Disability

An audio description device used on the set of Not In My Lifetime? which allow blind or vision-impaired audience members to fully enjoy the experience of a live theatre performance.

The Disability Community Network

• Page to the Disability Community Network
• Page to our Google Group / Forum.

Definitions and Scope

Persons with disabilities refer to “those whose prospects of securing, retaining places and advancing in education and training institutions, employment and recreation as equal members of the community are substantially reduced as a result of physical, sensory, intellectual and developmental impairments.” Enabling Masterplan, MSF

[Point to note: Lien Centre for Social Innovation adopts this definition in their recent publication titled People with Physical Disabilities in Singapore: Understanding Disabling Factors in Caregiving, Education, Employment and Finances.]

There is no standard definition of disability which is accepted by all stakeholders. For example, NCSS/SSI lists a SSI course on mental illness under disability category, but in practice persons with chronic mental illness are not eligible for disability policies and programmes. This group is also not covered by Public Transport Concession Scheme for Persons with Disabilities, for which only those with "Physical Disability, Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability" qualify.

"But this differs from that of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, because those with mental health impairments - such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders - are left out. When asked about this, the MSF says not all mental illnesses result in disabilities, and with medication and treatment, patients are able to function well on their own." (ST 8 May 2016)

No definite data of the total number of people with disability exists, because no official central registry or comprehensive disability study has been done. According to 2013 data from SG Enable, Singapore has about 100,000 people with disabilities. In view of Singapore’s ageing population, this number will increase by 2030 as more people acquire a disability through the ageing process. According to Singapore’s population index, “the number of elderly citizens will triple to 900,000 by 2030.” Population.sg

In Singapore, those with disabilities are estimated to make up 3 per cent of the population or well over 100,000 people.(ST 27 Sep 2016)

Some disability prevalence rates of Singapore citizens with disabilities are available from the Enabling Masterplan 2017-2021. According to the foreword of the Enabling Masterplan 2017-2021, 2.1% of the student population have disabilities. (Source: Ministry of Education. This is 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). Of the resident population aged 18 – 49 years, 3.4% have disabilities (Source: National Council of Social Service. Based on a random sampling of 2,000 Singapore residents and permanent residents aged 18 and above done by NCSS in 2015, the self-reported disability prevalence rate was 3.4% for those aged 18 – 49 years old. This includes those who acquired disabilities due to accidents and illness.) Of the resident population aged 50 years and above, 13.3% have disabilities (Source: National Council of Social Service. Based on a random sampling of 2,000 Singapore residents and permanent residents aged 18 and above done by NCSS in 2015, the self-reported disability prevalence rate was 13.3% for those aged 50 years and above. This includes those who acquired disabilities due to accidents, illness and older age).

To view and download the Enabling Masterplan 2017-2021, go to the Ministry of Social and Family Development's Disabilities and Special Needs page: (Enabling Masterplan 2017-2021)

Specific Sub-Pages / Client Segments

Page to Adults with Autism

Page to Visual Impairment

Page to Hearing Impairment

Page to Arts and Disability

Page to Intellectual Disability

Page to Aphasia

Desired Outcomes & Objectives

• Click here for ongoing Landscape of Needs and Gaps exercise

Sources

• 2018: Lien Foundation Study on Early Intervention Professionals
• 2017: NVPC Report on Issues Faced By People With Disabilities In Singapore
• 2017: Enabling Masterplan (2017-2021)
• 2016: Lien Foundation’s Inclusive Attitudes Survey of the General Public and Parents of Children with Special Needs
• 2016: DPA’s Achieving Inclusion in Education
• 2016: Singapore's Initial Report to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• 2015: Lien Centre for Social Innovation's People with Physical Disabilities in Singapore: Understanding Disabling Factors in Caregiving, Education, Employment and Finances
• 2011: MOH's Caregiving in Singapore snippet of the National Health Survey 2010

EARLY INTERVENTION

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Timely and effective early intervention

• While EIPIC serves around 3,200 children with mod-severe special needs, waitlists can extend from 6 months to 1 year. Further, early intervention professionals tend to have high turnover and quick burnout, due to unattractive remuneration compared to the private sector.

