Mr Stanley Tang, CEO, APSN
Dr Anthony Fok, Chairman of APSN Education Services Limited
APSN Board and Committee Members
Ladies and gentlemen
1. First of all, a good afternoon to one and all. I am very honoured to join you here at APSN’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations. Fifty years of empowering persons with intellectual disabilities – that is a significant milestone - one that reflects APSN’s steadfast commitment to supporting them at every stage of life.
2. Over the years, I have had the privilege of being part of the APSN journey on many occasions.
3. What has stayed with me is the spirit of this community – the determination of students mastering new skills, the dedication of staff and job coaches who never give up, and the shared belief that a disability is never the end of the story. With the right support, persons with intellectual disabilities can lead independent and fulfilling lives. APSN has made this possible for many.
4. Since its early beginnings in providing education for children with mild intellectual disabilities, APSN has steadily expanded your services to support them into adulthood through vocational training and employment support.
5. In the second half of this year, APSN will begin a specialised programme at the former site of Chaoyang School for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability (ASD-ID). This programme will eventually be developed into a new Special Education (SPED) school in 2028, forming part of MOE’s broader efforts to expand SPED school capacity to cater to the rising demand for places for students with ASD-ID. More importantly, it will ensure that more students can access the support they need to learn, grow and thrive.
6. We are now at the midpoint of the Enabling Masterplan 2030. This Masterplan was launched some years ago, in 2022. Our focus remains on building the capability of persons with disabilities for employment and daily living beyond schooling years, create communities where they can belong, as well as lifelong security – including financial security for families – so they can look ahead with confidence.
7. On employment, we have built up extensive support to encourage employers to hire through grants, wage offsets and the Enabling Mark accreditation framework. SG Enable is also adopting a more targeted approach to engage employers in target sectors such as F&B, health and social services, to curate suitable job roles at scale.
8. Last year, in 2025, APSN was appointed as a Job Placement and Job Support partner. Through this, persons with intellectual disabilities receive holistic support – from job matching and workplace integration to sustained on-site job coaching – to access and sustain employment.
9. For persons with disabilities with higher support needs, centre-based services remain critical. We are working to expand Day Activity Centres as well as Sheltered Workshops, even as we test out the new Enabling Skills for Life Programme model to minimise transitions between these services and sharpen focus on individualised curriculum and development plans.
10. But beyond skills, we want to build strong communities so that more persons with disabilities can continue living alongside all of us, in the community. We are piloting Enabling Services Hubs in selected towns to conduct outreach, organise workshops and social activities in the community, and also link persons with disabilities and caregivers to relevant services. At the same time, we are also piloting the Enabled Living Programme in designated rental flats, and will be launching the Home Support Programme pilot later this year, to avail the option of living in their homes to more persons with disabilities.
11. Now, it might seem like we have a lot of pilots going on. Sometimes, people tell me, you have a trial at MSF and SG Enable, and now, your Enabled Living Programme. That is perhaps true.
12. In the first 3 editions of the Enabling Masterplan, since we started in 2007, we have focused and invested heavily in the first 18 years of the life course of our persons with disabilities’ journey in life. Now, looking ahead to 2030, we want to heavily invest our resources, our energy and our efforts in the post-18 space.
13. Lastly, more support has been introduced to help caregivers in building up savings and securing future arrangements for persons with disabilities. These include the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme for persons with disabilities, that dollar-matches CPF top-ups of up to $20,000 over a lifetime, for meaningful payouts in later life. Eligible families can also receive sponsorship of the initial capital to open a Special Needs Trust account through Community Chest funding, and government dollar-matching top-ups of up to $10,000.
14. Now, to be sure, a lot has been done, but we are not there. The Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities has been set up, and is led by MOS Goh Pei Ming. This effort will complement the EMP2030 by adopting a life-course and family-centric perspective to develop recommendations in employment, community living as well as affordability, to provide greater opportunities and assurance to persons with disabilities and their families. My colleagues and I have been visiting disability organisations, including APSN Centre for Adults and APSN Delta Senior School, to better understand the needs of the community, as we develop the recommendations.
15. Now, I also look forward to engaging with APSN in my capacity as co-chair of the Inclusive Justice Taskforce, that is really examining how individuals with disabilities and mental health conditions who are at risk of offending, or who interact with the criminal justice system, can be better supported.
16. So, today, as we celebrate APSN’s Golden Jubilee today, we recognise the foundation that has been established and look ahead to APSN’s contributions and new milestones that will shape APSN’s next chapter.
17. At the heart of all these efforts are the people, because you make all of this possible. And by you, I mean APSN’s staff, team, volunteers and partners past and present. Your dedication, patience and belief in every individual you support are what have kept APSN strong for the last five decades, and this commitment, too, will carry it forward into the next 50 years.
18. Building a more inclusive society requires all of us to be involved. It takes collective effort. Your work in empowering persons with intellectual disabilities strengthens not just individuals, but Singapore society as a whole. In other words, ‘better’ starts with each and every one of us.
19. Congratulations, APSN, on 50 extraordinary years! May you continue to empower many more to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives.
20. Thank you.