Rehabilitation services are provided by government departments and NGOs with the objective of integrating people with disabilities into society and helping them to fully develop their capabilities. These services are coordinated by the Commissioner for Rehabilitation on the advice of the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee.

    New and improved services, with an additional allocation of $86 million in recurrent expenditure in 2002–03, were introduced. These services included strengthening the existing five home-based training teams and providing 13 extra teams, extending the support programme for ex-mentally ill persons through the Community Mental Health Link, and extending speech therapy service to children with disabilities. Centre-based speech therapists for the Early Education and Training Centre and district-based speech therapy teams for the integrated programmes in Child Care Centres were also introduced.

Services for Children with Disabilities

At year-end, the NGOs provided 1 704 integrated programme places in ordinary child care centres, 1 314 special child care centre places (including 108 residential places) and 1 732 early education and training centre places for pre-school disabled children. For autistic children, an enhanced training programme with input from clinical psychologists was provided in special child care centres. In addition, there were 96 small group home places for school-age mentally handicapped children requiring residential service.

Services for Adults with Disabilities

The Marketing Consultancy Office (Rehabilitation) assists in the marketing and business development of sheltered workshops and supported employment services. With a view to promoting integration of people with disabilities into society, 1 870 supported employment places were provided in 2002 for those who were able to work in open settings with the necessary counselling and support service. For those who were not yet ready to compete in the open job market, there were 7 527 sheltered workshop places to help develop their work skills. There were 3 808 day activity centre places for severely mentally handicapped persons and 230 training and activity centre places for ex-mentally ill persons to help them become more independent in daily living. Five social clubs for ex-mentally ill persons and 17 social and recreational centres for other groups of people with disabilities were set up to encourage their participation in the community through various kinds of leisure activities.

    As for residential services, in 2002 there were 5 421 hostel and home places, and 223 supported hostel places for people with disabilities who could neither live independently nor be adequately cared for by their families. For aged blind people who were unable to look after themselves adequately, or in need of care and attention, 899 places were provided in homes for the aged blind and in care-and-attention homes. For chronic and ex-mentally ill patients, there were 980 long stay care home places and 1 349 halfway house places.

Professional Back-up and Support Services

Professional back-up services from clinical psychologists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists are provided for people with disabilities in rehabilitation day centres and hostels. Support services such as home-based training and support service for mentally handicapped persons, after-care service for dischargees of halfway houses, domiciliary occupational therapy service, and the community rehabilitation network for persons with a visceral disability or chronic illness are provided in the community. Furthermore, respite service for mentally handicapped persons, occasional child care service for disabled pre-schoolers and six parents resource centres are provided to meet the special needs of families with disabled members.