Disability/Education

Overview & Synopsis

The special education sector appears to suffer from low remuneration compared to those in the mainstream education sector.

Knowledge Gaps

SPED teachers appear to face a high turnover - but need actual data on turnover vs. mainstream schools

Key Statistics & Figures

Prevalence rate

2.1% of the student population has disabilities, based on the number of reported cases of students with sensory impairment, physical impairment, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. The total student population is put at approximately 460,000

There are 31,000 students with special needs (80% mainstream school, 20% SPED) ; 20,000 children with SEN have enrolled in mainstream schools

About 1% of students across publicly-funded universities, polytechnics and ITEs have some form of disability

Theory of Change

The TOC can be articulated this way: If teachers are adequately trained to engage with students with special needs, schools are affordable and accessible, and also create a conducive environment by making accommodations to support their unique needs, then students with social needs will be equipped with skills for work and life. Put a different way, we can also say: In order for PWDs to be ready for work and life, there are 3 key thrusts: 1. Trained Educators, 2. Accessible & Affordable Schools and 3. Social Accomodation and Acceptance.

1. Trained Supply of Educators	→
2. Affordable School & Accessible Infrastructure	→	PWDs are equipped with work skills
3. Social Accommodation & Acceptance	→

Ideal Outcomes

To what extent should educational institutions be segregated or desegregated? (see discussion below)

Areas of Needs

Supply and Training of Educators

• Synopsis: There are certification pathways for educators in SPED and mainstream settings in the area of SEN; however, the issue is whether certifications are adequate, and attracting people to take on this training and career in the first place.
• For mainstream teachers, the compulsory 12-hour module on special needs does not offer in-depth learning, and there is no follow-up subsequently to ensure that teachers know how to manage practically.
• SPED teachers face unattractive salaries and burnout.
• The 500 allied educators hired by MOE are not adequately trained in terms of behavioural management and lack clarity on their roles and expectations vis-a-vis the teachers.

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
Mainstream Teachers NIE Pre-Service Training on Special Needs Features a compulsory 12-hour module on special needs for all beginning teachers Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSN) Scheme Certificate course for mainstream teachers to receive 108 hours of further training in learning disabilities and strategies to support SEN pupils in classroom teaching and learning Comprise 10% of teachers in mainstream primary schools and 20% in secondary schools New and TBC: A professional development roadmap to enhance special educational needs (SEN) training will be introduced in 2020 for all educators in mainstream schools This includes: MOE will launch bite-sized online learning resources in phases from this year provide more professional development opportunities for educators who “play a more specialised role in SEN support”, including allied educators in learning and behavioural support, teachers trained in special needs, as well as the school’s management team	[Anecdote: Teacher training in the area of special needs do not emphasise practical learning and hands-on experience needed to manage a class of students with disabilities.] NIE Pre-service Training Does not offer depth of learning, particularly the practical learning and hands-on experience needed to prepare teachers to manage a class with students with disabilities [Anecdotal: "The lesson is really only 4-6 hours, across 1-2 lessons"] TSN Scheme [any gaps?] Professional Development Roadmap [any possible concerns?]	TSNs in St. Anthony's Canossian Secondary School developed an in-house training module
Allied Educators Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support) Provides support to students to meet their needs and behavioural challenges All 190 primary schools and 69 secondary schools (40% of the total number of secondary schools) have at least one AED(LBS) Currently around 500 AED(LBS), set to rise [Need outcome information as to whether AED(LBS):SEN student ratio is sufficient]	High turnover of Allied Educators [What is the actual data?] Due to unclear job scope, low remuneration and lack of career progression, as well as perceived lower work status relative to MOE teachers Lack of adequate training in the area of student behavioural management [Are there enough/trained Allied Educators to manage increase intake of students due to Revised Compulsory Education Act?]	For students with disabilities who have experienced trauma, financial stress and who come from broken/dysfunctional families, they require intensive help. In addition to allied professionals, what of family, art and music therapists? Only two SPED schools under Rainbow Centre have art and music therapists
Special Education Teachers Formal Education Certification Ngee Ann Polytechnic Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Intervention (Special Needs)   NIE Diploma in Special Education (DiSE) Advanced Diploma in Special Education (ADiSE) Master of Education (Special Education), support-able by MOE Masters Scholarship SSI-FlindersU Bachelor of Education (Special Education) College of Allied Educators	Low remuneration and occupational prestige, and high course fees deter many from entering the field of special education Entry requirements differ - becoming a SPED teacher does not require a degree Dispute: "Salaries of SPED teachers and MOE teachers are equal at the start, but diverge as MOE teachers have better progression pathways (hence higher pay)" - Social Service Sector Salary Guidelines Dispute: "There are salary adjustments every three years." High turnover of SPED teachers Dispute: What is the actual data? Vs. mainstream schools? [Need statistics] Lack of adequate training in the area of student behavioural management SPED teachers do not have have the same progression opportunities as mainstream teachers [Are there enough/trained SPED Teachers to manage increase intake of students due to Revised Compulsory Education Act?]	Establish provisions for self-care for SPED professionals Establish adequate training in the area of student behavioural management Some professionals enter the field in pursuit of a perceived calling (rather than purely monetary aspects); can they be supported in realising their calling/aims?