STATISTICS 7,000 children aged 6 and below have developmental difficulties as of 2015 Between 2010 and 2014, KKH and NUS screenings show a 76% increase in children 6 and below with developmental issues such as development delays, speech and language delays, learning difficulties and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Post-Diagnostic Touchpoints [need information]	For caregivers of children with ASD, touchpoints are poorly equipped in advising parents on where to obtain reliable help during the post-diagnostic phase	Recommendations from EM3 that MSF will consider Recommendation 3, Strategic Direction 1: Improve transition management For newly-diagnosed cases, to set up an agency to provide case referral, care planning and advisory services, and to facilitate smooth handover of information to other agencies Includes developing a standardised case management tool between primary support agency and other service providers Recommendation 4, Strategic Direction 4: Enhance network of touchpoints to ensure timely and effective detection of developmental needs To make information and training more available to touchpoints (e.g., family, hospitals, polyclinics, family medicine practitioners, community partners) such as using electronic platforms, training primary care practitioners
Development Support (DS) & Learning Support (LS) For pre-school children with mild developmental needs [total number of such children?] Support and intervention in areas such as speech and language, social skills, motor skills, behaviour and literacy Rolled out to > 300 preschools, > 2,000 children and families, caa December 2015 [outcomes information on how DS/LS has fared?]
Early Intervention Programme for Infants & Children (EIPIC) Therapy and educational support services for children below 6 years with special needs at risk of moderate to severe developmental delays [total number of such children?] 21 EIPIC Centres, caa July 2018 Currently serving about 2,600 children, projected to grow to 3,200 places by 2018 Enhanced Pilot for Private Intervention Providers to subsidise selected Private Intervention Centres SPD - Building Bridges @ EIPIC Centres are at Tiong Bahru, Jurong, Tampines & Bedok served a total of 465 children in FY16/17 - 41 graduated, 27 progressing to mainstream primary and the rest to SPED	EIPIC Centres have long waiting lists (up to six months or a year) Early Intervention Professionals face quick burnout, unattractive salaries/benefits relative to the private sector and shortage of manpower	Long waiting lists at EIPIC Centres - (1) If disproportionately high at certain EIPIC Centres, to educate and counsel parents on their choice of centre or (2) scale up vacancies
Community Educational Support Services AWWA Community Integration Service Care Corner Educational Therapy Service Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS) Down Syndrome Association's Children Education Services Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA) [confirmation required] iC2 PrepHouse SHINE Educational Psychology Service Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) SPD St Andrew’s Community Hospital THK Children’s Therapy Centre

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EDUCATION

Migrated to here.

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EMPLOYMENT

Migrated to here.

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CAREGIVER SUPPORT

Caregivers

• Those who provide care to a person requiring support due to age, disability, illness or special needs
• Usually family members, but can also be friends or foreign domestic workers
• Can be broadly categorised into two groups: (i) Professional caregivers which include doctors, nurses, social workers, and (ii) Family caregivers, which include spouses, children, grandchildren, siblings and foreign domestic workers hired by their families, family caregivers are focused upon here.
• Special note to two groups of family caregivers: Elderly caregivers caring for disabled adult children, disabled people playing caregiver roles
  • See The Survey on Informal Caregiving by MCYS
    • 20% of family caregivers providing care to elderly persons aged 75 years and above with functional limitations are themselves above the age of 65.
  • See A Profile of Older Family Caregivers by CARE and Duke-NUS
    • Older family caregivers are in declining health themselves but spend long hours (up to 60 hours per week) caring for their family member. More than half of family caregivers up to the age of retirement (55-65 years) are juggling long hours of both formal employment and caregiving.
    • More than half of family caregivers aged 70-74 years do not receive help from anyone else to care for their family member
    • Well beyond the retirement age, family caregivers are spending 50 to 60 hours per week caring for their older family member.

