Disability Community Network

Purpose

Vision

A strong, self-mobilised and collaborative disability community that appreciates the needs of the disability sector and takes collective action to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

Mission

A coherent network of disability organisations, VWOs and other relevant community assets that truly and authentically represent the interests of the disability community. This network will also democratise knowledge production (as knowledge is power, it puts power back in the hands of those close to the ground) and strengthen civil society (by allowing collective action without the need to rely on government resources).

Objectives

• Collectively mapping out the needs and gaps of the disability sector
• Providing inputs to the government on existing or emerging issues
• Peer exchange, learning and collaboration among partners

Products of the Network and Its Uses

1. Knowledge Work: Take stock of information and updating the knowledge base through Wiki Pages
   • Collective understanding of the sector is more comprehensive and robust than individual vantage points by themselves
   • Information on needs, community resources and gaps allows strategic planning for partners' own organisations, in response to and coordination with other organisations
   • Partners will get user ids that allow them to directly edit the wiki pages if they want to. This allows the wiki pages to be constantly updated with new information partners think will be pertinent to share with one another.
2. Policy Advocacy
   • Deliberate on issues & write Policy Briefs representing the views of partners
   • Partners will get reports of the issue to be discussed before every Roundtable to establish an overview of basic information. This will allow the facts to be quickly established and corrected before moving on to the deliberation of key issues.
   • Instead of Enabling Masterplan led by MSF that consults the sector every 5 years, this can culminate in an Annual Needs & Gaps Report based on research and deliberation with other partners that can be surfaced to relevant stakeholders. Such analyses is more likely to be taken seriously by government if they represent the collective wisdom of disability organisations and groups, and especially if they arrive at consensus on certain positions
3. Collaboration Among Partners
   • Partners have access to one another's contact information, possibly start a LISTSERV or other modes of communication among partners
   • Partners can share resources and collaborate on projects without the need to rely on a central authority (e.g. joint research projects, collective fund-raising, sharing venues or pooling manpower etc)

How Will the Network be Run

1. Participants will submit agenda items, and Facilitators will help structure each meeting based on the agenda.
2. Issues selected for discussion should be broad themes (e.g., Employment or Education). These will be spread out over 4 main Roundtables (one per quarter).
3. Those with an interest in niche issues (e.g Deaf culture, Disability Arts etc) can host subsidiary meetings pulling together those with common interests. Their findings and proposals can then be shared with the main network.
4. For those who are keen, Planning Meetings can also be convened to discuss the content and structure of subsequent Roundtables.

General Guiding Principles

• Play-testable; not need to get it all right in the beginning: These principles and rules should be work in progress and seen as such. There is no need to be overly concerned with getting them right if they will continuously be reworked and refined. More important to focus on the work itself, and getting to a set of principles that allow the work and objectives to be done. We expect these principles and rules to be more functional after a year of experimentation.

• All-can-contribute: it doesn’t matter who you are, as long as you are interested and have something to contribute, we aspire to find a place and role for you to play that you feel comfortable with

• Collaboration across community assets: empowering individuals and organisations to mobilise others operating in their sector, overcoming artificial boundaries (VWO, NGO, social enterprise, self-help groups, cooperatives, faith-based organisations etc) and competition as the only viable operating principle.

• Persuasion instead of politics: No need for politics or power plays if there is no need to have one view and everyone move towards it; we can capture the diversity of views

Facilitator(s)

Institute of Policy Studies - Justin Lee (email: justin.lee@nus.edu.sg)

We welcome other disability organisations or groups who would like to co-facilitate the Network

Facilitators of Niche Networks

Hearing Impairment: ExtraOrdinary Horizons - Lily Goh

Arts & Disability: Very Special Arts - Maureen Goh

[Add link to facilitators' contact information (only accessible to partners)]

Associates and Contributors

• Victor Zhuang - PhD Candidate at Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago
• Roshini Prakash - NVPC's Disability Colabs

Network Agenda for 2018

Main meetings should be based on broad themes of general relevance to most of our partners. For example: Early intervention, education, employment, caregiving, community inclusion etc. Specific or niche issues can also be studied by sub-groups of the network and brought to the Network for incorporation to the annual Disability Needs & Gaps Report.

