SCHOOLS and other educational institutions would be required to make provisions for disabled students under a code of practice being drafted by the Equal Opportunities Commission.
The comprehensive code, which would be enshrined in a Disability Discrimination Ordinance, would cover all aspects of education, including student selection and enrolment.
It states that students with a disability should be provided with care in ordinary schools, and that schools and examination authorities should provide adequate facilities for the disabled.
It also says that: Students with weak eyesight should be provided with textbooks in big characters and those with hearing problems should be allowed to wear hearing aids during examinations; Disabled students should have access to ordinary schools; Schools without lifts should allow disabled students to study in classrooms on the ground floor. Handrails and special entrances should be added for them; Handicapped students should not be excluded from extracurricular activities.
The code of practice calls for teachers to be trained in how to deal with handicapped students, while students should be taught how to accommodate their disabled classmates.
It will also stipulate what constitutes good practice for equal opportunities at schools. The commission hopes this can provide a model for principals, teachers and students.
The rules are being drafted by the Hong Kong Institute of Education and are expected to become effective by the end of next year, when the consultation exercise will end.