THE FIFTIES (1955 - I959)
During the first five years, from 1955 to 1959, the main task of the Society was to establish Vocational Training Centres where basic employment in simple assembling work was provided.
Works available at that time included rattan weaving, brush making, broom making and plastic flower assembling Centre.
THE EARLY SIXTIES (1960 - I965)
The early sixties was the period where the work of the Society began to expand. Plans were formulated to establish a Factory for the Blind in Tokwawan and a Centre for the Blind in Shaukiwan. The first Factory for the Blind in Asia was officially opened in March 1963. At the same time, the Hostel for the Blind which was built in association with the Factory, was opened to provide the needed accommodation to young blind workers.
The Rotary Centre for the Blind in Shaukiwan, which was constructed with a generous donation of $100,000 from the Rotary Club of Hong Kong, officially commenced operation in 1965. The Centre housed the first Braille Library in Hong Kong. Other services of the Centre included telephony training.
THE LATE SIXTIES (1966 - I969)
During this period, two new storeys were added to the Rotary Centre for the Blind. An Advanced Training Institute was set up and a variety of courses were conducted, including Piano Tuning, Massage Training, and Telephony. Plans to construct a Combined Home for the Aged Blind and Centre for the Rural Blind began to materialise in 1969 when the Government granted a piece of Land free of charge to the Society, and the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Rotary Club of Kowloon agreed to support the building cost.
THE EARLY SEVENTIES (1970 - 1974)
The early seventies was a period to consolidate the work of the Society and to evaluate the progress made. New direction and services objectives were formulated. A thorough study on the efficiency and on operations of the workshops/factories were conducted respectively by the Productivity Council and Mr. A.T. Roberts, from the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind.
Among many recommendations, it was suggested that the Society should introduce its own placement service geared to an aggressive placement policy and operated by a suitably motivated and trained officer.
It was also a period when the Society publicised the concept of rehabilitation for the visually impaired, in an effort to integrate visually impaired people back to Society. The Rehabilitation & Training Centre was opened in December 1973. With the assistance of Ms Susan McGrath, a rehabilitation consultant from the American Foundation for the Blind, a full curriculum of training courses in orientation & mobility training, communication skills and skills of daily living were provided to the visually impaired. A talking book production studio was also set up to produce talking books for the library.
THE LATE SEVENTIES (1975 - I979)
The late seventies was the period where vocational training opportunities for the visually impaired reached another milestone. The Pokfulam Vocational Training Centre was established in 1978 to provide a variety of industrial training and office reception practice courses.
The Communication Department was established in 1976 in order that more efforts could be concentrated in meeting the information needs of the visually impaired. A second studio was set up and braillists were employed to produce Chinese reference and recreational books.
THE EARLY EIGHTIES (1980 - I984)
The early eighties was a period of active planning and preparation, and launch out of new services. The dream to construct a new multi-services centre for the blind began to materialise in the early eighties. To cater for the needs of the growing low vision population, the first Low Vision Clinic was established with the support from the Government and the Community Chest in 1984.
THE LATE EIGHTIES ( 1985 - I989)
The late eighties marked the second milestone of development of the services of the Society to the visually impaired. The new multi-services centre for the visually impaired commenced operation in October 1986. It enabled the Society to provide a full range of services to the visually impaired under one roof. Services provided in the new building and new projects initiated in the period included:
Medical
General Eye and Low Vision Clinic to provide general ophthalmological and optometrical services to the general public and low vision people.
Educational
To improve the efficiency of braille transcription, the Education Department appointed the Society as the operating agency to produce all braille reading materials for the visually impaired in Hong Kong. As such, the Centralized Braille Production Centre was established in October 1986.
A well-equipped talking book library with six studios to produce quality talking books to the visually impaired members was also set up.
The production of an Anglo-Chinese Talking Dictionary of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary and a Braille Dictionary of Continental's Concise English-Chinese Dictionary were completed.
Rehabilitation
New training curriculum was designed for the Rehabilitation & Training Centre. In addition to the centre-based rehabilitation training, a new community-based rehabilitation training programme was launched to enable those visually impaired persons who could not come to our centre to receive training at home.
Residential Service
The first Day Activity Centre cum Hostel for the mentally handicapped and visually impaired was established. A new Home for the Aged Blind also commenced operation with the establishment of the new building.
