06 Mar 2020
Madam Vice President,
Singapore is committed to building an inclusive society where persons with disabilities are valued, empowered and enabled to realise their full potential.
It takes a whole-of-society approach to sustain inclusivity. Singapore’s Enabling Masterplans, our national roadmap towards an inclusive society, brings together the people, public and private sectors to support persons with disabilities, recognise their abilities, and help them to participate meaningfully in our community.
Singapore is now on its third Enabling Masterplan. Allow me to share three examples of progress under the latest plan to implement Article 8 of the CRPD on awareness raising.
First, Singapore runs an annual public education campaign entitled “See the True Me”. The aim is to nurture positive perceptions of persons with disabilities by celebrating their strengths through various media, and to facilitate their social participation by educating the public on communication and support strategies. The latest run of the campaign broadened the circle of actors by involving 10 corporate and community partners that have committed to developing more socio-economic opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Second, Singapore has worked to sensitise the public to the needs and perspectives of persons with disabilities from an early age. We have built inclusive playgrounds throughout Singapore, encouraging children with and without disabilities to interact through play. We have also introduced programmes in schools focusing on strengthening peer support for students with Special Educational Needs.
Third, Singapore is working to enhance employability and employment options of persons with disabilities including by promoting the merits of inclusive hiring and equipping employers with the knowledge and tools to run inclusive workplaces. This is one of the core areas of work of SG Enable, an agency we set up in 2013 that is dedicated to enabling persons with disabilities. Besides trainings, workshops, consultancy and advisory services, SG Enable has also worked with Cornell University on a Workplace Disability Inclusive Index to help employers identify areas of improvement. When they are ready to hire, SG Enable and partner social service agencies place and provide job support for persons with disabilities in these organisations. Where employers have done well, SG Enable’s biennial Enabling Employers Award recognises their commitment and achievements in hiring and integrating persons with disabilities in the workforce.
Thank you.
. . . . .