The hearing-impaired are not necessarily devoid of the sense of hearing

Letter from Zhuang Kuan Song and Chen Jin Ying (Hearing Impaired), published in Todayonline, Feb 01, 2010:

I AM an avid fan of the Channel 8 series Life Transformers. But I was shocked by the Jan 18 episode about a hearing-impaired couple, Mr and Mrs Wang, in which certain things were put across that could cause misconceptions about deaf families.

A hearing-impaired friend (the co-signatory of this letter) said she and several of her deaf friends felt the same way.

Firstly, when the host installed an electronic cooker for the family, a remark was made that – if a conventional rice cooker were used – the deaf parents would not know if the child was being scalded.

This is a stereotyped view of the deaf – that they cannot hear at all. In fact, depending on the degree of hearing loss, they are able to make out sounds around them.

More importantly is the fact that Life Transformers wanted to place the boy in a childcare centre. It was repeated many times during the show that the child would not be able to grow up normally in a “deaf” environment. Many children around the world, including Singapore, grow up with deaf parents and are able to adapt to a society where communication through speech is the norm.

The qualification should have been made that the environment brought about by the Wangs’ low education and lack of access to resources has made it hard for them to raise a child. Otherwise, the impression given is that deaf parents cannot raise a child properly.

LINK

Polys get funding to bring varsity inventions to market

From The Straits Times, 25 Jan 2010, “Polys get funding to bring varsity inventions to market” By Victoria Vaughan.

Singapore’s five polytechnics will each get a slice of $3.57 million from the National Research Foundation’s $25 million Translational Research and Development Grant Scheme to develop nine inventions from the universities to produce devices for the market.

See: news.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100125-194207.html

SDSC receives boost from JCCI for its developmental sports

From the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) website (Jan 2010):

The Japanese Chambers of Commerce & Industry generously donated $45,00 towards the Singapore Disability Sports Council for its developmental sports programmes.

… JCCI has long been a partner in disability sports and was instrumental in the development of wheelchair basketball, shooting, futsal and boccia.

LINK

Wheelchair Basketball Association (WBA) Singapore’s wheelchair basketball team

This post from the Singapore2010 site talks about the wheelchair-basketballers frmo the Wheelchair Basketball Association (WBA) Singapore:

… From the Wheelchair Basketball Association (WBA) Singapore, this wheelchair basketball team first played a full-court 5-on-5 demonstration game amongst themselves before inviting the public to mount wheelchairs and compete against them.

That was the scene at ROMP’!09, a Singapore 2010 CAN! Event which featured a nationwide sports carnival designed for youths to bond through a common love for sports. Themed “Dream big no matter who you are”, the message was clear: To dare youths to dream big.

Said 52-year-old Lim Puay Tiak, Chairman of WBA, “This was a wonderful chance to increase public awareness and watching able-bodied and disabled athletes play together is like the realisation of a dream.”

Established in 2007, WBA started from a dream harboured both by the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) and many basketballers from the Handicapped Welfare Association (HWA) who had been playing informally for 30 years.

“It is good for wheelchair users to take on a sport,” added Mr Lim, “because it’s a kind of rehabilitation and restores you to better health. It’s also a great way to return into mainstream living, because sports makes you look at your ability – not disability, what you have – not what you don’t have. You begin to use muscles you never knew you had before, and it’s truly a revitalising experience.”

LINK

Blogger posts about her visit to Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD)

Spotted this blog post at Autism Abroad, 16 Dec 09, sharing insights after a visit to the Society for the Physically Disabled.

The blogger, Cordelia (her profile says she’s based in Beijing, Singapore and L.A.). She mentioned her conversation with the SPD Asst. Director of Rehab Services, on topics like the issue of “shame” and general stigma associated with persons with disabilities and their family members/ care-givers.

She also notices a common concern shared by parents and care-givers, in Beijing and Singapore, on how their disabled children would cope or looked after.

