MANY people feel awkward or uneasy in the presence of the mentally handicapped, while others even fear them.
This idea is likely to change in the minds of 18 youngsters who were selected as volunteers to visit the Pinehill Village Pre-school Centre of the Hong Kong Association for the Mentally Handicapped.
The visit, organised by Television Broadcasts Limited, aims to bring able and handicapped children closer together.
On their arrival the volunteers, from primary and secondary schools, were shown around the centre and given a briefing on how to communicate with the mentally handicapped.
The hostel, which at present accommodates 24 children, is a weekly residential nursery which aims to develop the potential of mildly and moderately mentally handicapped children between the ages of two and six. The children learn through play.
Mrs Yvonne Mak Chan Yim-fong, the person in charge at the centre, said she hoped the public would gradually learn to understand and accept mentally retarded children by meeting and interacting with them.
The special guests during the visit were Miss Hong Kong 1995 Winnie Young, first runner-up Sofie Rahman, second runner-up Shirley Chau, and TVB Children Festival Ambassador Kwong Man-shun.