The Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee (RAC) are pleased to jointly present this dedicated website on the employment of persons with disabilities, which seeks to serve as an one-stop information platform for employers, persons with disabilities and other people interested in procuring the goods and services of persons with disabilities.

The website is a significant step in taking forward the two strategic directions set out in the 2007 Rehabilitation Programme Plan (RPP) as endorsed by the RAC for the future development of the rehabilitation services in Hong Kong. These strategic directions are:

(1) To promote tripartite partnership among the business sector, social services sector and the Government;

(2) To empower persons with disabilities and their families to become valuable assets of the community.

The project is also in line with the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which entered into force for the People’s Republic of China, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, on 31 August 2008. The Convention aims to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. The Convention recognises the right of persons with disabilities to gain a living by work freely chosen or accepted in a labour market and work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities do have abilities and talents that they could contribute to our society. In recent years, more and more businesses realise the benefits of adopting an open attitude in employing persons with disabilities. We wish to see more cross-sectoral collaboration to enhance the idea of inclusiveness in the community through open employment of persons with disabilities. We hope that the pool of information provided in this website would:

• facilitate employers to recruit more persons with disabilities;
• help job seekers with disabilities in their job search and enhancement of their job skills and employability;
• encourage non-government organisations to develop more social enterprises; and
• promote wider use of services and products of persons with disabilities by the general public.

We hope that you will find this website useful and informative. Your valuable suggestion for enhancement would be most welcome. Together we can consolidate all available resources in the community to build a harmonious, inclusive and caring society for all.