Promoting Self-reliance
Highlights of the Year 2024-2025
Promoting Self-reliance
“Enhancing Employment of People with Disabilities through Small Enterprise” Project
The Project aims to increase employment opportunities for persons with disabilities (PWDs) by directly creating jobs. It provides seed money to eligible organisations to establish small businesses, on the condition that PWDs account for at least 50% of the entire payroll. As at 31 March 2025, more than 140 businesses had been established with the support of the Project, including businesses in cleaning services, food and beverage, eco-tourism, car beauty services, massage services provided by visually impaired persons, retail services, vegetable supply and processing, etc. They created more than 1 400 jobs, including over 1 000 for PWDs.
Support Programme for Employees With Disabilities
The Programme provides employers of PWDs with a one-off subsidy of up to $40,000 for each PWD on their payroll. The subsidy is intended to support the procurement of assistive devices and/or workplace modifications that facilitate the work of employees with disabilities and improve their productivity. As at 31 March 2025, the Programme had granted around $5.5 million to the employers of around 300 PWDs for the procurement of assistive devices and/or workplace modifications.
Central Fund for Personal Computers
The Fund assists eligible PWDs in acquiring computer facilities for self-employment or receiving supported employment service at home. As at 31 March 2025, the Fund had granted a total of about $5.3 million to over 410 applicants.
IT Scheme for People with Visual Impairment
The Scheme supports non-governmental and non-profit making organisations, as well as tertiary institutions providing social or educational services for persons with visual impairment (PVIs), in acquiring advanced Chinese screen readers, Braille displays, and accessories that facilitate PVIs’ access to the Internet. It also subsidises individual PVIs with genuine financial difficulties to purchase such devices for study or employment purposes, thereby encouraging them to continuously engage with information technology and promoting social inclusion. As at 31 March 2025, nine organisational and around 40 individual applications were approved under the Scheme, involving a total subsidy of about $1.4 million.