STATISTICS An estimated 210,000 people aged 18 to 69 provide care to a family member or peer. Caregivers are ageing and are becoming less and less able to care for their disabled kin; 70% of caregivers in Singapore (including those who care for the elderly and disabled) are above 40; 10% are between 60 and 69 years of age. Refer to Caregiving in Singapore (Sep 2011) for more statistics on the profile of informal caregivers in the Singapore population and the key characteristics of caregivers and care recipients. Some statistics: 37% of caregivers reported that they had been providing care to their care recipients for over a decade.  On average, caregivers provided around 6.8 hours of care per day in a typical week Close to 74% of caregivers were employed. About 80% of caregivers received some form of support, be it from other family members (70%) and/or domestic helpers (14%). 21% of caregivers reported being the sole caregiver

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Respite care

• Caregivers continue to be concerned about the need for respite care
• Caregivers reported a lack of opportunity for respite, especially when care recipients require round-the-clock care

STATISTICS Over 1,600 people have tapped on respite services offered at selected day care centres and nursing homes. Usage of these respite services has increased by at least 50% between 2015 and 2017.

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Home Based Care Services Provides alternative care support for adults with disabilities, with the aim of keeping them in the community for as long as possible. Delivers services such as therapy, personal hygiene care, housekeeping and medication reminders. 2 service providers as of 01 July 2018 - AWWA and MINDS	Caregivers reported a lack of opportunity for respite, especially when care recipients require round-the-clock care	To consider commercialising caregiving (e.g. piecemeal/gig caregiving services) In light of an ageing population, decreasing family sizes and caregiver fatigue Can also consider tapping on people who live in the neighbourhood/not working with free pockets of time to provide paid, temporary caregiving services, with financial remunerations and incentives Examples from the eldercare space: Homage, Jaga-Me, Caregiver Asia, Active Global
Drop-in Disability Programme Provides social, recreational and/or therapeutic training activities for persons with disabilities for a few days a week up to 9 hours 4 DDPs provided by Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities as of 01 July 2018
Day Activity Centres Community-based facilities that provide care and skills training to persons with disabilities aged 16 and above. 30 DACs as of 11 Sep 2018 Clients: 1,200 | 200 are young adults	DAC operating hours are mainly till 4 or 5pm, and caregivers find it difficult to work full-time (till 6 or 7pm), and part-time employment opportunities are limited too - if un-ideal	Consider operating DACs on a shift system to complement working hours of caregivers, e.g., 7.30am - 2.30pm | 12 noon - 7pm, or to open till later
Children Disability Homes (Short-Term Respite) Provides long-term residential care, but also short-term respite care for those whose families are unable to provide care temporarily. 3 homes provide respite care services as of 13 August 2018
Adult Disability Homes (Short-Term Respite) Provides long-term residential care, but also short-term respite care for adults with disabilities whose caregivers are temporarily unable to provide care for them. 8 homes provide respite care services as of July 2018
Respite services offered at selected day care centres and nursing homes under the ambit of AIC AIC page and E-Care Locator here.
One Child One Skill A volunteer project that sends pairs of tertiary students to homes to teach autistic children a skill over 8 one or one-and-a-half-hour sessions Parents identify skills that they would like their autistic children to learn and volunteers choose the child they teach based on the stated skills and location. Caregivers also obtain respite	While caregivers welcome the opportunity for respite, some are concerned about students’ abilities to take care of and work with their children without their supervision

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Physical health necessary to carry out caregiving

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
	Trends Ageing caregivers who need to care for disabled children - Disabled caregivers who perform caregiving, such as for ageing parents with medical issues See also A Profile of Older Family Caregivers by CARE and Duke-NUS	Provision of caregiving leave or time-off, to rest or bring care recipients for medical appointments

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Psychosocial health

• Caregivers expressed the concern that they require self-care
• Stress from caregiving, along with increased time spent on care work affects caregivers' personal health and well-being

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Community Counselling/Emotional Support Services 14 agencies provide these services as of 02 August 2018	Caregivers reported a lack of opportunity for respite, especially when care recipients require round-the-clock care.	EM3 (Recommendation 13) To expand the continuum of support and respite options, including the implementation of caregiving leave, and to build trust between caregivers and formal respite services Ease access to counselling services, such as counsellors, social workers or volunteers - be it coming to terms with diagnoses of disabilities or assistance with job placement, social assistance and marriage counselling Create more opportunities for caregivers to meet each other as a source of informal support, such as leveraging existing support networks to reach out further For service providers to take family relationships into consideration, as family dynamics are affected if a member has a disability. This could mean designing
Community Support Groups 13 agencies provide these services as of 02 August 2018
Caregiver Activities in the Community 14 agencies provide these services as of 02 August 2018
Caregiving Welfare Association - Caregiver Counselling Services For family caregivers providing care for a senior with physical or mental disabilities

