Hong Kong's disabled continue to face an uphill task in gaining public acceptance and getting assimilated into the workforce, and this more than a decade after laws were introduced against disability discrimination.
The Disability Discrimination Ordinance was enacted in 1995, but Hong Kong has made little headway since in raising public awareness of the ability and work potential of disabled people, according to Candice Lam Hou-heung, deputy chief executive of the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation.
Ms Lam said some employers, including small and medium-sized firms, were showing a willingness to hire disabled people, but the actual increase in recruitment numbers had been only marginal. There was still a stigma attached to disabled workers, and these people continued to have a hard time being accepted by their co-workers, she said.
'The public attitude is changing, but very slowly,' Ms Lam said. 'The basic problem is a general lack of confidence in disabled workers in the workplace.
'The attitude of the public as customers is also very important because it affects an employer's willingness to hire disabled staff. Disabled workers with a good education and professional qualifications have told us they have a stigma to overcome in the workplace.
'So having anti-discrimination legislation is not enough. There are still walls to break down in the community and the workplace. For genuine, long-term change in attitude across the community, there must be comprehensive public education.
