Forum: Mindset shift needed to enable persons with disabilities to live full lives
We thank Mr Dylan Lau Zhiliang for his views (
- by autobot
- Jan. 30, 2023
- Source article
Publisher object (23)
We thank Mr Dylan Lau Zhiliang for his views ( Jan 24). We share his desire for an inclusive Singapore where all persons with disabilities can participate as integral and contributing members of society. Singapore underscored its commitment to realise this vision by ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2013. Singapore has also developed successive Enabling Masterplans (EMP), which are our national roadmaps to build an inclusive society. Singapore’s approach to enabling persons with disabilities in the EMPs is substantively aligned with the social model of disability in the UNCRPD. In developing our policies and laws, we seek to remove societal barriers in our local context that could hinder persons with disabilities from leading fulfilling lives. The latest EMP2030 contains recommendations covering all aspects of life, including education, employment, public spaces, and societal mindsets, as well as indicators to track our progress. More information on the EMP2030 can be found at Our pragmatic expression of the social model of disability has led to good outcomes. In Singapore’s recent dialogue with the UNCRPD Committee, the committee recognised the wide array of measures Singapore has taken to enable persons with disabilities, and the outcomes that these measures have borne. It also welcomed the adoption of the EMPs. We recognise that more must be done to enable persons with disabilities, and will press on in our efforts to achieve an inclusive society. These include regularly reviewing our laws, policies, and measures in consultation with persons with disabilities, to address gaps in provision so that opportunities are accessible to all. We also recognise that building an inclusive society requires a whole-of-society effort. As Mr Lau highlighted, society’s views on persons with disabilities, undergirded by the values we espouse as a society, influence how truly inclusive a society is. Our policies and laws alone cannot achieve our vision of an inclusive Singapore. We continue to encourage people to be more sensitive when interacting with persons with disabilities, corporates to hire inclusively and design inclusive products and services, and persons with disabilities to champion disability inclusion. Corporates and individuals who need support or who seek to contribute through collaborations and volunteering may approach SG Enable, which is our focal agency for disability inclusion. We invite all to join us to make an inclusive Singapore a reality.
Director, Disability Office
Ministry of Social and Family Development