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Financial support

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Caregivers Training Grant $200 annual subsidy for caregivers, per care recipient, every financial year, to attend training
Foreign Domestic Worker Grant $120 monthly cash payment given to families who need to hire a Foreign Domestic Worker to care for loved ones who require permanent assistance with three or more Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)	Even after subsidies, the remaining cost to hire an FDW is still more than many low-income families can afford Employers must be of sufficient mental capacity to hire an FDW, and cannot have a disability that impairs mental capacity to this degree	EM3 (Recommendation 13): To expand the criteria for the FDW Grant to better cater to disabled people who are physically able to perform ADLs, but who may not have the cognitive ability to perform ADLs or have behavioural challenges that require additional support
Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Concession Lets families pay a monthly foreign domestic worker levy of just $60, instead of $265
Community Long Term Care / Financial Planning Services 4 agencies provide these services as of 02 August 2018
Additional Financial Support for Care Recipients with Disabilities Assistive Technology Fund (ATF) (from 2020) CareShield Life ElderShield Senior's Mobility and Enabling Fund ComCare
Handicapped Child Relief (HCR) Eligibility: Child is below the age of 16, and parent earns less than $4,000, which includes income from bank interest, dividends and part-time jobs. $7,500 per child		Raise or remove the 16-year old limit cap, in the case of single parents as marital breakdown is more common among parents of special needs children, and single parents from the middle/low income group will face additional stress to raise their children single-handedly

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Future care planning

• Caregivers are worried about their future inability to care for their loved ones with disabilities
• Caregivers of children with special needs are also concerned about the post-18 trajectory

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Assisted Deputyship Application Programme (ADAP) Helps parents of graduating cohorts in Special Education (SPED) schools apply to Court to be deputies for their child, so that they can continue to make legal decisions for their child after he or she turns 21	Demand for affordable deputyship applications greatly exceeds supply of available help, including NUS Law undergraduates - in MINDS, the waiting list runs to a few hundred parents	EM3 (Recommendation 14) To simplify deputyship and Lasting Power of Attorney processes for caregivers MINDS is heading a pilot to simplify deputyship applications for caregivers of graduating SPED students For the government to take up the mantle of facilitating deputyship applications, free-of-charge if possible
Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC) Trust Allows family members to set aside money and assets in SNTC accounts, and aims to safeguard these assets to enhance the beneficiary's financial security and well-being 447 SNTC accounts have been opened, out of 117,000 estimated people who might require it (ST 29 Mar 2017)	While caregivers acknowledged that SNTC was a good start, they were worried about the lack of options for future care needs and planning, beyond placing their loved ones in Adult Disability Homes	EM3 (Recommendation 14) To raise awareness of importance of legal, financial and care planning, and services. SNTC to continue expanding outreach to caregivers, and consider partnering agencies providing direct services to disabled people for more integrated and holistic support to caregivers Service providers, including the Office of the Public Guardian and Law Society, to educate caregivers on legal/financial matters such as applying for deputyship To create a system of support at caregivers' natural touchpoints, that would help them in future care planning such as identifying the next caregiver and transitioning of the caregiver role when the time comes, and including documenting and passing on caregiving knowledge. Enable disabled care recipients to make more independent decisions for themselves for the future, something which caregivers tend to do. Depending on the disability type and functioning level, some caregivers can unintentionally prevent their care recipients from learning useful independent living skills through mollycoddling.
Special Needs Savings Scheme Enables parents to set aside CPF savings for the long term care of children with special needs Parents may nominate their loved one with special needs to receive a regular stream of fixed pay-outs upon the parent’s demise.

