• Introduction
• Disabled Population
• Rehabilitation Services
• Future Trends and Challenges
• International Linkages
• Full Download
• Other Welfare Profile
• 中文版

Introduction

• The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) and the Hong Kong Joint Council for People with Disabilities (the Joint Council, formerly known as the Joint Council for the Physically and Mentally Disabled Hong Kong) have maintained close partnership since 1960s, in representing and coordinating more than 120 rehabilitation agencies and self-help organizations of persons with disabilities or parents. We cooperate with different government departments and statutory bodies in the planning and development of rehabilitation services, and facilitate consultation and communication between the Government and subvented agencies. We also monitor, advocate for and promote the improvement of related policies, legislation and service provisions, with a view to protect the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities.
• The work of rehabilitation means for the overall well being of persons with disabilities. HKCSS and the Joint Council are not only concerned with the policies in social welfare and social security, but also medical care, health, education, vocational training, employment, housing, transport, built environment, information technology, assistive devices, cultural and recreational pursuits, sports and arts, public education as well as legislation, so as to ensure the equality and inclusion of persons with disabilities and achieve the common mission of "equal opportunities and full participation".

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Disabled Population

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Rehabilitation Services

• The rehabilitative welfare services in Hong Kong are mainly provided by around 50 non-governmental agencies and funded by the Social Welfare Department. In 2009-10, the total budget reached HK$3.3 billion. As at December 2008, the numbers of places, service units and persons on waiting list were as follows:

* NA = not applicable

Other service programmes relating to persons with disabilities were:

Apart from the above, the Hong Kong SAR Government has started to provide funding support for about 50 self-help organizations in recent years so as to facilitate people with disabilities to integrate into the society. A $50 million “Hong Kong Paralympians Fund” was also set up with the aims to provide financial assistance to athletes with disabilities for their pursuit of sporting career and excellence in international events, to develop target sports, as well as to offer subsistence grant for athletes with disabilities and employment facilitating grant for those retired.

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Future Trends and Challenges

Nowadays, the international disability endeavors have proceeded into a new era, which are orientated to building an “inclusive, barrier-free and rights based society” and moved away from the traditional “medical and welfare approach”.

Under the repeated advocacy of global community, the “International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” (Convention) was formally adopted by UN General Assembly in December 2006 and was open for signature by member states in March 2007. The Convention has become legally binding after 20 countries have ratified it and it has entered into force internationally in May 2008. The People’s Republic of China deposited its Instrument of Ratification of the Convention with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 1 August 2008 and became the 33rd ratification of the convention. China including the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Region of China has entered into force on August 31, 2008. As at May 2009, 139 countries have signed the Convention and 57 countries have ratified it.

Compared with other Asia-Pacific countries, Hong Kong has been on the forefront in the provision of rehabilitation policies and services. Yet, there are still rooms for improvement in the quality of life and the social status of our people with disabilities when making reference to the western counterparts. To truly achieve equal opportunities and full participation of the disability community, we have to make special efforts in the following key areas:

• Further development of community support services and exploration of alternative service modes for people with disabilities;
• Equal employment opportunity for people with disabilities in public and private corporate sectors, in particular advocating for the introduction of an employment quota system in Hong Kong;
• Continued improvement in the accessibility of public transport, built environment and IT-related facilities in order to make Hong Kong a truly barrier-free city;
• Full implementation of integrated education so as to make more children with disabilities able to receive education in mainstream schools with necessary support;
• Promotion of arts pursuit in the disability community and adequate support for the training and development of artists with disabilities;
• Substained organization of public education activities in order to establish positive image of people with disabilities, eliminate public misunderstanding and prejudices, and promote social inclusion.

 

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International Linkages

HKCSS and the Joint Council have been affiliated to Rehabilitation International, Asian and Pacific Disability Forum, International Abilympics Federation, Asian Federation of the Mentally Retarded and Workability International. We have also maintained close linkage with UN Social and Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific, International Labour Office, and World Health Organizations.

In future, we will continue to work in partnership with international rehabilitation community and our counterparts in the Asian and Pacific region, including the China Disabled Persons Federation, to strive for greater development of the disability endeavors at large.

 

(June 2009 version)