When Ms Chen Ziyue was in school, she sought comfort in the world of art whenever she was having a hard time.

Given her profound deafness, she struggled to communicate with her peers, because of her poor speech clarity and lack of exposure to sign language back then.

She shared that she became drawn to art as it allowed her to express herself freely.

On Wednesday (July 3), Ziyue, 33, received a S$5,000 award at the Istana at the Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards.

Art may have provided solace in Ziyue’s early life, but it eventually led to a career path as an illustrator of children’s books in Singapore and abroad.

Ziyue was one of the 10 recipients of the UBS Promise Award at the Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards given out by Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong and President Halimah Yacob. The awards are an initiative under the Mediacorp Enable Fund, a charity for people with disabilities.

“These awards, we hope, will be a catalyst for Singaporeans to look at persons with disabilities in an even more positive light and come forward to support their endeavours,” she said.

THOSE WITH DISABILITIES ʻMAKE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS’

The Government is actively engaging persons with disabilities and their caregivers to better understand their aspirations, needs and challenges. It is also working to improve education, training and job placement for persons with disabilities.

President Halimah emphasised the importance of recognising the capacities of persons with disabilities as they not only “excel in their own fields” but make “significant contributions to the society” as well.

In a speech, ESM Goh underscored the nation’s desire to become a more “caring and compassionate” society.

“On the occasion of the Singapore Bicentennial, I have been asking different groups of Singaporeans what kind of society they want for Singapore in SG100. Without fail, ʻcaring and compassionate’ emerges among the top three choices,” he said.

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Source: TODAYOnline, 4 July 2019