Singapore to improve employment opportunities for disabled people

Singapore is set to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities, with plans on bringing job support services to the heartland, and strengthening soft skills curriculum in special education schools.

The plans are built on 21 recommendations by two workgroups — the employment workgroup, which focuses on preparing persons with disabilities for the future economy, and the independent living workgroup, which aims to promote independent living of people with disabilities through technology and design.

The recommendations from the workgroups — which also touch on issues like digital inclusion and barrier-free accessibility — came after consultations with about 300 persons with disabilities, their families, caregivers, and disability social service agencies over the course of two years.

Some of the plans have already been rolled out by ministries and agencies in 2020, while more will be rolled out progressively from 2H2021. The two workgroups were launched in 2019 as part of Singapore’s national roadmap to build a more inclusive society for people with disabilities. 

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“All these years, we have been trying to enable persons with disabilities so they can work like us. We hope more of them can be absorbed into the workforce by either providing the support that they need or training that the employers want us to give,” said Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, who co-chairs both workgroups, reports The Straits Times.