Excerpts:

I just returned from my visit to Singapore’s Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) – a very positive experience. Even before turning into the front gate, I saw a sign pointing to the main entrance that read “SPD Ability Center”. It’s so nice to see the emphasis on ability, and not disability.

… Most services available are NGOs that are about 65% financially supported by the Singapore Government (the other 35%: private donors).

… Joyce and I briefly discussed the issue of “shame” that is so prevalent in Asian cultures. In China, many parents rarely bring their autistic children out of the house; they do not even tell their neighbors or friends that they have a child with a disability! There is a saying in Chinese that is akin to “Don’t air your dirty linen in public”. However, I feel like keeping your child’s disability a secret is taking this to the extreme.

Since Singapore is home to many different cultures (Chinese, Malay, Indian), Joyce has noticed different ways of dealing with acceptance:

Some traditional Chinese Buddhists or Taoists believe that disability is a form of retribution, and many of these families have a very difficult time accepting their child’s disability. For example, SPD recently had a Charity Show that raised funds and awareness for those with disabilities in Singapore. Many families made an appearance during the show to put a face to the issue, however there were very few Chinese families willing to do so. They didn’t want to reveal to their friends and relatives that they needed help caring for their child with a disability.

On the other hand, Malays believe in fate and see their children, disabled or not, as gifts from God. It is much easier for them to accept their children for who they are and openly seek assistance.

… While there is still much to be done, it seems like Singapore is (and has been) on the right track in terms of providing services for people with disabilities. My visit to SPD was very interesting and encouraging. I am really looking forward to my visit to Pathlight School for children with autism next week!

LINK

Note – here’s Cordelia post about her visit to Pathlight School. Check out the pictures she posted.

Hmm… I thought Pathlight School (and other VWOs serving people with disabilities) should consider having a tour for Singapore Bloggers, to publicise the school’s services and facilities to Singaporeans). Or maybe sgLEAD could interest some bloggers to do so, and help contact/ organise the visits. Need to think about this further.

She may be the 1st to pass PSLE

Reported in The New Paper, 5 Dec 09 – “She may be the 1st to pass PSLE” by Ng Wan Ching.

Article was about 13-year-old girl with Down syndrome, Chung Xin En, who passed her PSLE. The executive director of Down Syndrome Association (DSA) was quoted: “As far as we know, Xin En is the first child with Down syndrome who has passed the PSLE.”

See www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20091202-183530.html

NLB’s Public Libraries Organised Their First Seminar On Deaf Culture To Encourage Community Learning And Social Integration Among The Deaf And The Hearing

From the National Library Board, Singapore, 5 Dec 09:

Singapore, 5 December 2009 – In conjunction with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Public Libraries held the first public Seminar on Deaf Culture at the Woodlands Regional Library Auditorium today, in partnership with the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf). This free seminar attracted the participation of both the deaf and hearing members of the community. The opening was officiated by NLB’s new Chairperson, Ms Yeoh Chee Yan, 2nd Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education.

Encouraging Interaction and Learning in the Community
The event was organised to encourage social integration between the deaf and hearing communities, as well as to provide a good opportunity for them to interact, bond and learn from each other. The event also aimed to showcase the Public Libraries as common social learning places that everyone in the community, including the underserved, can visit and enjoy.

To raise awareness of the challenges faced by the deaf community, SADeaf also shared tips on communicating with the deaf with basic sign language. Special guests from the deaf community came for the event, including Mr Adrian Yap, winner of the Amazing Race Asia Season 2, who spoke about his experience as a deaf person and how reading had influenced his life.

Said Mr Adrian Yap, “Initiatives like this help to bridge the communication gap between the hearing and deaf communities, enhance social cohesion and create an all-inclusive society. I am happy to be able to speak at the seminar to share my experiences as a deaf person with the audience.”

Fringe Activities to Further Engage Participants
A book discussion, in sign language, based on excerpts from fiction and non-fiction books on deafness was facilitated by Public Librarians and representatives from SADeaf who assisted in interpreting the sign language and facilitated the communication among the participants.

