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Singapore Government

Public Education and Ground-Up Efforts

Policies
Disabilities & Special Needs

Public Education and Ground-Up Efforts

Header banner for Public education and ground up efforts, depicting three individuals watching the news of the Purple Parade.

In 2004, then-MCYS launched the Disability Awareness Public Education (DAPE) campaign to foster more inclusive mindsets.
  • The campaign aims to improve the attitudes and perceptions of Singaporeans towards persons with disabilities. Some of the themes over the years include awareness on the general skills and attributes of persons with disabilities, and the employability and employment of persons with disabilities.
  • It was enhanced into a year-round programme and was funded by then-MCYS up until 2011.

In October 2014, the Tote Board Enabling Lives initiative Grant was launched to spur ground-up initiatives in support of persons with disabilities and inclusion.
  • The first grant call was made in 2015. Tote Board set aside a $23 million grant for this purpose. Over the years, projects such as Caregiver Service (Disability) by AWWA Ltd, A Family That Plays Together, Stays Together by Faith Music Centre and Smart Auxiliary Assistive Robotic Arm by Relsig Technologies Pte Ltd have been supported through this fund.

In 2014, NCSS launched the “We Are Able!” public education event.
  • This initiative aimed to raise public awareness and celebrate the abilities and contributions of persons with disabilities in society with the theme “Enhancing Possibilities, Celebrating Abilities”.

New initiatives to build positive attitudes and improve knowledge on interacting with persons with disabilities

In 2017, NCSS launched the annual “See the True Me” public education campaign.
  • The campaign aims to encourage the public to see persons with disabilities for who they are instead of the disability they have, educate the public on interaction tips and support strategies for persons with disabilities, and encourage the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society.
  • Persons with disabilities, their family members and employers are involved as ambassadors in the campaign and related events.
  • As at October 2020, the campaign is overseen by SG Enable.

In 2019, SG Enable launched the Consumer Inclusiveness workshops, to support businesses that wanted to provide better service to consumers with disabilities.
  • These workshops help organisations be more disability-inclusive, and better serve consumers with disabilities. Topics covered in the workshops include practical tips to review products to gauge if they are disability friendly, and how to interact with consumers with disabilities.

In 2019, SG Enable launched the i’mable Collective, an initiative that aims to create a viable market for merchandise made by/with persons with disabilities.
  • I’mable Collective nurtures and develops a community of artists and makers with disabilities to showcase their talent and strengthen their abilities in artisanal fields.
  • The collective helps persons with disabilities and social service agencies to develop their skills and capabilities in gift-making, creating a viable market for merchandise made by persons with disabilities, and expanding the network of like-minded partners to support meaningful engagement and vocational work.  

In 2019, the Mediacorp Enable Fund launched the Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards to enhance recognition of persons with disabilities’ achievements in their field.
  • The Awards comprise two categories:
    • UBS Achievement: Celebrates persons with disabilities who have made significant achievements in their own fields and serve as an inspiration to others.
    • UBS Promise: Encourages persons with disabilities who have shown promise to pursue greater heights in their areas of talent and willingness to serve the community.

In December 2020, SG Enable and Tote Board launched the Enabling Lives Initiative (ELI).
  • This $25 million initiative comprises a social innovation grant worth $20 million and a $5 million fund for public education. The Care & Share Movement has also committed an additional $1.196 million to co-fund public education.
  • The grant will bring together the best ideas from the community of non-profit organisations, social enterprises and innovators to create scalable, impactful innovations for persons with disabilities.
  • It will support projects across three key areas: i) living independently, ii) realising potentials, and iii) connecting communities, and aims to bring about better outcomes for persons with disabilities. The grant call will open in April 2021.
  • The grant will build on the success of the Tote Board Enabling Lives initiative grant, which was part of the Tote Board Enabling Lives Initiative launched in 2015.
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