Status+of+Disabilities+Under+Hong+Kong+Law

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=Status of Disabilities Under Hong Kong Law= = =

//__A disability can:__//

 * Be either physical, mental or sensory
 * Be caused by the presence of organisms, virus's, by addicents, or even by unknown causes
 * Be noticeable, or else exist only inside one's body
 * Affect the physical movement, through processes, perception of reality, emotion, or judgment etc
 * Be curable or non-curable

Three main types of disabilities are those of mental illnesses, mental disorders, and intellectual disabilities. There are also other forms of disabilities, which include hearing impairments, visual impairments, autism, chronic illness's, AIDS, and also learning disabilities. =__Mental Illness__=

According to the [|Disability Discrimination Ordinance] (DDO), in Hong Kong, a person with a mental illness refers to anyone who has a disorder, disease or illness, which effects their thought process, emotions, perception of reality of lack of judgment, which could result in disturbed behavior. Under the DDO, people with an ex-mental illness, as in they were previously effected, but are not anymore, by a mental illness, are also protected under the DDO in the same ways that people with other types of present disabilities are (as in they are still currently effected by the illness or disability). =__Mental Disorder__=

Under the [|Mental Health Ordinance - Chapter 136], a mental disorder is defined as:

(a) mental illness;

(b) a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which amounts to a significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning which is associated with abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct on the part of the person concerned;

(c) [|psychopathic disorder]; or

(d) any other disorder or disability of mind which does not amount to a [|mental handicap] (Replaced 81 of 1997 s. 3)

=__Intellectual Disability__= In Hong Kong, an intellectual disability is generally more widely known as a mental handicap, and is defined by the [|Mental Health Ordinance], as a [|sub-average general intellectual functioning,] with deficiencies in adaptive behavior, and the "mentally handicapped" shall be construed accordingly.

=**__The extent to which the state guarantees the rights of people with mental illness, or with intellectual/physical disabilities__**=

The most commonly effective legal ordinance which guarantees the rights of people with mental illness is the Disability Discrimination Ordinance, which can be viewed at http://www.hklii.org/hk/legis/ord/487/s6.html. Some other ordinances, or sections of others, which also guarantee the rights of people with mental illnesses, or those with intellectual/physical disabilities in Hong Kong, include the following:

Disability Discrimination Ordinance Chapter 487 Section 6 Disability Discrimination Ordinance Chapter 487 Section 7 The Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons

=__The Nature and Disadvantage for People in these Groups__=

People with disabilities suffer from many forms of discrimination against them, as well as suffering from harassment and vilification. Some forms of harassment which disabled people in Hong Kong have to face include unwelcome conduct on account of a person's disability, as well as having feelings of being offended, humiliated and/or intimidated. Some forms of vilification which disabled people in Hong Kong have to face include public activity towards person/persons with a disability, which incites hatred, serious contempt or else severe ridicule. Also, people with disabilities regularly have to face victimisation, generally because the victimiser's think of the disabled people as different to themselves, and they feel as if they should point out this difference through prejudice behavior, which includes victimisation.