“Our Public Libraries provide shared community spaces for everyone, including the underserved, to come together to form social bonds and build relations through knowledge sharing. As part of their lifelong learning, we welcome all to make use of the wide range of collections available at the Public Libraries for their reading needs. We also hope that this seminar will increase the awareness and appreciation of the special needs of the deaf community,” said Dr N Varaprasad, Chief Executive, National Library Board.

“This collaboration with the Public Libraries was meaningful as it provided us with an opportunity to reach out to the hearing community, and educate them on what it means to be deaf, hence increasing their understanding of deaf culture,” said Mr Ando Yeo, Executive Director, SADeaf.

In conjunction with the seminar, an exhibition on assistive hearing technologies for the deaf will run at Woodlands Regional Library from now till 7 December. Exhibits include vibrating alarm clocks, telephone amplifiers, phone flashers and neck loops.

LINK

Renewed calls for public transport subsidies for the disabled

From channelnewsasia.com, 3 Dec 09:

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s disabled can now travel on buses more conveniently as SBS Transit rolls out eight new wheelchair accessible bus services to commemorate World Disability Day on Thursday.

The services are numbers 13, 15, 36, 52, 54, 57, 291 and 333.

The move will bring the total number of wheelchair accessible bus (WAB) services introduced this year to 16.

… However, disability group “CAN!” said providing such accessibility is not enough, and members are renewing calls for public transport subsidies for the disabled as they say not everyone can afford the fares.

… When contacted, the Public Transport Council said it does not administer any form of subsidy, but both SBS Transit and SMRT said they are exploring the possibility of concessionary travel for the disabled.

SMRT said that any concessionary travel is effectively cross-subsidised by full-fare paying commuters. Hence, there is a need to exercise prudence in granting travel concessions.

… The Public Transport Council said there are agencies which provide transport help, specifically for the disabled to get around conveniently.

The National Council of Social Service, for example, administers the Land Transport Authority’s Cares Fund, which provides reimbursements to disabled persons for journeys to-and-fro home for employment or schooling purposes.

LINK

S’pore’s disabled need better Web site access

From zdnetasia.com, 3 Dec ‘09:

… An accessible Web site, according to Poh, is one that allows people with disabilities to perceive, understand, navigate and interact with the Web. This includes people with “visual, print, physical, auditory, cognitive and learning disabilities”.

While many would presume that developing a Web site which is accessible for this group of people would be a resource-consuming affair, Poh disagreed. He said that designing a Web site for people with disabilities “typically adds [just] 3 percent to the total cost” and will not change the user experience for anyone else.

However, the availability of Web sites friendly for use by such people is still too few. According to a recent survey conducted by Infocomm Accessibility Centre (IAC), the Singapore-based IT learning facility for people across all disability types, only 34 percent of Web sites in Singapore have one page that is free from accessibility errors as defined by the guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative; 7 percent were found to have four pages free of accessibility errors.

“Overall, public-sector Web sites performed better than those in the private sector, but less than 10 percent of these public-sector Web sites had four pages free from accessibility errors,” said Poh. “While Singapore has made great progress in reducing the many physical barriers for people with disabilities, there are still many virtual barriers in ICT (infocommunications technology).”

…

… The IAC–supported by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, the National Council of Social Service, the Tote Board and Microsoft Singapore–launched its “SOW – It’s Time to Grow” campaign in September 2009 to create awareness and increase enrolment to the Center’s structured, industry-related courses.

This, according to Poh, is intended to help people with disabilities acquire the necessary skills to increase their chances for employment.

LINK

Special schools urged to engage public

From The Straits Times, Nov 26, 2009, “Special schools urged to engage public”.

Article cites a keynote speaker, at the 19th Asian Federation on Intellectual Disabilities Conference, on how some special needs schools in Britain have opened their facilities to the families of their students and to the community.

“This facilitates understanding and acceptance of their charges…” and that “The interaction helps both ways”.

See news.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20091124-181974.html