Disability/Social Inclusion
To change anything in this page, feel free to contribute directly or to propose revisions and amendments, or go to this Google Doc: Section 6 Social Life & Community Inclusion
Contents
Overview
Summary
- [to insert]
- [to insert]
Knowledge Gaps
- [to insert]
- [to insert]
Actionable Opportunity Areas
- [to insert]
- [to insert]
Key Statistics & Figures
Definition of Social Inclusion
- Many different possibilities and no consensus on what 'Social Inclusion' should mean: "Even within specific contexts (e.g. education, work, community), 'inclusion' is still a concept that means too many different things. For example, there is considerable heterogeneity within which 'inclusion' is interpreted and implemented in discussions about education. Inclusion can refer to learning together in one school, but it can also mean that everyone has a good education that meets their own needs, leading scholars like Williams (2013) to conclude that 'inclusion' is a problematic and shifting concept. In a commentary, a prominent scholar wrote that inclusion was "virtually meaningless, a catchword used to give a patina of legitimacy to whatever program people are trying to sell or defend" (Kauffman, 1999, p. 246) It is therefore no surprise that the way organisations address the agenda for inclusion often represents a superficial interpretation of this concept rather than being a true application of what is meant (Hyder & Tissor, 2013). Therefore, the concept of inclusion, while seemingly simple, remains highly contentious." (See this excerpt in https://dsq-sds.org/article/view/6099/4819)
- For the purposes of this page, since we have covered education, employment & community in other pages, we will focus here on broader public acceptance, ability to volunteer and contribute back, and other areas of social life like arts, sports and sexuality . [To Do: Discuss with DCN to see if this is acceptable]
- In terms of the desired outcomes for disability as a whole, social inclusion means: having family & peer support, a good education, decent work, participating and contributing back to communal and social life.
Public Acceptance
- 64% of Singaporeans are willing to share public spaces with disabled children, but not interact with them[1]
- According to a Lien Foundation survey in 2016, of the 835 parents of special needs children who were surveyed, four in 10 think their children spend too little time in the community outside of school. Nearly half of those surveyed said their children do not have friends without disabilities.[2]
- See video "Do People With Disabilities Feel Like One of Us? | Can Ask Meh?" on the kind of questions people with disabilities get asked
Theory of Change
| Programmes | Areas of Needs / Desired Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mass Public Education Campaigns | → | Public Acceptance & Understanding | ↘ | |
| Inclusive Volunteering | → | Opportunities to give back | → | Social Inclusion |
| Arts
Sports Sexuality |
→ | Participation in social life
-Arts |
↗ |
Areas of Needs / Desired Outcomes
Public Acceptance
[To Do: put the following in tables, and if too much info, sub-segments as well]
- Desired Outcomes: [is the goal for now the lakc of discirmination, or fully embraced and accepted, or appreciated?]
- Synopsis:
Programmes
Society Staples
A social enterprise that uses mass engagement platforms to educate public about experiences of people with disabilities; provides team building services for corporates: eg experiencing blindness, learning sign language etc.
https://www.societystaples.com.sg
Purple Parade
See the True Me
Buddy'IN, a programme aimed at socially integrating graduating students from special education schools with their peers from institutes of higher learning, through semi-structured social activities and sessions.(ST 17 Jun 2016)
December 3rd, 2017, the International Day of People with Disabilities -AbleThrive is hosting meetups around the world for people with disabilities, their families and allies to come together
Lien Centre for Social Innovation Workshop on Inclusion - Allyship 101
https://lcsi.smu.edu.sg/programmes/changelab/allyship-101
Gaps and Their Causes
For 'See the True Me' there is a question about the reach of these campaigns because many at a forum, many from disability sector have not seen or heard about it
Invisible disabilities (learning disorders, hearing impairment) are less obvious, and therefore the public may not understand their behaviors and support may be less forthcoming (ST 28 May 2016)
Mr Andrew Soh, assistant director at Down Syndrome Association, said public attitudes are less favourable towards people with autism and intellectual impairments, compared with those with physical disabilities, because people fear what they cannot see. "People can't tell how serious their disability is and don't know what to say or how to help them," he said.(ST 3 Jun 2016)
Opportunities to give back to society
SPD Youth Development Programme - Trained and mentored youths with disabilities to enable them to champion social causes and give back to the society.
Participate in Social Life
-Arts