Affordable School & Accessible Infrastructure

• Synopsis: The Revised Compulsory Education Act will ensure that most children with special needs aged 6-15 attend school; however there are concerns about its implementation (e.g. affordability of SPED schools, caregiving and transport arrangements, readiness of schools and special needs educators to accept a higher intake).
• Many mainstream preschools are reluctant to take in children with special needs because their facilitaties and teachers are not equipped and there are only a handful of inclusive preschools & ICCPs. While certain private pre-schools are better in quality and accessibility, they may not be affordable to all parents.
• There is a plethora of financial assistance and transport support from SG Enable, but the affordability of education remains a challenge to families more affected by costs involved in schooling a special needs child, especially those with severe conditions.
• The Revised Compulsory Education Act — concerns about implications:
  • Are there enough teachers trained in special needs?
  • Are allied educators being adequately supported?
  • While primary school education is nearly free, SPED schooling can cost more – appears to go against UNCRPD Article 24, which call for “free and compulsory primary education”
  • Increased costs in schooling a special needs child—transporting a child needing a wheelchair to school, to other needs such as speech and occupational therapy, high fees for those with severe conditions 
  • Opportunity costs can be high for children with autism, such as forgoing Applied Behaviour Analysis therapy which would have better equipped children with behavioural and learning capabilities necessary for school in the first place 
  • SPED schools already have long waiting lists. Can they cope?
  • How would this implicate SPED school funding?
  • Will special needs students be assessed at the same level as mainstream students in certain areas?
  • Are there adequate caregiving and transport provisions availed?

