Disability Sports

Overview

Summary

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Actionable Opportunity Areas

• Paralympian Raja Singh: Have regular disability sports sessions in all special education schools and organisations for the disabled.
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Knowledge Gaps

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Key Statistics & Figures

Participation Rates

• In 2015, only about one-third of PWDs in Singapore participated in sports on a regular basis (at least once a week). Out of 20 special schools, 17 have included sport as part of their curriculum for student participation and rehabilitation. Sports take-up rate among people with disabilities remains low, though they stand to benefit more than able-bodied people by being active.

Accessibility of Sporting Activities

• Most of the 186 support organisations in Singapore cater for persons with a specific disability and only SDSC offers a range of sports at all levels/ability groups.

Areas of Needs / Desired Outcomes

Access to and Participation in Sports

ActiveSG is promoting disability sports. Various sports have been adapted for them. In Singapore, the range of sports for people with disabilities includes handcyling, swimming, table tennis and boccia, a ball game that can be played by wheelchair-users with motor-skill impairment (ST 27 Sep 2016)

Recreational

Reasons why people with disabilities may shun sports:

• Difficulty in getting transport to the sports facilities.
• Cost of specialised equipment and transporting them.
• Struggles with the basics of daily life that push the thought of exercise into the background.
• Depending on volunteers to help out, such as transferring the person with disability from a normal wheelchair to a racing wheelchair.
• A tendency to withdraw from society and an unwillingness to leave the house for various reasons.
• Logistics. For instance, when a wheelchair racer travels overseas for races, he has to take along a special racing wheelchair, a regular wheelchair for moving around and a commode chair.
• There may also be psychological factors such as confidence, self image issues and a self-perceived inability to do sports.

Disabled people face lack of opportunities to prove themselves - being overprotective over them could limit their exposure, hindering their ability to lead a fulfilling and independent life.

Resources	Gaps	Ideas
“Let’s Play Together”  Online resource guidebook by NCSS and SDSC that offers suggestions for games that include PWDs.
Aquafins Swim School Offers swimming classes and workshops for PwDs and their caregivers.	Prices could be slightly high for families from low income families. One session is about 45 minutes and the price ranges from $20-$30.	Families with low income could try to go for swimming classes by Centre of Expertise for Disability Sports as there will be 30% discount by ActiveSG
Play Inclusive Day Organised by ActiveSg & SportCares Athletes with intellectual disabilities and athletes without special needs competed in  badminton, basketball, floorball, and football.	The games played (badminton, basketball, floorball, and football) do not consist of games that are friendly to people with Muscular Dystrophy.	To include a wide range of sports that cater to PWDs needs
Play-Ability By SportCares & Temasek Foundation Cares Recreational sports programme for PwDs that allows them to enjoy sports in a fun and engaging social setting.
Sports programmes by Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore)  Two main sports - Power Soccer and Boccia - are played.	Ex-intern of MDAS:  “Members of MDAS can only participate in the power soccer programme if they are using a motorised wheelchair, unless there is an extra suitable motorised wheelchair for the member to use”	If funding allows, possible for MDAS to rent motorised wheelchairs during power soccer trainings
Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) Offers classes for various types of sports for PWDs e.g badminton, archery
Centre of Expertise for Disability Sports Setting up of five disability sports centres in Sengkang, Delta, Queenstown, Toa Payoh and Jurong West
Eden Activity Club  Sports programme to provide social integration opportunities for adults with autism who are currently without support services
Sports Camp by Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) For students with and without autism
Rainbow Centre Offers sports as co-curricular activities for students
Runninghour An inclusive running club that promotes integration of persons with special needs through running Have members who are mildly intellectually challenged, physically challenged and visually challenged joining to keep fit and welcomes anyone passionate about running to join as running guides.
Play buddy https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/playbuddy-more-than-just-a-disability-programme

Competitive

• Para-archer Syahidah Alim: Collectively refrain from assuming what PWDs can or cannot do, never mind their condition.