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The Social Welfare Department (SWD) will be inviting employers of people with disabilities to submit the third batch of applications for the Support Programme for Employees with Disabilities (SPED) next Monday (December 16).
To support the employment of people with disabilities, the SWD launched the SPED in June to provide employers with a one-off subsidy of up to $20,000 for each employee with disabilities for the procurement of assistive devices and/or workplace modifications. The SPED aims to assist employees with disabilities in discharging their duties in the workplace and to enhance their work efficiency.
A wide range of assistive devices and workplace modifications which cater to the special needs of employees with disabilities in the workplace will be considered, such as computer accessories or adaptive equipment, optical magnifying devices, hearing and assistive devices, Braille products, handrails and more.
The SWD has commissioned the Po Leung Kuk to serve as the SPED Administrator. The Po Leung Kuk will assist in administering and promoting the SPED, provide advisory services and follow up on the progress of the subsidised programmes, prepare assessment on applications and make recommendations to the Committee on the SPED set up by SWD for consideration.
Employers may apply for subsidy under the SPED through nomination of the following referring organisations:
(a) non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating SWD-subvented vocational rehabilitation services;
(b) NGOs running training courses for persons with disabilities or persons recovering from work injuries with the funding support of the Employees Retraining Board;
(c) the Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department;
(d) the Vocational Training Council; or
(e) the SPED Administrator (Po Leung Kuk).
The deadline for the third batch of applications is January 24, 2014. Employers may submit their completed application forms together with the required documents by mail or by hand to the SWD through the referring organisations. No application fee is required and each applicant may submit more than one application.
For enquiries, please contact the Po Leung Kuk SPED Office by phone at 3980 9677, by email at sped@poleungkuk.org.hk or by fax at 3980 9633.
For details, the information note and application form of the SPED, please visit and download from the SWD homepage www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_rehab/sub_listofserv/id_sped/ .
Ends/Friday, December 13, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:03
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