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
Preschools Inclusive Pre-schools Integrated Child Care Programme (ICCP)	Lack of affordable pre-school options. Inclusive learning environments pose higher costs which can prohibit those from low/middle-income families. Private operators are costly and limited as well. Kindle Garden raised fees fees from $980 to $1,880 a month for full-day childcare from January 2018 (Median fee for full-day childcare is $867 caa 30 June 2017) Parents report difficulties enrolling children with preschools: Estimated that 70% of EIPIC students do not attend preschool due to severity of their needs and lack of readiness of preschools to take child in Many parents feel their kids inadequately supported by inexperienced staff, an unsuitable curriculum and inadequate school facilities
Mainstream Primary Schools 57 primary schools have barrier-free access, and some have signing and programmes for learning disabilities (see blelow)	Not all mainstream primary schools are fully accessible to all disability types. Few mainstream schools offer facilities for students with sensory impairments (VI/HI).	Recommendations from EM3 that MSF will consider Recommendation 5, Strategic Direction 3 To enhance capability of professional staff in mainstream schools to support students with SEN To implement AT and resources for SEN students
Mainstream Secondary Schools 34 secondary schools have barrier free access, 3 support VI and 3 support HI. Programmes exist for learning disabilities. (see below)	Not all mainstream secondary schools are fully accessible to all disability types	Recommendations from EM3 that MSF will consider Recommendation 5, Strategic Direction 3 To enhance capability of professional staff in mainstream schools to support students with SEN To implement AT and resources for SEN students
Special Education (SPED) Schools Serve students from 7-21 years of age 19 SPED Schools funded by the government as of January 2018 , by APSN, Metta, PCS, MINDS, AWWA, Rainbow Centre, CPAS, ARC, AA, SAMH, Canossian Daughters and SAVH Guided by the SPED Curriculum Framework	Limited number of SPED schools, with long waiting lists up to two years. MOE has said that parents contribute to longer wait lists and waiting times for admission by fixating on a single school Lack of pathways for SPED students to enter/re-enter the mainstream education system, or to access the mainstream curricula (e.g., Physical Education, Home Economics). Some argue that the divergence of the SPED curricula right from the start makes it impractical to re-join the mainstream education format
Tertiary Institutions (Polys/ITEs/JCs/CI/Universities & Lasalle/NAFA) Barrier free accessibility in some Disability Support Offices exist in IHLs	[Knowledge gap: extent of barrier free access; quality of support provided by DSOs]
Financial Subsidies MOE Special Educational Needs Fund (Polys and ITEs only)  Edusave Grants and Edusave Pupils Fund SPED Financial Assistance Scheme NatSteel-SPD Education Programme Transport Subsidies SG Enable Schemes Assistive Technology Fund Public Transport Concession Scheme Taxi Subsidy Scheme VWO Transport Subsidies	[Knowledge gap: Affordability of education] High transport costs Some students with disabilities have physical impairments which make independent utilisation of public transport problematic for them Parent availability to transport students is not always possible, particularly where both parents work Costs still high for lower-income people with disabilities	Increase the means testing of Assistive Technology Fund to cover more persons with disabilities from lower-middle income households

Accessibility of Pre-Schools

Inclusive Preschools

• Kindle Garden by AWWA
• Private service providers include:
  • Bright Path Preschool
  • Melbourne Specialist International School
  • SAIL Playhouse
  • Wee Care @ Tanglin

Integrated Child Care Programme (ICCP)

• Select childcare centres that allow children with mild special needs to learn, play and socialise alongside their mainstream peers
• 14 ICCP Centres caa 18 May 2018

Accessibility of Mainstream Primary Schools

• Deaf/Hearing Impairment
  • Mayflower Primary School (Signing)
• Physical Disabilities
  • 57 primary schools have barrier-free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets)
• Learning Disabilities
  • DAS’ Main Literacy Programme
  • School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) Programme

Accessibility of Mainstream Secondary Schools

• Deaf/Hearing Impairment
  • Beatty Secondary School (Signing)
  • Outram Secondary School (Oral)
  • St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School (Oral)
• Visual Impairment
  • Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School
  • Bedok South Secondary School
  • Dunearn Secondary School
• Physical Disabilities
  • 34 secondary schools have barrier free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets)
• Learning Disabilities
  • DAS’ Main Literacy Programme
  • School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) Programme

Accessibility of Tertiary Educational Institutions / IHLs

• Raffles Institution, ACS(I) and Milliennia Institute have barrier free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets)
• Disability Support Officers @ Special Education Needs (SEN) Support Offices
  • Available at each publicly-funded university, polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College
  • Provides holistic support for students with special educational needs, including in-class learning assistance and access arrangements.
• There are also more than 1,500 polytechnic and ITE staff trained in basic SEN awareness and support. All polytechnic and ITE academic staff will be trained similarly over the next five years.

