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123
HANDICAPPED PERSONS - GENERAL CLASSES.
The main objectives in promoting the welfare of handicapped persons
are as follows:-
(a) To assist them to overcome the effects of their disability
and to obtain any available general, preventive or
remedial treatment which they appear to require.
(b) To give advice and guidance on personal problems and in
connection with any service, whether provided under any
enactment or rendered by any voluntary organisation,
which appears to be available to them and of which they
wish to take advantage.
(c) To encourage than to take part in the activities of social
centres and clubs, whether provided by the Council or
otherwise.
(d) To use the best endeavours to arrange for voluntary workers
to visit handicapped persons with a view to affording them
comfort and encouragement and assistance in the solution
of domestic and other problems confronting them.
(e) To provide practical assistance in adaptations to the
homes of handicapped persons.
(f) To facilitate the taking of holidays.
(g) To provide facilities and assistance to handicapped
persons travelling to and from their homes to participate
in any of the services.
(h) To take such steps as are practicable in consultation
with the Ministry of Labour to assist a handicapped
person to secure any work in trade, commerce, industry
or a profession for which he appears to be fitted and
which he is desirous of obtaining,
(i) To take such steps as are practicable to assist a
handicapped person who appears to be capable of
benefiting from training under the Education Act, 1944,
or the Disabled Persons (Employment) Acts, 1944 and
1958, and is desirous of taking advantage of such
training.
The Register of Handicapped Persons at 31st December, 1966, showed
a total of 739. During the year, 347 persons were added to the register.
The grouping of disabilities is in accordance with the Medical Research
Council code of diseases and disabilities as used by the Ministry of
Labour. Relevant statistics are produced in Table I (page 124). An
analysis of the disabilities of the newly registered cases is shown in
Table II (page 125).
Notification concerning handicapped persons are received from many
sources and the circumstances of each case are investigated at the
earliest opportunity. 2,715 home visits have been carried out by the
social welfare officers. Arising from these visits, many needs have
been brought to notice resulting in 108 items being supplied such as
stocking aids, bath safety rails, bath boards, bath mats, bath seats,
bread cutting machines, commodes, long handled dust-pans and brushes,
lazy tongs, pick-up sticks, raised toilet seats, long handled shoe
horns, bedside tables, writing frames and folding white sticks for the