Highlights of the Year 2019-20

“Enhancing Employment of People with Disabilities through Small Enterprise” Project
The “Enhancing Employment of People with Disabilities through Small Enterprise” Project (3E Project) aims at enhancing the employment of persons with disabilities through direct creation of jobs, thereby increasing their employment opportunities. It provides seed money to NGOs to create small businesses with the condition of employing no less than 50% of persons with disabilities in the total number of persons on the pay-roll. As at 31 March 2020, 125 businesses such as cleaning services, food and beverage, eco-tourism, car beauty services, massage services provided by visually impaired persons, retail shops, vegetable supply and processing, etc. were set up through the support of the 3E Project, creating 1 288 employment opportunities, including 907 for persons with disabilities. The breakdown is shown in the chart below:

The Breakdown of Businesses Set Up under the 3E Project

Marketing Consultancy Office (Rehabilitation)
The objective of the Marketing Consultancy Office (Rehabilitation) [MCO(R)] is to enhance employment and training opportunities for persons with disabilities through innovative, effective and efficient business development and marketing approaches. Services of the MCO(R) include assisting NGOs in the setting up of social enterprises and small businesses under the 3E Project, promoting the products and services provided by persons with disabilities through the brand of “Let Them Shine” and strengthening NGOs’ cooperation with the Government and private sectors.

Support Programme for Employees with Disabilities
The Support Programme for Employees with Disabilities was launched in June 2013. It provides subsidies to employers of persons with disabilities for procurement of assistive devices and/or workplace modifications to facilitate the work of employees with disabilities and to enhance their work efficiency. Employers may apply for a one-off subsidy of up to $20,000 for each employee with disabilities. With a view to enhancing the support to the employees with disabilities and their employers, enhancement measures have been introduced since March 2020 after a comprehensive review of the Support Programme for Employees with Disabilities, and the maximum level of support has been raised from $20,000 to $40,000 per employee with disabilities.

Central Fund for Personal Computers
The Central Fund for Personal Computers was set up in 1997 to assist eligible persons with disabilities in acquiring computer facilities for self-employment or receiving supported employment at home. As at 31 March 2020, the Fund granted a total of $4.76 million to 374 applicants.

Jockey Club IT Scheme for People with Visual Impairment
The Jockey Club IT Scheme for People with Visual Impairment was set up under the auspices of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust in October 2005. The Scheme aims at supporting organisations to acquire high-performance Chinese screen readers and Braille displays for installation at communal access points to facilitate the access of persons with visual impairment (PVI) to IT, and to subsidise individual PVIs with genuine financial difficulty to acquire these computer assistive devices for the purpose of studies or employment. The Scheme has been further enhanced since October 2015, including expansion of subsidy coverage to purchase accessories/portable devices for PVIs. As at 31 March 2020, 60 organisational applications and 188 individual applications were supported, involving $7.11 million of subsidy.