Financial Subsidies to Access School

• MOE Special Educational Needs Fund (Polys and ITEs only) 
  • Students with less severe physical impairments can claim up to $5,000
  • Students with less severe visual and/or hearing impairments can claim up to $25,000.
  • Students with high-needs (physical / visual / hearing impairments) can claim up to $70,000 (case by case basis).
  • S$675,000 has been disbursed to benefit more than 120 students
  • MOE has announced that this fund will be extended to learning and language difficulties such as dyslexia, or social and behavioural difficulties like Autism Spectrum Disorder with a cap of $5,000
• Edusave Grants and Edusave Pupils Fund
• SPED Financial Assistance Scheme
• NatSteel-SPD Education Programme

Transport Subsidies that can be used to Access School

• VWO Transport Subsidies
• Public Transport Concession Scheme
• Taxi Subsidy Scheme

Social Accommodations & Acceptance

• To meet the unique needs of different students; acceptance by student population and neighbourood
• A handful of specialised mainstream primary and secondary schools have facilities and support for those with sensory, physical and learning disabilities; however, educators in mainstream schools generally lack the ability to engage meaningfully with students with special needs, their students might discriminate or even engage in bullying, and their parents may even resent having a special needs child in proximity
• Tertiary institutions have special education needs units, disability support offices or equivalent, though these services tend to be unstructured and unsystematic

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
Mainstream Primary Schools Deaf/Hearing Impairment Mayflower Primary School Physical Disabilities 57 primary schools have barrier-free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets) Learning Disabilities DAS’ Main Literacy Programme School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) Programme	Not all mainstream primary schools are fully accessible. Few mainstream schools offer facilities for students with sensory impairments (VI/HI). Primary school teachers often feel overwhelmed and ill-prepared to handle too many children with special needs and/or disabilities in a large class. Mainstream educators and students lack understanding of how to engage with people with disabilities without ignorance, pity or aggression  Especially those without prior contact with PWDs or training in special needs
Mainstream Secondary Schools Deaf/Hearing Impairment Beatty Secondary School (Signing) Outram Secondary School (Oral) St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School (Oral) Visual Impairment Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School Bedok South Secondary School Dunearn Secondary School Physical Disabilities 34 secondary schools have barrier free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets) Learning Disabilities DAS’ Main Literacy Programme School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) Programme	Not all mainstream secondary schools are fully accessible to all disability types Mainstream educators and students lack understanding of how to engage with people with disabilities without ignorance, pity or aggression
Shadow Teachers Provides shadow support to a student with special education needs in mainstream school settings (kindergartens and primary, secondary and international schools) Inclusion Therapy
Special Education (SPED) Schools Serve students from 7-21 years of age 19 SPED Schools funded by the government as of January 2018 , by APSN, Metta, PCS, MINDS, AWWA, Rainbow Centre, CPAS, ARC, AA, SAMH, Canossian Daughters and SAVH Guided by the SPED Curriculum Framework	Limited number of SPED schools, with long waiting lists up to two years. MOE has said that parents contribute to longer wait lists and waiting times for admission by fixating on a single school Lack of pathways for SPED students to enter/re-enter the mainstream education system, or to access the mainstream curricula (e.g., Physical Education, Home Economics). Some argue that the divergence of the SPED curricula right from the start makes it impractical to re-join the mainstream education format
Satellite Partnerships Provide opportunities for integration between SPED and mainstream school students (e.g., learn together in mainstream classrooms for selected academic subjects, and co-organising joint activities such as CCAs and camps)  16 SPED schools have been involved as of 2014		MSF is considerning Recommendation 6 of EM3: To enhance opportunities for interaction between mainstream and SPED students in Recommendation 6, with satellite partnerships as a good model
Tertiary Institutions (Polys/ITEs/JCs/CI/Universities & Lasalle/NAFA) Disability Support Officers @ Special Education Needs (SEN) Support Offices Available at each publicly-funded university, polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Provides holistic support for students with special educational needs, including in-class learning assistance and access arrangements. Raffles Institution, ACS(I) and Milliennia Institute have barrier free accessibility (e.g., ramp and lifts for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility, wheelchair accessible toilets) There are also more than 1,500 polytechnic and ITE staff trained in basic SEN awareness and support. All polytechnic and ITE academic staff will be trained similarly over the next five years. Satelite Loan Libraries Allows students to borrow assistive technologies at a library at Temasek Polytechnic, soon to be implemented at Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic too	Disability services in Singapore’s Higher Education sector tend to vary in terms of structure and consistency, and is in need of alignment across IHLs	SMU has been funded by the Enabling Lives Grant on a project to develop guidelines, resources and professional programmes for disability services in higher education in Singapore
ITE's Buddy’IN Co-curricular activity which brings students of different abilities together

