for 26.8% of the territory’s total population by 2033, representing a
remarkable growth as compared with 7% in 1983 (Table 2). It is also estimated
that the number of service users with mobility difficulty, visual impairment and
hearing impairment will be on the rise as such disabilities are common to the
aged.

Table 2: Elderly Population

population percentage

2 500 000 26.8% 30%

2 243 100
25%
2 000 000 19.4%

1 548 500 20%

1 500 000
13.2% 15%
11.7%
978 000
1 000 000 9.3% 795 500
7.0% 10%
546 000
500 000 374 600
5%

0 0%
1983 1993 2003 2013 2023 2033
year

no. of elderly aged over 65 as percentage of the total population

4
(ii) Median Age at First Childbirth

5. Infants with congenital defects are often born to older mothers.

According to the findings of a survey conducted by the C&SD in 2004, there
was a rising trend in the median age of Hong Kong women at first childbirth
(Table 3), from the age of 26.2 in 1985 to 29.4 in 2004. Nevertheless, with the
increasing popularity of premarital/antenatal check-ups, the rising trend in the
median age of these mothers does not necessarily translate into a higher birth
rate of infants with congenital defects.

Table 3: Number of Births and the Median Age at First Childbirth

no. of births age

80000 76126 30
67731 68637 29.4
70000 29.3
29
28.7
60000 54134
47892 28
50000 27.8

40000 27
30000 26.2
26
20000
25
10000
0 24
year 1985 1990 1995 2000 2004

no. of births median age at first childbirth

(iii) Number of Cases Receiving Child Assessment Service (for Children

Aged 0-11) and Student Health Service (for Students from Primary 1
to Form 7) from the Department of Health

6. With the enhancement of child assessment service and student health

service under the Department of Health (DH), the continuous improvement in
impairment/disease detection and prevention technologies, as well as the
increased awareness of the importance of early intervention among parents,
there is a general rising trend in the number of cases receiving child assessment
service and student health service from the DH (Table 4). This will facilitate
5
early prevention and intervention, thereby preventing the development of
impairments/diseases into disabilities and helping to reduce the prevalence rate
of rehabilitation service users.

Table 4: Total Number of Cases Receiving Child Assessment Service (for Children
Aged 0-11) and Student Health Service (for Students from Primary 1 to Form
7) from the Department of Health

no. of cases

2500
2212

2000
1650
1500 in 2000 in 2005
1089 1007
897 870
1000
490 405 473
500 352
217 218 145 178
4681
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(iv) Number of Injuries Caused by Occupational, Industrial and Traffic

Accidents

7. With the sustained improvement in the occupational, industrial and

traffic safety legislation and measures, a downward trend in the number of injury
cases caused by occupational, industrial and traffic accidents is detected as
shown in Tables 5 to 8. This will help reduce the number of adults using
rehabilitation service.

6
Table 5: Number of Occupational Injury Cases

non-fatal cases fatal cases

70000 300

60000 250
50000
200
40000
150
30000
100
20000

10000 50

0 0
year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

non-fatal cases fatal cases

Table 6: Number of Industrial Accidents

accident rate per

no. of accidents 1 000 workers

50000 70
45000
60
40000
35000 50
30000 40
25000
20000 30
15000 20
10000
10
5000
0 0
year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

non-fatal cases accident rate per 1 000 workers

7
Table 7: Number of Cases Assessed as Permanent Loss of Earning Capacity under the
Employees’ Compensation Ordinance

no.of cases

20000
18000
16000
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
year

Table 8: Number of Injuries/Deaths Caused by Traffic Accidents

no. of severely injured no.of deaths

4000 250

3500
200
3000

2500 150
2000

1500 100

1000
50
500

0 0
year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

severely injured deaths

8
(v) Mental Health Problem

8. Tables 9 to 11 show an increase in the number of psychiatric inpatient,

outpatient and day attendances at hospitals under the Hospital Authority in
2005/06 as compared with 2001/02, and in particular, there is a marked rising
trend in the number of young service users aged below 18.

Table 9: Number of Discharges and Deaths of Psychiatric Inpatients and Day Patients
of the Hospital Authority

no. ofpatients
no. of patients

18000

16000

14000

12000
aged 65 or
above
10000 aged 18-64

8000
aged below 18
6000

4000

2000

0
financial year
2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06
aged 65 or above 1793 1822 1606 1837 1800
aged 18-64 11317 11531 11240 12212 12577
aged below 18 438 579 691 987 954

Note: Age refers to mid-year age

Patients whose ages are not identified are not included in the above data

9
Table 10: Number of Psychiatric Outpatient Attendances at Hospitals under the
Hospital Authority

no. of attendance
700000

600000

500000 aged 65 or
above
400000
aged 18-64
300000

200000 aged below 18

100000

0
2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 financial year
aged 65 or above 100011 109229 102683 108659 115693

aged 18-64 389051 414824 415284 440725 460746

aged below 18 22039 25060 25456 27363 29496

Note: Age refers to mid-year age

Patients whose ages are not identified are not included in the above data

Table 11: Number of Psychiatric Day Attendances at Hospitals under the Hospital
Authority

no. of attendance

200000

180000

160000

140000
aged 65 or
120000 above
100000
aged 18-64
80000

60000 aged below 18

40000

20000

0
2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 financial year
aged 65 or above 18853 28093 20425 25544 27236
aged 18-64 151041 137716 116689 128693 136338
aged below 18 10870 17520 17515 18986 19913

Note: Age refers to mid-year age

10
(c) Education Services

9. The Working Group has also taken stock of the numbers of students
with disabilities enrolled in special and ordinary schools respectively as well as
the number of students referred from ordinary schools to special schools in the
past few years. The number of students in special schools, the number of
students with disabilities in ordinary schools, as well as the number of students
referred from ordinary schools to special schools from 2001 to 2005 are shown
in Tables 12, 13 and 14 respectively.

