Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are.
-Bernice Johnson Reagon
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Smokers puff away in toilets for disabled - 26th May 2007 ST forum
I REFER to the letter, 'Don't lock up toilets for disabled in MRT stations'' by Mr Leo Chen Ian (ST, May 18).
I understand his frustration as I face this problem when my wheelchair-bound mother needs to use a toilet for the disabled.
MRT stations are not the only places where such toilets are locked. Many shopping centres also lock them up because of irresponsible and inconsiderate use of such facilities by people who are simply too lazy to queue up to use regular toilets.
Now smoking is banned in toilets, many smokers make use of toilets for the disabled for a quick puff.
Last year, at Plaza Singapura, a smoker came out after we had waited for several minutes. However, we could not enter immediately because the cubicle was so full of smoke, my mother had a coughing fit.
I called the National Environment Agency to highlight the problem after I found stand-alone toilets for the disabled locked up.
On another occasion, at Chinatown MRT station, I knocked on the toilet door to find out if the locked toilet was occupied. Hearing no response, I asked the cleaner to unlock it. He insisted that there was someone inside.
As my mother had a bad stomach ache, I knocked again, pleading with whoever was inside to hurry up. Again silence.
After some 15 minutes, a man and a woman in their 20s emerged together. They left behind a wet toilet.
After the long wait, my mother had already dirtied herself and I spent the next half hour cleaning her up. Can you imagine how difficult it is to manoeuvre an elderly person who can barely stand in a cramped and slippery cubicle half occupied by a wheelchair?
Once, at VivoCity, when the cleaner opened a locked toilet on my request, I found that the lights did not work. Apparently, the supervisor switched them off at the mains to deter able-bodied people from using and dirtying the toilet for the disabled. I had to grope about in pitch darkness to shift my mother from the wheelchair onto the toilet seat and back.
The problem of locked toilets for the disabled lies with inconsiderate users who leave the toilets unflushed, urine and shoe prints on the toilet cover, and soggy toilet paper all over.
Frustrated cleaners are sometimes scolded when they try to dissuade able-bodied people who like the privacy of such toilets to smoke, change their clothes or put on make-up.
Could able-bodied users please show some consideration for the disabled?
Jillian Woon Sook Yin (Ms)
Friday, May 25, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
A "closing" song from EID workshop on 20 May 2007
THE ROSE
Lyrics by Amanda McBroom
Some say love it is a river
that drowns the tender reed.
that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love it is a razor
that leaves the soul to bleed.
that leaves the soul to bleed.
Some say love it is a hunger
an endless aching need.
an endless aching need.
I say love it is a flower
and you, it's only seed.
and you, it's only seed.
It's the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
that never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking
that never takes a chance.
that never takes a chance.
It's the one who can't be taken
who cannot seem to give,
who cannot seem to give,
and the soul afraid of dying
that never learns to live.
that never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely
and the road has been too long,
and the road has been too long,
and you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong,
for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter,
far beneath the bitter snows,
far beneath the bitter snows,
lies the seed that with the suns love
in the spring becomes the rose.
in the spring becomes the rose.
FYI: the seed is your heart; a heart full of love waiting to be opened to others in need.
You can play a significant role in other people's lives. All you need is to open your heart and allow others to enter.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
The Experience
.jpg)
The articles here related the experience I went through for 20 minutes at a place where I pass by rather often, if not frequently. It gave me a totally new perspective on how I need to move about by myself. Not that I am totally immobile! I was mobile on a wheelchair. It was just excruciating as I see it as a great mobility impediment on my part and thus, it became an all frustrating journey. Having said that, I am de-constructing and reconstructing the preconceived ideas and knowledge and this process will be on going.
.jpg)
Monday, May 7, 2007
Straits Times article featuring the explorations in disablility workshop
Small details make all the difference for the disabled
Community project explores their world and 'trains the trainers' to help alter mindsets
By Jessica Cheam May 07, 2007
RAMPS that take the disabled three times longer to get around, stainless steel flooring at MRT stations that gets slippery when it rains.
These might seem like insignificant details, but to people with disabilities, they make all the difference.
The point was made by Disabled People's Association (DPA) president Leo Chen Ian yesterday at a new community project called Explorations In Disability (EiD).
'People don't realise that wheelchair-users feel useless when trying to negotiate these spaces. They feel lost, not because of themselves, but because of the limitations of the environment,' said the 33-year-old.
But Dr Teo Ho Pin, coordinating chairman of the People's Action Party (PAP) town councils, said yesterday that 'there are many factors at play when deciding how and where to build barrier-free access features such as ramps'.
'We do consider the time taken by users, but a variety of factors such as lack of land, underground cables, cost and the existing built environment also have to be taken into consideration,' Dr Teo told The Straits Times separately.
This issue was one of many raised at the four-day EiD programme, being held over two weekends starting last Saturday.
This 'train the trainers' project is the first of its kind for organiser Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC), whose partners are the National Institute of Education and DPA.
Nineteen volunteers, from voluntary welfare organisations to grassroots groups, are in training now to deepen their understanding of people with disabilities, and become 'messengers' for the public in the future.
Come July, they will become trainers and conduct public workshops to help change public mindsets about disability.
This is in line with the vision outlined by the recent 'Enabling Masterplan' unveiled by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports in February: for Singapore to be an inclusive society where persons with disabilities are viewed as equal and contributing members of society.