Employment
A pilot project on Acupressure & Massage was launched in 1989. Since then, acupressure & massage services offered by our graduates were becoming increasingly popular.
I would conclude that the late 80's was a period of rapid expansion, experiment of new projects, and brought into the 90's a wealth of experience and insight.
THE EARLY NINETIES (1990 - 1991)
The early nineties, apart from being a period of continual expansion, service improvement, the Society also reached out to the neighbouring countries, especially China, to share its knowledge and experience in working with the visually impaired, and to assist and promote services to the visually impaired in these countries.
Services Improvement
1. Medical
The number of ophthalmological consultation sessions / ophthalmologists / optometrists and the number of optometric examinations of the General Eye and Low Vision Clinic were increased by 300%. The annual patient attendance for 1995/96 was 30,934.
2. Residential Services
The capacity of the Day Activity Centre cum Hostel for the Visually Impaired was increased from 40 to 50.
New Services
1. Employment Services
The Employment Services was established in 1991. It has been very successful in assisting the visually impaired to locate relevant jobs and providing the necessary job seeking skills. Up to March 1996, we have placed 187 visually impaired job seekers and trained 130 registrants in various vocational skills.
2. Health Massage & Treatment Centre
The Health Massage & Treatment Centre was established in April 1992. It provided both employment opportunities for the visually impaired masseurs and the training ground for the massage trainees.
3. Technical & Advisory Services Centre
Established in 1992, the Centre exhibited and provided training in the use of latest technical aids for the visually impaired.
4. Tertiary Level Acupressure & Massage Training Programme
As part of the efforts to promote professionalism and better quality of massage services provided by the visually impaired masseurs, the first tertiary level acupressure & massage training programme was started in 1995 in collaboration with the Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Graduates of the course would be able to obtain diplomas recognised by the Chinese Authority concerned.
5. Jockey Club Tuen Mun Home for the Aged Blind
The plan to construct a new Home for the Aged Blind first initiated in the early 90's. With the generous support from the Hong Kong Government and the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Jockey Club Tuen Mun Home for the Aged Blind has commenced operation in January 1996. It is, for the time being, the largest Home for the Aged Blind in Hong Kong, accommodating 252 aged blind persons with different level of caring needs.
Cooperation with Other Organisations
The 90's is the period where the Society actively reach out to service organisations in the region, and to offer mutual cooperation, sharing opportunities and assistance where applicable. A few of the more important projects worthy of mention include:
1. Prevention of Blindness Programmes in China
Between 1989 and 1990, the Society has successfully assisted the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) in soliciting HK$1.8 million to subsidise needy patients to undergo cataract surgery. Altogether 8,776 patients had their vision restored.
2. Training of Rehabilitation Workers in China
Between 1991 and 1993, four National Rehabilitation & Low Vision Training courses for rehabilitation workers working with the visually impaired were conducted for CDPF in China. These training courses provided opportunities for us to share with our China counterparts our experience and techniques in rehabilitation training and low vision services.
3. Sight Restoration Campaign
A Sight Restoration Campaign was launched in 1994 in collaboration with the Lions Club of Happy Valley, and as a result, HK$5.8 millions was raised. The Campaign aimed to conduct prevention of blindness programme in Hong Kong and the Asian Region, and to assist in prevention of blindness, educational, rehabilitation and vocational training programmes in China.
One of the outstanding eye care projects launched was the "Sight Restoration In Action" in 1994. The Project was jointly organised with the Guangzhou Municipal Disabled Persons' Federation, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Mid-America Eye Tissue Bank. A total of 25 patients had received corneal transplant in Hong Kong and Guangzhou; 35 cataract patients had their eye sight restored in both places, and over 1,000 patients who suffered from severe myopia had their eye sight being checked by the ophthalmologists, and appropriate follow-up treatments were given where necessary.
4. Modernisation of the China Braille Production Agency (CBPA)
CBPA is the main agency in China to transcribe all kinds of braille books for the 8.7 million visually impaired people in China. In 1995, the Society was able to assist the CBPA to solicit a grant totalling HK$ 4 million from EZE & CBM, Germany to modernise its computerised braille production equipment. The project was completed in early 1996. The braille production capacity of the agency was increased by 200%.