Table 12: Number of Students in Special Schools

2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06

Intellectual Disability 5107 5178 5235 5111 5135
Visual Impairment 164 154 164 160 157
Hearing Impairment 427 394 362 332 292
Physical Disability 732 754 762 778 796
Total 6430 6480 6523 6381 6380

Table 13: Number of Students with Disabilities in Ordinary Schools*

2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06

Intellectual Disability 619 722 926 1012 974

Hearing Impairment 715 783 872 902 932
Visual Impairment 110 64 55 69 117
Physical Disability 220 209 200 214 205
Autism 202 318 509 601 662
Speech Impairment # 1109 1159 1133 1356
Total 1866 3205 3721 3931 4246

Note:
* In September 2006, the numbers of students with specific learning difficulties and attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder were 5 960 and 431 respectively.
# data not available

11
Table 14: Number of Students Referred by Ordinary Schools to Special Schools

2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06

Intellectual Disability 95 97 129 11 9 123
Visual Impairment 1 1 1 7 0
Hearing Impairment 8 1 4 1 0
Physical Disability 15 9 13 12 13
Total 11 9 108 147 139 136

(d) Vocational Training and Rehabilitation

10. The Working Group has also reviewed the vocational training and
rehabilitation service provided by the Labour Department (LD), Vocational
Training Council (VTC) and Social Welfare Department (SWD). Table 15
shows that the number of people who successfully secured employment with the
assistance of the LD’s Selective Placement Division increased from 2 007 in
2000 to 2 459 in 2005. Among those who successfully secured employment,
most of them are persons with intellectual disabilities and hearing impairment,
while the employment level for those with visual impairment has persistently
been on the low end.

Table 15: Number of People Securing Job Placement with the Assistance of the Selective
Placement Division of the Labour Department

no. of people

no. of hearing
3000 imparied persons
2 572
2 348 2 442 2 459
2 391
2500 no. of visually
2 007 impaired persons
663 540
2000 646 652 794
57 87 no. of persons
648 90 262 208 72 64 with physical
1500 203 199 disabilities
319 356 352
58 293 277 no. of persons
271 357 with chonic
1000 477 391
229 426 428 diseases
356
350 no. of persons
500 864 with psychiatric
757 745 697
451 580 disabilities
0 no. of persons
with intellectual
year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
disabilities

12
11. Table 16 shows the employment situation of graduates from the VTC’s
skills centres. The number of graduates pursuing full-time education is on a
downward trend while the number of those seeking employment is on a rising
trend.

Table 16: Employment Situation of Graduates from Skills Centres

no. of people

450
390
no. of graduates
400 366 in employment
325 340

350 309
no. of graduates
seeking
300 417 employment
219
222 no. of graduates
250 waiting to report
213
216 for duty
194
200
no. of graduates
165 pursuing full-time
150 education
66
41
37 no. of graduates
100 7 6
38 7 54 not seeking
7 55 56 40 employment
47 3
50 40 3 19
12
36 41 43 32 39
24
0
year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

12. Regarding its vocational rehabilitation services, the SWD has initiated
the process of reengineering some of its resources for sheltered workshops (SW)
and supported employment (SE) since 2005 to provide one-stop vocational
rehabilitation and training for PWDs through integrated vocational rehabilitation
services (IVRS). Overall speaking, as shown in Table 17, the number of places
for the SWD’s vocational rehabilitation services, including SW, SE and IVRS
centres, has increased from 8 275 in 2001 to 9 647 in 2005.

13. Tables 18 and 19 show a rising trend in the number of people waitlisted
for SW and the waiting time involved. The number of people waitlisted for SE
generally remains below 250, whereas the average waiting time is less than 2.5
months.

13
Table 17: Vocational Rehabilitation Services of the Social Welfare Department

no. of places

12,000

integrated vocational
10,000
rehabilitation
services centre
8,000 (IVRSC)

supported
6,000 employment (SE)

4,000
sheltered workshop
2,000 (SW)

0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
year

Table 18: Waiting Time and Number of People Waitlisted for Sheltered Workshop (SW)

no. of people time (month)

2500 14

12
2000
10
1500 8

1000 6

4
500
2

0 0
year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

no. of people waitlisted for SW average waiting time (month)

14
Table 19: Waiting Time and Number of People Waitlisted for Supported Employment
(SE)

no. of people time (month)

300 3

250 2.5

200 2

150 1.5

100 1

50 0.5

0 0
year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

no. of people waitlisted for SE average waiting time (month)

- END -

15