In collaboration with ActiveSG and the National Youth Council, students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information launched Project This Ability, a campaign designed to encourage persons with disabilities (PWDs) to participate in sports, meet new friends and lead a healthier and more independent lifestyle.

The initiatives of this campaign included:

  • Re-designing the International Symbol of Access signs to reflect a more sporty look;
  • Creating a one-stop information portal which PWDs can access to find out more about the various sport programmes available;
  • Organising the campaign’s “Para Sports Day” where PWDs were introduced to disability sports and existing sports opportunities; and
  • Launching the campaign’s micro-film. To date, the micro-film has received more than 135 shares and 17,000 views. View the micro-film below:

In Singapore, 3% of the population or approximately 160,000 citizens, have a form of disability. However, this number is underestimated as most people with acquired disabilities remain largely undiscovered due to the absence of an official tracking registry.

63% of PWDs do not participate in any form of physical activity. This increases their susceptibility to secondary health conditions such as chronic pain, depression and obesity, a risk that amplifies with age.

Professional medical practitioners have evidenced this risk, and it may be lowered through early intervention in the form of physical activity. Sports can strengthen the body’s motor function which serves to help young PWDs cope with daily needs such as personal care, transport and work.

Many young adults with physical disabilities are enrolled in mainstream schools. While their able-bodied classmates participate in weekly physical education sessions and/or sport-related co-curricular activities, young adults with physical disabilities are often left out due to a lack of infrastructural and staff support. This leads to a lower self-esteem and an unhealthy mentality that sports is not an option for them, which makes them further detached from any sporting facility. While the government has provided opportunities for them to participate in sports, many are unaware of these avenues, their suitability to an adapted sport and the support available.

All these factors present a significant gap that we seek to address through this campaign, to build a sporting community of PWDs in Singapore.

The Highlights

More than 230 persons with disabilities, friends and family from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore), Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and Abilities Beyond Limitations and Expectations Limited (ABLE) among others, attended the campaign’s “Para Sports Day” at the Enabling Village on 4 March 2017. The Guest-of-Honour was Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY).

At the event, PWDs were given the opportunity to try out seven types of disability sports: Wheelchair Basketball, Boccia, Para Table-tennis, Para Badminton, Goalball, Cerebral Palsy Football and Crossfit. The motive was to get them interested, and ultimately participate in the various sporting activities organised by ActiveSG and Singapore Disability Sports Council. This will help to enable the sustainability of our campaign even after it is over.

The Memories

Volunteer explaining details about the “Project This Ability Para Sports Day” to a participant.
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu cheering Mr Muhd Saifudeen on, as he took part in Para Table-tennis.
CEO of the Enabling Village, Ms Ku Geok Boon (pictured right in black) giving Minister Grace Fu an exclusive tour of the Enabling Village.
Participants playing Wheelchair Basketball.
The “Project This Ability” organising team with Minister Grace Fu.

Reflection #1 – The Challenges

Even though this campaign was a success, it was not without any challenges. The main challenge was for its “Para Sports Day”. We had to improvise many things and do quick thinking on our feet, as it is a very big scale project.

Some of the challenges we faced are:

  • Making sure that everything runs with clockwork precision
  • Lean manpower with a team of four persons. Some of the tasks included – (1) venue design and decoration, (2) logistics personnel for the sports equipment at the event, (3) liaising with volunteers and sports representatives, and (4) transportation of PWDs participants before and after event.
  • Media relations
  • Coordination with MCCY’s office for the invitation of Guest-of-Honour

Reflection #2 – The Takeaways

Considering the success of the event and feedback gained from the beneficiaries, the campaign’s “Para Sports Day” was very well received.

It would be great if we could organise more of such events but on a larger scale, where we could get more PWDs involved.