5. Mobile Eye Treatment Centre in China
In China there are about 8.7 million visually impaired persons, of which about 4 million are cataract patients whose vision can be restored with a simple surgery. Most of these patients, however, are living in far and remote areas where medical facilities are absent. To tackle this problem, the Mobile Eye Treatment Centre "Sight Care No. I " was constructed, thanks to Mr. Y. C. Ho, who generously donated HK$3 Million for this project. The Mobile Eye Treatment Centre is a self-contained cataract surgery unit equipped with a medical consultation room furnished with the necessary medical consultation facilities, an operating theatre completed with the necessary surgical instruments and equipment, a patient resting area, toilet facility, and stand alone electricity generator. The centre is designed to operate in areas where minimal utility supply and medical facilities are available. This project was commenced test operation in December 1995 in the Province of Guangdong. Four Hong Kong ophthalmologists in conjunction with the local eye doctors, voluntarily performed 201 nos. of cataract surgeries for patients from five poor areas in the province. In late January 1996, the Centre was driven to Shaanxi Province, where it will stay there permanently and serve the cataract patients of the Province.
I would like to take this opportunity to express our most grateful thanks to the four volunteer Hong Kong ophthalmologists led by Dr. Leung Kam Wah for their time and efforts in restoring the eye sight of so many cataract patients in Guangdong Province.
6. Setting up of Eye Banks
The Society, in conjunction with the Sight Restoration Campaign, has set up an Eye Bank at the Guangzhou Municipal No. 1 Hospital. An Eye Bank from America has agreed to send two corneas per month to the Hospital for the first year, and the Sight Restoration Campaign helps fund the purchase of the necessary medical and surgical equipment for cornea transplant and give advice in setting up the medical standard and the administration of the Eye Bank. The project has commenced operation in April 1996.
VENTURING INTO THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY
The Society has seen continuous service expansion and improvement in each of the period since its establishment from the 50's, so as to meet the needs of the visually impaired. During these years, the Society has evolved from an employment providing agency in the 50's to comprehensive services provider to the visually impaired in the late 80's, and is able to reach out to the neighbouring countries, especially China, to share the knowledge and experience gained during the past 40 years. Looking ahead into the twenty-first century, we have the following plans:
Consolidation and Improvement of Existing Service
At present, the Multi-Service Centre for the Visually Impaired at Nam Cheong Street, due to the service improvement and new service units made in the early nineties, has become very overcrowded. Plans are underway to construct a new Rehabilitation and Eye Centre just adjacent to the existing Multi-Service Centre. The new Centre is expected to be completed in 1998. Services provided at the new Centre include: i) An expanded General Eye and Low Vision Clinic (GELVC) with day Hospital and the related operating theatre facilities, ii) the Rehabilitation & Training Centre (RTC), iii) Employment Services, iv) Technical and Advisory Services Centre, v) Work Possibility Centre, vi) an expanded Acupressure and Massage Training Centre and vii) Health Massage & Treatment Centre.
Development of Comprehensive Prevention of Blindness Programmes both in Hong Kong and in China
1. Hong Kong
With the establishment of the new Eye Centre, a more comprehensive prevention of blindness programme would be conducted. It is planned that the surplus generated from the operation of the Eye Clinic would be used to organise prevention of blindness programmes in the following areas:
1.1 Community Education - including exhibitions and seminars, printing of educational handbooks, etc.
1.2 Free vision screening - provided to the elderly and other needy target groups;
1.3 Free prescription of low vision aids to needy low vision patients;
1.4 Eye surgery subsidy to patients with proven financial difficulties;
1.5 Subsidised eye examination for primary one school children with defective vision; and
1.6 Subsidised ophthalmological consultation and optometric services to recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance.
The annual expenses of the above programmes amounts to HK two million dollars (1996 prices). The fee charging scale of the new Eye Centre will be slightly higher than the Government's clinics, but much less than the private ophthalmologists, while providing quality services compatible to ophthalmologists in private practice. With fees charges being affordable by most of the middle-lower income classes, and subsidy provided to the needy patients, we hope that cataract patients and other eye disease patients can have treatment at the earliest possible time. It is our dream that i) citizens in Hong Kong with curable blinding eye diseases can receive treatment as early as possible, irrespective of their financial situation and status and ii) Hong Kong can become one of the cities with the best knowledge and skills in the area of prevention of blindness.
