The 2007 Rehabilitation Programme Plan, outlining the development direction of rehabilitation services, is a strategic blueprint on how the community can help the Government build an inclusive society, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Matthew Cheung says.

Speaking at the Joint Council for People with Disabilities' second annual general meeting today, Mr Cheung said the plan recommends two strategic directions: to boost cross-sectoral collaboration in providing diversified services and creating a barrier-free environment for the disabled; and, to enhance social investment to build individual capability of the disabled and their families to enable them to contribute to society.

"Apart from urging the business sector to offer equal employment opportunities for the disabled, we also encourage non-governmental organisations to set up social enterprises to offer them jobs in order for them to serve the community," he said.

As the 2007 Rehabilitation Programme Plan will be conducted soon, the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee is working on an implementation plan to put across the programme's key messages to target sectors. The committee will closely monitor the implementation progress.

"The rapid changes in Hong Kong bring along opportunities and challenges. It is encouraging to see public acceptance of the disabled has improved significantly over the past few decades. There are more opportunities for them to participate in community activities, their rights upheld and a barrier-free environment created. Looking ahead, it is imperative for us to keep up our effort in fostering collaboration in the implementation of the blueprint set out in the new programme," Mr Cheung said.