Press Release

 

 

Speech by Chief Secretary for Administration

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Following is a speech (English only) by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan, at the Opening Ceremony of the Jockey Club Multi-service Centre for the Blind today (October 12):

Mr Oxley, Mrs Chan, Mr Li, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I have many memories of my previous dealings with the Hong Kong Society for the Blind and great admiration for its work, both in my capacity first as Deputy Director of Social Welfare and subsequently as its Director. So, it gives me double pleasure to officiate at this opening ceremony of the Jockey Club Multi-service Centre for the Blind today which is World Sight Day. This new facility will enable the Hong Kong Society for the Blind to better promote the global initiative "Vision 2020", which aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020.

For the past 44 years, the Hong Kong Society for the Blind has been a major pillar of support for the blind and the visually impaired in Hong Kong. I'll like to mention just a few of its achievements. In 1963, the Factory for the Blind, which was the first one of its kind in Asia at that time, was opened to offer employment opportunities to young blind workers. A hostel for the blind was built in association with the Factory to provide much needed accommodation for the workers. To further promote rehabilitation and offer vocational training opportunities for visually impaired persons, the Society's Pokfulam Vocational Training Centre started operation in 1978. The Centre offers a variety of industrial training and office reception practice courses.

In the recent decade, the Society has actively reached out to neighbouring countries and the Mainland to share its knowledge and experience in working with the visually impaired, and to assist in related services.

The commissioning of the Jockey Club Multi-service Centre for the Blind will enable the Society to provide a wide range of medical, rehabilitation, educational, employment and residential services to the visually impaired all under one roof. It will also allow the Society to experiment with new services. Expansion of the optometric and ophthalmological services will shorten the queue for patients awaiting professional eye care treatment. The Centre will also include a Career Support Development Centre. I understand that this is a pioneer service in Hong Kong, offering tailor-made career development programme to suit the needs of individual visually impaired persons. So, with specific training for a specific job, open employment prospects for the visually impaired should be greatly enhanced.

On behalf of all those who will benefit from this Centre, I thank the Hong Kong Jockey Club for funding its construction. I look forward to seeing more collaboration between non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies in such worthwhile initiatives.

Finally, I commend warmly all those involved with the planning and construction of this splendid new Centre. I know that a great deal of hard work has gone into this project over the past two and a half years but I am sure every one will agree that the end product is well worth the effort.

Thank you very much.

End/Thursday, October 12, 2000

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