2. China
2.1 Cataract Surgery to Patients living in Remote Area
If proven to be successful, it is our plan to establish similar Mobile Eye Treatment Centres in those Provinces in China where medical facilities are not available. Ophthalmologists from Hong Kong will visit China and perform cataract surgery with their China counterpart on a regular basis. It is hoped that through this joint venture, the knowledge, skills and experience of the Hong Kong ophthalmologists can be shared with the Chinese partners.
2.2 Setting up of Eye Banks
With the successful experience in Guangzhou, it is planned to set up eye banks in other provinces of China, and to establish an eye bank network system so that information on availability of cornea can be readily accessible to all eye banks in China.
2.3 Promotion of Prevention of Blindness Programmes in China
Copies of materials printed for the prevention of blindness programmes in Hong Kong will also be distributed to the relevant organisations in China for promotion of prevention of blindness programmes.
3. Regional Centre on Prevention of Blindness
The New Eye Centre is equipped with the necessary small conference and seminar facilities. It is planned that regular exchange forums would be held to share programmes on prevention of blindness with personnel in the region. It is hoped that the Centre will eventually become a regional centre on research and development of programmes on the prevention of blindness.
4. Regional Centre on Acupressure & Massage Training & Research
The Society has conducted the first Tertiary Level Massage Training course in 1995, in cooperation with the Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine . Plans are being made to conduct regular Intermediate and Tertiary Level Massage Training Courses in Hong Kong, with the assistance from both locally trained teachers and those from the Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Interested parties from the region will be invited to study in the courses. It is also planned that professors and researchers in acupressure and massage from China and the region will be invited to conduct special training courses and research on special topics relevant to the practice of acupressure and massage training. It is hoped that a regional centre on Acupressure and Massage can be developed.
5. Regional Employment Training and Placement Centre
The establishment of the New Rehabilitation and Eye Centre, the two employment and vocational training services, namely, the Technical and Advisory Services Centre (TASC) and the Employment Services (ES) will be expanded. One new service, the Work Possibility Centre (WPS), will be added. It is expected that visually impaired people can receive the needed training in the use of advanced technical aids such as computers at the TASC, the ES will assist clients in locating suitable jobs and then the WPS will design, especially for clients, the necessary equipment and aids needed for the job. With experience gained in successfully helping the visually impaired in open employment, it is expected that the Centre will become one of the regional institutes for employment training and job placement.
CONCLUSION
The Services provided by the Society reached a new mile-stone in 1986, with the establishment of the multi-service centre for the blind.
The second major mile-stone is in the mid 90's, when the Jockey Club Tuen Mun Home for the Aged Blind is in operation where residential services provided to the aged visually impaired residents will reach a new standard. We are expecting that the third mile-stone of the Society's development will come forth with the establishment of the New Rehabilitation & Eye Centre, where new regional centres on prevention of blindness, acupressure and massage training and vocational training and employment for the visually impaired would be set up.
The twenty-first century will also be a period of regional cooperation. It is hoped that Hong Kong will take the initiative to implement prevention of blindness programmes in China and the neighbouring countries, so that the opportunities for the visually impaired in the region can be further expanded.
The success of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind over the past fifty-two years attributes to the dedication and commitment of all our Council Chairmen and the former Chief Executives. We are indebted to the active contribution of all our Council Chairmen in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, namely: The Hon C.E. Terry, CBE, Mr A. de O. Sales, OBE JP, Mr K L Stumpf, OBE, Mr M K Tan, Mr Fred J Young, Mr Tom McDonough and our present Council Chairman Mr Clive Oxley, OBE, ED from 1985 to present, and also, the conscientious efforts of the Secretary-Generals in the 1960s and 70s, namely Mrs V J McCosh and Mrs R Ivison, the Director, Mr K L Stumpf, CBE, JP in the 1970s and 1980s, and our former Chief Executive, Mrs Grace Y M Chan, JP from 1987 to 2007, for their outstanding achievements and persistent drive to launch new services to meet with the diversified needs of the visually impaired.
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