Section B: Estate Management and Rent Policy Chapter 18: Services for People with a Disability Allocation and Conversion In allocating public housing flats, the Housing Department (HD) will take into consideration the need of persons with disabilities or chronic diseases and provide them with appropriate ancillary facilities. For the convenience of wheelchair-bound persons, HD will offer them flats on floors accessible by lifts, and widen the doorway and provide a ramp for them as far as practicable. If a flat has to be converted to cater for the needs of individual disabled persons, HD will undertake the full cost incurred. Conversion works include installation of grab rails in the bathroom and raising the floor slab of the balcony to make it level with that of the living room, etc.       Transfer In cases where conversion to an existing flat is not feasible due to physical constraints, a disabled person may apply for transfer to a flat in the same or another estate together with his/her family. HD will consider such applications on individual merits and make appropriate arrangements.       50% Concessionary Discount on Monthly and Hourly Parking Fees Drivers with a disability living or working in public housing estates may enjoy a 50% concessionary discount on monthly and hourly parking fees at car parks of the Housing Authority if they are holders of the Disabled Person's Parking Permit issued by the Transport Department.       Flashing-light Doorbells When necessary, hearing-impaired persons may apply to HD for the free installation of a flashing-light doorbell for their ease of answering the door.       Service Dog Keeping of dogs inside leased premises without the prior written consent of the Landlord is prohibited. Normally, for the keeping of service dogs by tenants with visual or audio disabilities, the Landlord will consider giving conditional permission.       In-flat Repair Works In case of the need to carry out repairs to in-flat items that should be handled by tenants on their own, households with disabled family members may approach HD for the arrangement of such repair works at their own cost. Estate Improvement Works Public housing estates are designed to provide, as far as possible, a barrier-free living environment to disabled persons, including the visually impaired, to facilitate their use of estate facilities and access to and within the estates. HD will carry out various improvement works in completed estates as planned for the provision of ramps, grab rails, tactile guide paths and warning strips, tactile markings and Braille letters on call buttons inside lift cars and on G/F door-phone and combination lock panels of domestic blocks as well as for the enhancement of illumination level at specific locations in the estates.  Upon the request of individual visually-impaired residents, HD will provide Braille-type flat numbers on their letter boxes without charge. HD will continue to explore the feasibility of carrying out improvement works in other old estates.   Assistance Provided in Case of Emergency Households having family members with disabilities/chronic diseases or in need of special care, such as those who are mobility handicapped (wheelchair-bound), visually impaired or hearing impaired, those who need to undergo renal dialysis at home or need the aid of oxygen breathing apparatus and those implanted with a cardiac pacemaker, may provide their emergency telephone contacts and other relevant information to the staff of the estate offices by telephone or in person.  To address the special needs or requests of individual households, the staff of the estate offices will provide suitable assistance to them as far as possible, e.g. to inform the households direct in case of emergencies such as fire, theft, bursting of pipes and suspension of water or electricity supply. Others Households having family members with disabilities or chronic diseases may approach the Social Welfare Department direct or through the respective estate offices for other support services such as home help, rehabilitation and counselling services.

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