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Skills and information to do caregiving

EXISTING RESOURCES	GAPS AND THEIR CAUSES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Post-Diagnostic Touchpoints (e.g., hospitals, medical personnel)	For caregivers of children diagnosed with disabilities, touchpoints are poorly equipped in advising parents on where to obtain reliable help during the post-diagnostic phase	Recommendations from EM3 that MSF will consider Recommendation 3, Strategic Direction 1: Improve transition management For newly-diagnosed cases, to set up an agency to provide case referral, care planning and advisory services, and to facilitate smooth handover of information to other agencies Includes developing a standardised case management tool between primary support agency and other service providers Caregivers need help to understand the trajectory of caring – what to expect, anxieties and challenges, expectations as well as future planning - and to navigate the system of care
NeuroDiverCity Gathers and shares inclusive services and resources that can be reviewed by parents
All In (in development) Aims "to be a one-stop platform where caregivers can find everything they need" on special needs - guides, assessments, e-shop, blog content, events and courses
SG Enable Currently provides the most comprehensive information covering financial assistance, hospital and training support Caregiver Service Matrix caa 02 August 2018 Hosts the Caregivers Pod, a space for caregivers of people with disabilities, and stakeholders to organise activities and events	Knowledge and level of assistance received by caregivers differ depending on the experience and knowledge of providers they meet Some caregivers deny that children have special needs Some caregivers reject support services for those in their charge.	EM3 (Recommendation 13) For social service agencies to have a good understanding of community resources available for advisory and referral; one method is a one-stop portal to provide information on service, caregiving, self-care assistive technology and well-being Hub-and-spoke model for caregiver support, instead of having caregivers be supported through services accessed by care recipients. NCSS to pilot the model together with service providers. To assign one case worker for each PWD, for his/her entire lifetime To integrate various secondary caregivers such as social workers and medical personnel with primary caregivers To consider establishing dedicated Caregiver Spaces as neighbourhood CCs for caregivers' travelling convenience, and have CCs be touchpoints for access to SG Enable's information & advice on caregiver support services - a municipal service system
Caregivers Alliance Provides information, referrals, skills training and other support services
Caregiver Training Courses by VWOs and KKH/NUH Under the Caregiver Service Matrix, caregiver training and education are provided by 17 organisations as of 02 August 2018	Some courses that caregivers are interested in attending are only open to social service professionals Especially for low-income families, some programmes are unaffordable due to high costs of service and comparatively low levels of subsidies	Training on strengths-based approaches? - Helping parents and caregivers to support their children/wards in building strengths and abilities as opposed to focussing on limitations and disabilities. Ask caregivers themselves how they would like to be supported, in relation to the relevance, usefulness and utilisation of training courses and care services EM3 (Recommendation 13): To provide more and affordable courses (e.g., higher level training), and modes of training that are accessible to caregivers; for NCSS and MSF to work with relevant agencies to improve coordination and outreach to caregivers For service providers to make training options aware to caregivers
Caregivers Training Grant $200 annual subsidy for caregivers, per care recipient, every financial year, to attend training
Handbooks Who Cares? Transforming The Caregiving Experience in Singapore , a design ethnography by NCSS and fuelfor Caregiving...The Journey Starts With You! by AWWA Caregiver Basics 101 by AIC

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SOCIAL INCLUSION

For children with special needs to be part of community outside of school

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 (ST 2 Oct 2017)

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For the public to emphatically understand the circumstances PWDs face and know how to support and interact with them

Existing Resources

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

http://www.purpleparade.sg/

See the True Me

http://seethetrueme.sg/

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)

Possible Solutions

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EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

MIND’s keyword signing as total communication

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For mobility and access to transportation

Existing Resources Transportation subsidies:

Taxi Subsidy Scheme

VWO subsidy scheme

Public Transport Concession Scheme for Persons with Disabilities

Assistive devices for drivers with disabilities (ST 24 Oct 2016)

Accessible public transportation:

UberAssist Channel News Asia report

Wheelchair accessible taxis see taxisingapore.com and LTA accessibility push

Wheelchair Accessible Buses (About 80% of buses are wheelchair accessible, and LTA aims for 100% coverage by 2020).

Disabled facilities at MRT stations and in trains (More than 80% of MRT stations have at least two barrier free access routes).

Accommodation for drivers with disabilities:

Car Park Label Scheme for Persons with Physical Disabilities

SPD provides training for Tower Transit bus drivers how to help commuters with disabilities (ST 28 Apr 2016)

Gaps and Their Causes

Transportation costs, while subsidised, are still high for lower income PWDs

Cheaper transport options such as buses and trains are either too crowded for wheelchair users or other persons with disabilities OR there are service issues, such as some unprofessional or even discriminatory drivers or passengers.

