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The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, went to Heep Hong Society Mary Wong Centre in Ngau Tau Kok this afternoon (August 30) to visit pre-school children with disabilities and meet with representatives of Heep Hong Parents' Association.
During the visit, Mrs Lam saw for herself rehabilitation training for children with disabilities and exchanged views with parent representatives to better understand their needs and related concerns, including the education arrangements for children with special needs and the integration, quality, waiting time and charges of rehabilitation services for pre-school children with disabilities, as well as supportive services for certain groups (such as children with autistic spectrum disorder).
Mrs Lam said, "The parents I met today are dedicated to taking good care of their children, who have physical or psychological special needs, day after day. Their wholehearted devotion to their children truly deserves our appreciation and respect. To enable these children to realise their potential and vitality, the Government will do its best to provide ancillary services and consider different service models with a new mindset. The re-established Commission on Poverty will undertake an overall review of relevant policies for helping people with disabilities, especially those with a disadvantaged background like children with disabilities from low-income families, in a more efficient, systematic and well-planned manner. Regarding the needs of persons with disabilities, the Chief Executive has also proposed in his election manifesto that we should study and implement strategies and measures to shorten the waiting time for daytime training and residential services.
"The Preparatory Task Force on the Commission on Poverty conducted eight visits to 11 service units in these two months. The visit today is the last of the series at this stage. During the visits, we have had the chance to meet many underprivileged people from different backgrounds to get a better understanding of their plights. They included persons with disabilities and their family members, the elderly and their caregivers, grass-roots citizens, single-parent families and ethnic minorities. Apart from conducting in-depth empirical studies, the re-established Commission on Poverty will also examine the aspirations of the grass roots to ensure that our work on alleviating poverty can genuinely assist the groups in need."
Heep Hong Parents' Association of Heep Hong Society was established in 2001. The members are the parents of students or graduates of Heep Hong Society's centres. Its missions include strengthening parents' knowledge in rehabilitation services, promoting public understanding and support towards children with special needs in learning and development, and advocating welfare and rights for these children through reflecting views on relevant policies to the Government.
Member of the Preparatory Task Force on the Commission on Poverty Mr Law Chi-kwong also joined today's visit.
Ends/Thursday, August 30, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:12
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