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Roundtable 1: Employment

Date - 11 May 2018

Time - 1.30 pm - 5.45 pm

Venue - Seminar Room 2-2, Level 2, Manasseh Meyer Building, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (Bukit Timah Campus)

IPS Newsletter Article here.

Dr Justin Lee, Research Fellow at IPS and co-facilitator of the event (centre), demonstrating the SocialCollab Wiki platform
Dr Justin Lee, Research Fellow at IPS and co-facilitator of the event (centre), demonstrating the SocialCollab Wiki platform.

Agenda

• Update on Network Objectives & partnership
• (See substantive agenda items tabled below)

Materials & Presentations :

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MV43hH4ThwykSJWMe69drhl78xNhS79l

No.	Agenda Item	Presenter
1	Facilitated Dialogue to Consolidate a Collective Understanding of the Employment Landscape	IPS
2	Special Needs Individuals and Employment Issues	Hope for the Journey
3	Exploring Characteristics of Successful Open employment from the Perspectives of Person, Caregiver and Employer	MINDS
4	APSN Delta Senior School's new Employment Training Model	APSN Centre for Adults
5	Assistive Technology (AT) at Work: How Job Accommodations including AT can Enable Persons with Disabilities to be Productive at the Workplace	SPD
6	Studying the Feasibility of an Employment Quota for Persons with Disabilities See research study Beyond the Business Case: Different Models of Including People with Disabilities at Work)	IPS
7	The IPS-DPA Study on Discrimination in the Workplace	DPA

Follow-up Actions

1- [done] Update Employment Needs & Gaps Report - Visit organisations for 1-on-1 feedback

2- [done] Convene working group to study feasibility of employment quota system for PWDs

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4-

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Roundtable 2: Education

Date - 21 August 2018 (Tuesday)

Time - 1.45pm - 5.30pm (Registration begins at 1.30pm)

Venue - Swensen's Room (Blk E Level 2 Room 2), APSN Delta Senior School, 3 Choa Chu Kang Grove, Singapore 688237

IPS Research Assistant Andrew Lim sharing the Needs & Gaps Report on Education

IPS Newsletter Article here.

Brief Synopsis

No.	Agenda
1	The event started at 1.45pm. IPS Research Fellow Justin Lee and Marissa Medjeral-Mills, Executive Director of DPA updated on follow-ups to the first roundtable of the Disability Community Network, which discussed issues pertaining to employment: A group to study the feasibility of an employment hiring quota for persons with disabilities in Singapore was formed IPS has started putting together two Needs and Gaps Reports on Employment and Education—with more to come on other issues such as Caregiving. DPA has soft-launched their study (with IPS) on discrimination faced by people with disabilities in the workplace. DPA has updated their ‘Achieving Inclusion in Education’ document to incorporate changes to the Compuslory Education Act, which takes effect in practice next year. More details about the first roundtable can be found here.
2	Mr Andrew Lim, Research Assistant at IPS discussed a Needs and Gaps Report on Education compiled from various literature reviews (e.g., NVPC’s Report on Issues faced by Persons with Disabilities in Singapore, Lien’s Inclusive Attitudes Survey, newspaper articles etc.). We discussed gaps in six tentative areas of needs: early intervention, preschool options, trained educators, access to an adequate education, accommodations, and preparedness for work and life.
3	Ms Nix Sang, Research Associate at SMU presented a project she's working on to develop guidelines, resources and professional programmes for disability services in IHLs in Singapore. Often lacking guidance, frameworks and guiding principles, Nix and her team conducted interviews with practitioners and overseas experts to talk about challenges, successes and wishes for disability services in IHLs. The substantive findings and report will be published in early-2019.
4	ASD Parent Support Groups Hope for the Journey and CASPER presented some parents’ views on a number of issues, such as how parents decide to choose between a SPED or mainstream school for their children, how mainstream teachers need to be trained in special educational needs, and how to better achieve a smooth transition from school to work.
5	Ms So Kah Lay, Principal of Metta School presented on the school's use of Virtual Reality in the learning of daily living skills such as road safety (crossing the road at traffic lights or zebra crossings), taking transport, and shopping. According to Ms So, the benefits of VR learning are manifold: One, everyday scenarios are broken down step-by-step for students to comprehend. Second, gesture-based interactive experiences appeal to students who are kinaesthetic learners. Third, students are exposed to scenarios and to face the ‘consequences’ of their poor decision-making without compromising their safety. Aside, social skills are also taught such as choosing non-priority seats, and queuing up before boarding.
6	Social enterprise Society Staples shared two items which they are seeking feedback, comments and inputs for. The first was a digital literacy course that they are developing to teach persons with developmental disabilities digital literacy, e.g. sending an email, using Google Maps and using the internet. It is funded by the LearnSG Seed Fund, and includes an ‘Inclusive Local Guide’ in local places of interest such as the National Gallery of Singapore and the National Museum of Singapore. The second item is a pilot of 20 movement-based activities based on principles of educational kinesiology, done in conjunction with MINDS MeToo! Club at Kembangan Chai-Chee Community Hub over 9 months. Society Staples shared testimonials about how clients have benefitted from the sessions, and that they are currently enhancing the programme towards another run in the fourth quarter of 2018.
7	In closing, Justin invited participants to share their thoughts about how the event did well, as well as areas for improvement. Roundtable 3 on Caregiving will be coming up, and IPS is looking for an event sponsor and host (e.g., CAL, or the Caregivers' Space at the Enabling Village).