PWDs are equipped with work skills

• Vocational training in SPED is structured with a Framework for Vocational Education in place, but it tends to under-emphasise soft skills required for employment, and has not kept up to date with automation and other market developments.
• While SPED graduates typically learn how to be independent, those with developmental disabilities have a harder time retaining ADL skills upon exiting school. Newer living skills are also increasingly pertinent in a digital age, such as digital literacy and cyber-wellness.
• See also: Employment page

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
Special Education (SPED) Schools Serve students from 7-21 years of age 19 SPED Schools funded by the government as of January 2018 , by APSN, Metta, PCS, MINDS, AWWA, Rainbow Centre, CPAS, ARC, AA, SAMH, Canossian Daughters and SAVH Pathlight School is the first local special needs school that has started to teach students how to code Guided by the SPED Curriculum Framework	Level of vocational skill training across SPED schools is uneven "The SPED curriculum over-emphasises the acquisition of hard skills as opposed to soft, employability skills, e.g., attending an interview, anger management, effective communication with co-workers" "The SPED curriculum has not sufficiently incorporated topics on digital media literacy (e.g., Facebook, Whatsapp, cyberwellness) necessary for daily living" Dispute: "Cyberwellness is addressed among the SPED schools, and MOE Special Education Division has been working on this for the past 2 years." "Need to help daily living skills and activities of daily living be retained even after exiting school" "This is more applicable to people with developmental disabilities who are in DACs, to help increase independence and possibly reduce demand for disability homes in the future."	MSF is considering Recommendation 5 of EM3: To place greater focus on life skills in the SPED curriculum Society Staples is working on a digital literacy course for people with developmental disabilities, funded by the LearnSG Seed Fund Cyber Wellness Toolkit for Special Needs Students IMDA is working on a pilot programme, to be introduced in special education schools, for students with disabilities on how to stay safe online
School-to-Work (S2W) Transition Programme Jointly launched by MSF, MOE and SG Enable in 2014 Students with the potential to work are referred by SPED schools to SG Enable, who matches them to job training; students receive on-site job training from job coaches for up to one year after graduation leading to employment EM3 = plans to scale the programme up
Vocational Certification Programmes Metta School Students who successfully complete the programme will receive the Institute of Technical Education Skills Certificate (ISC). APSN Delta Senior School Students who successfully complete the programme will receive the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ). Students who successfully attain the ISC or WSQ may apply for jobs in the open market or attend further advanced training (e.g., at ITEs to pursue the National ITE Certificate (NITEC) as long as they meet course pre-requisites)	Vocational training provided by SPED schools has not kept up with changing job market. Along with automation and digitalisation there is an increasing emphasis on specialist skills such as accounting, graphic design, teaching and administrative work, crowding out simple manual jobs SPD book binding orders and restoration services plunged by about 40% since 2010 Bizlink lost contracts for printing and packing of red packets because businesses are outsourcing jobs to other countries in the region	Review vocational training to ensure that skills and knowledge taught meet the changing needs of the job market