Many people with disabilities and those recovering from mental health conditions had cited the lack of social inclusion as a top concern, a National Council of Social Service (NCSS) study showed. It surveyed 2,500 persons with physical disabilities and those recovering from mental conditions, as well as seniors.
The results, released yesterday, showed that half of the respondents who have disabilities were not satisfied with their chances to get involved in social activities with friends. Half of them indicated as well that they lacked autonomy to make big decisions, or have control over their lives.
Six in 10 of them, one in 10 seniors, and more than one-third of those recovering from mental health conditions were also not satisfied with their chances to take part in community activities.
Mr Alan Tan, who had polio when he was three and gets around in a wheelchair or with a walking stick, was one of those who said that being able to lead an independent life is very important. The 49-year-old refuses to let his condition dictate his employment status. He started his own business running an art gallery a decade ago, and has been offering graphic design services since he graduated from school in 1992. Alan is also an avid basketball player with the Wheelchair Basketball Association and has been playing for about a year now.
For recovering mental-health patients, the study found that many of them wanted to work, and being socially included would have the greatest impact on improving their quality of life.
On what can be done to help these vulnerable groups achieve their needs or aspirations, Mr Gerard Ee, chairman of advocacy and research at NCSS, said that opportunities should be created for role models to surface.
“If someone with one hand aspires to be a hawker, and he (makes) char kway teow (fried noodles) with only one hand, he will be a great role model for others. The focus will be on what he can do, instead of the fact that he has only one hand,” Mr Ee said.
National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser believes that social inclusion can happen by helping this community to be as self-reliant as possible, such as through skills training or job-matching. “It might even be necessary to re-design the job scope, working hours, and the physical environment to suit the person,” he suggested.
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Source: TODAY Online, 13 June 2017