Agenda

• Update on Network Objectives & partnership + Follow-ups from Roundtable I: Employment (11 May)
• (See substantive agenda items tabled below)

Materials & Presentations : https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vsRlBrrMkqeq7MqjhXMgdoWdSOMcN9vP

No.	Agenda Item	Presenter
1	Consolidated Views on Employment & Education: The Needs & Gaps Report so Far	IPS
2	Proposed Guidelines for Disability Services in Singapore’s Institutes of Higher Learning	SMU
3	Views of Parents from ASD Parents Support Groups	Hope for the Journey, CASPER
4	Virtual Reality for the Learning of Daily Living Skills	Metta School
5	I. Digital Education and Literacy for Persons with Developmental Disabilities II. Educational Kinesiology	Society Staples

Follow-up Actions

1- [done] Upload Needs and Gaps Report on Disability wiki page, refined with inputs from the roundtable

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Roundtable 3: Caregiver Support

Date - 29 November 2018 (Thursday)

Venue - Lighthouse Room, Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore)

Registration & Submission of Agenda Items

We invite you to attend and participate in the roundtable.

We also invite you to present an agenda item for discussion on the topic of caregiver support. 

Please indicate your participation and agenda item (if any) by Monday, 26 November 2018, through the Google Form below. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, and we will inform you once your registration is confirmed.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnKwPHxV8njRuUu1Wt_JddzpPeG77tctlwMImlkuAeUNshug/viewform

For equal representation, and in lieu of space constraints, we encourage each organisation to send a maximum of two representatives. If you are unable to attend, please nominate a senior partner of staff, to represent your organisation.

Proposed Agenda

No.	Agenda Item	Presenter
1	TBC	IPS
2	MDAS and Caregiver Support Services	MDAS
3	TBC	Special Needs Trust Company
4	Engaging caregivers and setting up a partnership with them to cater to the learning needs of students	The Winstedt School
5	TBC	National Council of Social Service

Follow-up Actions

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2-

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Roundtable 4: Community Inclusion & Access

Date - Nov'18

Venue - TBC (Meeting Rm to be confirmed)

Deadline for submitting agenda items & papers - TBC

Confirm Attendance for Network - TBC

Proposed Agenda (TBC)

1-Take stock of Community Inclusion; facilitated dialogue based on issue brief (IPS)

2-Present findings on 'What Counts as Inclusion?' from a study commissioned by SGE (IPS & SGE)

3-Complete Collective Stock Take of Needs & Gaps (IPS)

4-[To invite] BCA Accessibility Code

5-

-Discuss Network Structure & Refine Rules

Papers (TBC)

1-Issue Brief: Disability public education, engagement and advocacy strategies in Singapore

2-Position paper: Evaluating inclusion and implications for determining what counts as success for disability programmes

3-Draft of Needs & Gaps Report 2018

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5-

Follow-up Actions

1-

2-

3-Inputs to Needs and Gaps by 15 Dec 2018

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Regular Facilitator Planning & Social Meetings

The facilitators of the Disability Network as well as the larger Open Collab initiative will regularly meet to make plans, discuss issues faced, share ideas on how best to run the networks. This will be a relatively informal session where we also get to know one another.

