The Minister of the Interior, Yu Chen-hsien (
"Mentally and physically disadvantaged individuals can be as talented as any other individual, as long as they are given the opportunity to show off their talents," said Yu at the opening ceremony of the 2003 International Day for the Mentally and Physically Disabled Day activity series.
According to Yu, the UN has designated Dec. 3 every year as International Mentally and Physically Disabled Day. The Ministry of the Interior organized annual activities to encourage the disadvantaged to integrate more with society.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
"This year, the ministry has organized nationwide promotional activities such as sports, arts, a movie series and academic seminars," Yu said.
Yu further pointed out the importance of caring for this rather large group of mentally and physically disadvantaged individuals.
"By the end of June this year, there were about 847,704 individuals who have received mentally and physically disadvantaged pamphlets.
"Among these individuals, 72,516 are mentally disadvantaged, or 8.55 percent of the total disadvantaged population," Yu said.
Yu said that the government has long been caring for the rights and welfare of disadvantaged individuals by passing legal regulations and establishing well-rounded resources and services. According to Yu, the ministry has organized 858 welfare activities for disadvantaged individuals so far this year.
"This year, the ministry emphasizes helping disadvantaged individuals by promoting sign language and translation, subsidizing seminars and awarding outstanding individuals," Yu said.
Various mentally and physically disadvantaged groups performed at the opening ceremony.
The Yu-Chen Foundation's mentally disadvantaged members presented a lion dance while the Light Dance Group's visually disadvantaged members performed an award-winning tap dance.
In addition, hearing-impaired digital-art artists and painters who work with their mouths and feet painted pictures on the spot and presented Yu with their works.
Ko Mei-yu (
"As the Minister has long been an activist in pushing for the rights of the physically and mentally disadvantaged, he is like a Santa giving out precious gifts to those in need," said Lin Jun-fu (林俊福), a former director of Disability-Free Environment Promotional Association.
"We, the government and the public, should work together to provide an equal-opportunity society for disadvantaged individuals.
"We should treat these outstanding individuals as integral members of our community," Yu said.
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