Guide to employing persons with disabilities:

Selection of Department and Position

The employer should look at the jobs for offered to the persons with disabilities with impartiality and consider whether the jobs can be done differently, with a new set of skills or a combination of other sets of skills. The considerations may include job location, working hours, part time versus full time positions, as well as whether the job design and responsibilities can be modified to suit persons with disabilities.

The following are some examples of assistive device/assistance which suit the needs of a particular type of disability:

Type of disability	Assistive device / Assistance
Hearing impairment	Hearing and assistive devices, captioning devices, telephone listening devices, etc. Persons with hearing impairment can concentrate better than normal people, but they may need longer time to familiarise with the operation procedures. The company may provide their staff with sign language training and training on the skills of communicating with persons with hearing impairment.
Visual impairment	Screen magnifier, speech reading software, speech-enabled smart mobile device, etc. Persons with visual impairment have keener senses of touch and hearing, and they generally have better language skills.
Physical disability	Wheelchair ramp, toilet for persons with disabilities, height adjustable desk & chair, etc. It is better to avoid assigning a job which requires frequent movement.
Intellectual disability	Most of the persons with mild intellectual disability can work independently after proper education and training. They are generally competent to perform simple and repetitive tasks. It is better to contact their social worker to discuss and take follow-up action when they are under emotional fluctuation.
Ex- Mental illness	They may need more time to settle in their new jobs and it is better to start from easy tasks. The company may need to make appropriate arrangement for employees who are the ex-mentally ill persons with the need to take medication and attend follow-up consultations.

Remarks:The booklet “Practical Guide to Employing Persons with Disabilities” published by the Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department provides information about the working abilities of persons with disabilities

The Social Welfare Department has launched the Support Programme for Employees with Disabilities (SPED) which provides employers of persons with disabilities with a one-off subsidy in respect of each employee with disabilities for procurement of assistive devices and/or workplace modifications to facilitate employees with disabilities in discharging their duties at the workplace and enhance their work efficiency.

SPED
The SPED Administrator (Po Leung Kuk)

Below are some service providers offering information on assistive aids to employers and persons with disabilities:

Association for Engineering and Medical Volunteer Service (information available in Chinese version only)
The Hong Kong Society for the Blind
Hong Kong Blind Union
The Hong Kong Society for the Deaf
Shine Skills Technical Aids and Resources Centre of the Vocational Training Council Group

The human resources department and immediate supervisor may discuss with the employee with disabilities on the required assistive devices.

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