However, for those who are new and just want to find out more about the Disability Network or the Open Collab, feel free to drop by and we'll be happy to explain. You are welcome too!

Contact: Justin Lee (email: justin.lee@nus.edu.sg)

Dates - Last Friday of Every Month, 4-5.30pm (except Good Friday)

23 Feb 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

29 Mar 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

27 Apr 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

25 May 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

29 Jun 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

27 Jul 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

31 Aug 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

28 Sep 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

26 Oct 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

30 Nov 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

28 Dec 2018 - IPS Meeting Rm

Venue - IPS Meeting Rm is at 1C Cluny Road, House 5, Singapore (259599)

Meeting Structure and Rules

General

-Aspire to have quarterly meetings per year: partners set agenda and simple polling can be done to prioritise

-All partners will automatically be invited to attend. Associates will be invited based on the issue at hand and partners can deliberate who they want to invite. e.g. VWOs may not want their funders or regulators present as it may impede forthcoming dialogue or sharing.

-Partners will also discuss and source for speakers where their presence is required to shed light on knowledge gaps of interest.

-Between the quarterly meetings, partners are free to have separate meetings, commission studies or seek partnerships to investigate or discuss issues not on the main agenda, but will be integrated into the annual needs and gaps report.

-All reports will be sent to partners for their inputs and final approval before it becomes 'official' and published online.

-Where a partner is not able to make a meeting, they should aspire to send a deputy. Reports will be sent to all partners so that they get a chance to provide inputs even if they were unable to attend. (In order not to hold back publication dates, reports will reflect which partners who were unable to provide inputs in time, and these rpeorts be amended once they are able to).

-Where partners disagree on the content or position taken by the paper there are various options:

1) If there is a majority view, the paper can be written to reflect that, but capturing the organisations who dissent and their reasons.

2) Not publish a position paper if the opinions are relatively split.

3) Publish a paper that reflects the diversity of views and their rationale, so that there is a documentation of the report.

Meeting Structure

PRE-MEETING:

1-Take Stock of Needs and Gaps

2-Convene to Prioritize Knowledge Gaps

3-Set Meeting Agenda for the Year

EACH MEETING:

1-An issue brief will be sent out to partners before convening

2-Take stock of knowledge gaps and prioritise them

3-At the meeting, partners will deliberate on proposed policy recommendations or advocacy positions: policy or position paper will be written based on deliberations

4-Decide on how to present position if there is no consensus

5-Coordination and division of labour: Follow-up items; who will investigate what?

6-At the end of each session, there will be an opportunity for partners to reflect on and suggest amendments to all the various the guiding principles and rules of the Disability Network.

AFTER LAST MEETING:

1-Consolidate all findings for Annual Needs and Gaps Report

2-Facilitator will write up and send to all partners

3-Once approved by partners, report will be published online

Deliverables and Products

1-Issues briefs prior to each session

2-Position papers or policy briefs as a result of each session. There can also be feasibility studies, programme proposals, collective impact plans depending on the interests of the partners.

3-A needs and gaps report to be written at the end of the year

Useful References

On building networks

http://www.networkimpact.org/

On how to facilitate good conversations

Some principles of facilitating group dialogue https://www.icasc.ca/resources/holding-space

Disability Councils and what they do

http://www.disabilitycouncil.nsw.gov.au/

On referendums and democratic decision-making

Switzerland's unique form of direct democracy allows groups of citizens to call for national referendums on specific policies if validated signatures of 100,000 Swiss citizens are collected in support of a proposal. Possible to consider a similar mechanism for networks here.

Justifications for running networks like this

From Steven Johnson (2001) Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software: complex systems exhibit emergence because they “solve problems by drawing upon masses of relatively (simple) elements, rather than a single, intelligent “executive branch.” They are bottom-up systems, not top-down. They get their smarts from below. In more technical language, they are complex adaptive systems that display emergent behavior. In these systems, agents residing on one scale start producing behavior that lies one scale above them: ants create colonies; urbanites create neighborhoods; simple pattern-recognition software learns how to recommend new books. The movement from low-level rules to higher-level sophistication is what we call emergence” (Johnson 2001: 18)

Tips for giving good feedback at Networks

-be honest

-be specific (explain what you disagree with or don't understand)

-be constructive (suggest how to improve)

-comment on the most important things first