Work rehabilitation in Hong Kong: a recent trend.

“Work” provides people with a means for economic independence. Besides, it enhances the development of identity, social relations and sense of mastery. In Chinese culture, work is regarded as a very important component of life. Hong Kong, as part of China, is a highly commercialized city, and “able to engage in work” is an essence of life of its people. Nevertheless, major initiatives which cater the needs for work of people with disabilities living in Hong Kong only came about a few years ago. Since then, more and more services have been developed to enhance the work potential and outcomes of people with disabilities. These services are geared toward helping the people with disabilities on career exploration, skill training and education, vocational counseling and job placement. This special issue is devoted to a collection of work reported by researchers and practitioners in occupational therapy and rehabilitation specialists. It covers various themes ranging from exploring the theoretical models (Yau and Chan; Leung and Man; and Li and Chan), developing instrumentation (Chow and Chan; and Lo and Li), developing service infra-structure (Chan and Tam), to establishing evidence-based practices on work rehabilitation (Yau and Chan; Leung and Li; and Chan and Man). The themes cover three main clienteles: return to work of injured workers under the workers’ compensation system, work rehabilitation of people with physical disabilities, and vocational rehabilitation of the mentally ill. The outcomes used in most of these papers are on return to work, social inclusion, satisfaction, dignity and respect, optimum health and self sufficiency of persons with disabilities. It is with a view that, through the papers of this special issue, our experience of working with Chinese people with disabilities can be shared with a wider readership. Such an exchange is particularly valuable when the world is working toward globalization for people both with and without disabilities.