More people handicapped

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32565, 26 March 1971, Page 10

More people handicapped

Provision had to be made to meet the needs of the rising proportion of handicapped people in the community, the retiring chairman of the Canterbury Sheltered Workshop Association (Miss C. E. Robinson) said at the association’s annual meeting in Christchurch yesterday.

Miss Robinson said that the attitude of the community towards handicapped people was slowly changing. Gradually it was being recognised that the handicapped had as much right to enjoy life as others.

Organisations and groups caring for handicapped persons were also recognising the need for closer co-opera-tion, and, as a result, a clearer pattern of care in social work was emerging, she said.

In his annual report, the association’s director of training (Lieutenant-Colonel R. E. Johnston) said that the placing of trainees from the workshop in suitable employment was a problem. Last year 10 trainees were placed in industry, compared with 16 in the previous year. Several others were given “job trials” but were unsuccessful in gaining full-time employment and returned to the workshop. At the end of last year there were 67 trainees at the workshop, comprising 25 men and 42 women, two more than at the end of 1969. In the industrial department the association gained regular contracts requiring varying degrees of skill. The diversification of work undertaken in one month ranged from assembling sample wool cards to welding and shaping plastic shoulder bags. Colonel Johnston said that I much handcraft and weaving iwas done, including the mak-

ing of leather goods such as purses and handbags and canework. At an open day held in November last year $287 was raised from the sale of handcraft. The purely material side of the workshop, was, however, not everything, he said. Teachers gave lessons in general education, including reading, writing, handling of money, painting and drawing. There were also cookery lessons, and dancing and singing classes. Plans for the proposed new workshop to be built at Riccarton on, property next to the Disabled Re-establish-ment. League, were progressing slowly. A joint planning committee, consisting of representatives from the Crippled Children Society, the In-

tellectually Handicapped Children’s Society and the Sheltered Workshop Association, had met several times to discuss co-operation. A proposal to establish a trust between the Intellectually Handicapped Children’s Society and the Sheltered Workshop Association was being studied. Officers elected were:— Patron, Mr A. R. Guthrey; chairman, Mr H. N. Harvey; vice-presidents, Miss C. E. Robinson, Messrs M. A. Connelly, D. W. Lyall, A. B. Allen, A. H. Marker, R. O. Sinclair; committee, Captain P. Buck, Dr J. A. Kirk, Dr I. D. Blair, Messrs A. S. Farrar; L.' T. Jones, C. Sisson, N. C. Clapp, A. E. Beck, D. B. Rich, Mrs H. C. Brown, Miss L. M. Scott.