Open prams used by caregivers now allowed on public buses, but not all bus drivers realise this yet (ST 2 Oct 2016)

Possible Solutions

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An accessible work environment

Existing Resources

Universal Design

Assistive Technology Fund

Open Door Programme

Gaps and Their Causes

Using principles of universal design, the BCA has improved accessibility of our built environment. But Richard Kuppusamy, a wheelchair user, commented that the layout in the BCA code is more conducive to assistants of persons with disabilities, rather than for more independent users who do not need help.

Even with the subsidies, technology aids are costly for persons with disabilities; those from low-middle income households do not qualify for a subsidy after means-testing.

Sometimes the subsidy is not enough to cover a person’s assistive technology needs over a lifetime.

Possible Solutions

increase the means testing of Assistive Technology Fund to cover more persons with disabilities from lower-middle income households

Access to digital media

Existing Resources

Gaps and Their Causes

Potential Solutions

-Web Accessibility Guidelines https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/

-Accessibility reviews of the web https://www.abilitynet.org.uk/

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Access to leisure and recreational activities

Existing Resources

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)

The inclusive playgrounds in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and Ghim Moh and the complementary Children in Action programme (ST 17 Jun 2016)

Running Hour A sports co-operative that promotes integration of persons with special needs through running. We have members who are mildly intellectually challenged, physically challenged and visually challenged joining us to keep fit. We welcome anyone passionate about running to join us as running guides.

"Inclusive" art workshop to encourage interaction between children with and without special needs. Run by Superhero Me, a non-governmental organisation that runs art programmes for children (ST 2 Oct 2017).

Free entry for people with disabilities and caregivers to (special exhibitions of) NHB museums (ST 15 April 2018 “Free entry for people with disabilities”)

Gaps and Their Causes

Sports take-up rate among people with disabilities remains low, though they stand to benefit more than able-bodied people by being active(ST 27 Sep 2016)

Reasons why people with disabilities may shun sports:(ST 27 Sep 2016) •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.

Lack of opportunities to prove themselves ;being overprotective could limit their exposure, hindering their ability to lead a fulfilling and independent life (CNA 21 Sep 2017)

Possible Solutions

There should be regular disability sports sessions in all special education schools and organisations for the disabled (ST 27 Sep 2016)

Collectively refrain from assuming what PWDs can or cannot do, never mind their condition. (CNA 21 Sep 2017)

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Opportunities to give back to society

Existing Resources SPD Youth Development Programme - Trained and mentored youths with disabilities to enable them to champion social causes and give back to the society.

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Resource Directory

A good index of weblinks and resources for families with special needs kids in Singapore can be found here

Voluntary Organisations, Non-Profits

Aphasia SG

Participants at a Chit Chat Cafe by Aphasia SG. Photo credit: Aphasia SG

www.aphasia.sg

Organised by a team of speech and language therapists, Aphasia SG is a 100% volunteer-run non-profit organisation whose flagship programme is Chit Chat Cafe, a free monthly “pop-up café” for persons with aphasia (PWA) and their caregivers to interact and enjoy a cup of coffee together in a safe space.

Its other flagship programme is the Aphasia SG Choir, which is conducted by music therapist volunteers and that has weekly evening rehearsals at a central location. 

APSN

http://www.apsn.org.sg/

Down Syndrome Association (Singapore)

http://www.downsyndrome-singapore.org/

founded in 1995 by parents, has close to 1000 members, of which over 300 are persons with Down syndrome Operates a DSA Thriftshop at Telok Blangah Crescent

MINDS

http://www.minds.org.sg/

Muscular Dystrophy Association of Singapore (MDAS)

http://www.mdas.org.sg/

SPD

http://www.spd.org.sg/

Bizlink

http://www.bizlink.org.sg/ training and employment for people with disabilities One of Bizlink's biggest businesses is providing cleaning teams to other companies. These teams are made up of able-bodied workers and those with disabilities (ST 1 Oct 2017).

