My letter to The Straits
Times on the above matter s published today, Monday 28th July 2014.
I applaud SingTel for donating $1.1 million to develop innovative solutions
to help people with disabilities in the new Social Innovation Hub, which will
be set up next year ("New Social Innovation Hub to help the
disabled"; last Wednesday).
SingTel is working closely with SG Enable - a government agency set up to
offer services to people with disabilities - to develop the centre.
There is a lot of misunderstanding about people with disabilities.
Many members of the public recognise only those physically challenged.
But there is also a hidden disability - mental illness.
Disability is defined by experts as the consequence of an impairment that
may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some
combination of these.
Through the five-year Enabling Masterplan, the Centre for Enabled Living
has drawn up many programmes for people with physical disabilities, but there
is not one programme for people with mental illness.
This was one of the concerns I had raised with the Minister for Social and
Family Development Chan Chun Sing during the Social Service Partners Conference
on May 21. It did not resolve my concerns.
It is sad that people with mental illness and their caregivers do not
receive the same level of support as those with physical disabilities and
autism. How then can we call this an inclusive society?
SG Enable chief executive Ku Geok Boon had mentioned that people with
disabilities and the community can come together at the Social Innovation Hub
to spark new ideas and solutions.
I would like to ask whether SG Enable will include those with mental
illness.
Raymond Anthony Fernando
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