Special Education (SPED) Schools

19 SPED schools as of January 2018: https://www.moe.gov.sg/education/special-education/special-education-schools/list-of-sped-schools

Social Enterprises that provide services for people with disabilities

Olive Tree Development Centre

http://olive-tree.sg/

Social Enterprises or Businesses that hire people with disability

Crunchy Teeth

http://crunchyteeth.com.sg/

Started by parents of children with special needs - aims to provide baking skills to special needs children and youth, and retails baking goods

Dignity Kitchen

http://dignitykitchen.sg/

Personalised Love

https://www.personalisedlove.com/

SEOciety

http://www.ourseociety.com/

Social Food Inc

https://www.facebook.com/pg/socialfoodinc/about/

Incorporated in 2013, Social Food Inc. Pte Ltd is an established Halal-certified food caterer that provide people with disabilities with employment training

Started by Sim Sin Sin. See Case Study of Social Food Inc

WISE Enterprise

https://www.wise-enterprise.sg/

Adrenalin

http://adrenalin.com.sg/

Six of the 25 workers at Adrenalin have disabilities and other special needs. Staff members include two deaf persons, an employee who uses a wheelchair and people recovering from mental illness (ST 1 Oct 2017).

Holiday Inn Singapore

Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre hotel in Cavenagh Road - 12 per cent of the more than 200 staff are PWDs, staff adjust to the different ways of communication of some PWD employees, some of whom have intellectual disabilities or autism (ST 1 Oct 2017). .

Han's Group

Han's Group, about 50 employees, or 10 per cent of its workforce, are persons with disabilities (ST 1 Oct 2017).

Foreword Coffee

https://www.forewordcoffee.com/

Trains individuals with special needs to be baristas and frontline service staff at its coffee outlets

Disabled People's Organisations

Disabled People's Association

http://www.dpa.org.sg/

Friends of the Disabled Society

https://www.fds.org.sg/

Initiatives

NUS Makerthon organised by Computing, Engineering, Design & Environment.

Tikkun Olam Makers - Israel based maker movement that has done makerthons for disability sector in Singapore.

Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards

Government Agencies

MSF Disability Division

https://app.msf.gov.sg/About-MSF/Our-People/Divisions-at-MSF/Social-Development-and-Support/Disability-Division

NCSS Disability Services

SGEnable

https://www.sgenable.sg

Owns the i'mable collective, which aims to showcase and market the creative works of persons with disabilities, giving them even more opportunities to hone their skills and sell their craft.

i'mable Collective aims to be the preferred first stop for organisations keen to support the purchase of high quality gifts with a social cause.

Scholarships and Bursaries

Dare to Dream

The scholarship provides special needs persons, who are successful in gaining entry into a diploma programme at the LaSalle College of the Arts, with funding of fees for the full duration of the diploma programme at the College. Dare To Dream

International

World institute on Disability https://wid.org/

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Disability Conferences

CONFERENCE	LOCATION	REMARKS
Having a Say Conference	Geelong, Australia	Organised by and for people with intellectual disabilities. While the programme isn’t jam packed with information, it’s definitely interesting to learn more about how people with ID raise issues of concerns, and really take part in setting the agenda. Seems fairly prominent within Australia, but not much international reach. Down Syndrome Association brought some of its advocates there last year to share their advocacy programme
Zero Project	Vienna, Austria	Packed chock-a-block with presentations, sharings, and booths. The theme changes year to year. 2018 was on Accessibility and saw representatives from a whole host of countries sharing more about accessibility (challenges of accessibility). Most interesting were the South American presentations that pretty much shared about how people took issues into their own hands and made spaces in their cities more accessible. The conference is accompanied by innovation booths that feature innovations from all over the world (e.g., a group of people in India who set up a form of landline service for people with disabilities to post and apply for jobs). Really cool stuff. 2019’s theme is on Political Participation.
Global Disability Summit	London, UK (2018)	Organised by International Disability Alliance. Seems to be the place to meet the who's who in the disability sector globally.
Inclusion International World Congress	Birmingham, UK (2018)
Harkin Summit	Washington DC, USA (2018)	2018 - Rather US-centric. But great information on employment and employability practices by large organisations.
ASEAN Disability Forums	Thailand (2019)	Moves around the ASEAN region depending on who the Chairman is.