The 14 PAP town councils plan to retrofit public housing estates with elderly- and disabled-friendly facilities like ramps and railings by 2011.
To gain a deeper understanding, volunteers experienced what it was like to be wheelchair-bound for a day, while carrying out daily tasks such as buying a meal or getting to an MRT station.
One of the volunteers, security officer Lim Say Joon, 51, said that for the first time, he truly understood what they felt on a daily basis.
DPA's Mr Chen added that he hoped the programme would create a 'chain effect' and garner more support from the public to help the disabled feel more included.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Wheelchair users want improvements in access to buses
CNA - Sunday May 6, 4:17 PM
SINGAPORE: It has been almost a year since wheelchair friendly buses were introduced, but a survey by the Society for the Physically Disabled showed that only 40 percent of its mobile members are using them.
Therefore, in an attempt to redesign wheelchairs to meet the challenges of the environment, the society organised a Wheelchair Enabler Competition.
And all three winning entries of the competition were designed by students from the Institute of Technical Education.
One design allows its user to clear a gap of at least 30 centimetres, while another prevents wheelchairs from sliding backwards on steep slopes.
Mohammed Hussain, Book Binder, said: "For wheelchair users, it is difficult to cross drains without platforms. It is also difficult for them to get into the seat space at hawker centres."
Abdul Rahman, a student of the winning team from ITE College Central Tampines in the Wheelchair Enabler Competition, said: "We designed the project with the help of our classmate who is wheelchair-bound and we took about four months to complete the whole wheelchair."
Such inventions can go a long way in complementing the wheelchair friendly buses that were introduced last June, of which 3,500 will be rolled out over the next 17 years.
The Society for the Physically Disabled feels there is a need to review how wheelchair-accessible bus routes are selected.
They feel it may be more practical to have bus routes which link neighbourhoods to the nearest MRT and LRT stations, instead of current bus routes which link one town to another.
Gan Boon Leong, a wheelchair user, said: "For example, we want to go to Suntec City or Marina Square but there is no wheelchair friendly bus that goes there. I want to see more buses for handicapped people so that we can go anywhere in Singapore."
Another complaint by some is the design of these buses.
Currently, it takes more than five minutes for the wheelchair-bound to board a bus, with some help from the bus driver.
Some commuters feel this slows down public transport.
Cedric Foo, Chairman, Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said: "This is a challenge of balancing the needs of the public commuters with that of the elderly and the people with disabilities.
"On one hand, you want the public transport system to be smooth, cost efficient and effective. On the other hand, I think to be inclusive, you need to devise ways to enable those who are physically challenged to use the public transport system.
"The society must accept that Singapore is not just an economy, the public transport system must also be human in that aspect so commuters must be patient if the bus captain is helping somebody who is using a wheelchair to board or disembark the bus."
The Transport Ministry is studying how barrier-free access to public transport can be improved.
- CNA/so
SINGAPORE: It has been almost a year since wheelchair friendly buses were introduced, but a survey by the Society for the Physically Disabled showed that only 40 percent of its mobile members are using them.
Therefore, in an attempt to redesign wheelchairs to meet the challenges of the environment, the society organised a Wheelchair Enabler Competition.
And all three winning entries of the competition were designed by students from the Institute of Technical Education.
One design allows its user to clear a gap of at least 30 centimetres, while another prevents wheelchairs from sliding backwards on steep slopes.
Mohammed Hussain, Book Binder, said: "For wheelchair users, it is difficult to cross drains without platforms. It is also difficult for them to get into the seat space at hawker centres."
Abdul Rahman, a student of the winning team from ITE College Central Tampines in the Wheelchair Enabler Competition, said: "We designed the project with the help of our classmate who is wheelchair-bound and we took about four months to complete the whole wheelchair."
Such inventions can go a long way in complementing the wheelchair friendly buses that were introduced last June, of which 3,500 will be rolled out over the next 17 years.
The Society for the Physically Disabled feels there is a need to review how wheelchair-accessible bus routes are selected.
They feel it may be more practical to have bus routes which link neighbourhoods to the nearest MRT and LRT stations, instead of current bus routes which link one town to another.
Gan Boon Leong, a wheelchair user, said: "For example, we want to go to Suntec City or Marina Square but there is no wheelchair friendly bus that goes there. I want to see more buses for handicapped people so that we can go anywhere in Singapore."
Another complaint by some is the design of these buses.
Currently, it takes more than five minutes for the wheelchair-bound to board a bus, with some help from the bus driver.
Some commuters feel this slows down public transport.
Cedric Foo, Chairman, Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said: "This is a challenge of balancing the needs of the public commuters with that of the elderly and the people with disabilities.
"On one hand, you want the public transport system to be smooth, cost efficient and effective. On the other hand, I think to be inclusive, you need to devise ways to enable those who are physically challenged to use the public transport system.
"The society must accept that Singapore is not just an economy, the public transport system must also be human in that aspect so commuters must be patient if the bus captain is helping somebody who is using a wheelchair to board or disembark the bus."
The Transport Ministry is studying how barrier-free access to public transport can be improved.
- CNA/so
We were in the NEWS - Explorations in Disability facilitators training workshop 2007
理解残疾人士工作坊- 体验残障者困境5 May 2007 2040hrs
郑景祥 source : http://www.xin.sg/article.php?article=5176
新传媒新闻报道，你能想像蒙上眼睛，自己过马路、搭地铁或者买东西所遇到的种种困难吗？中区社理会第一次举办理解残疾人士工作坊，让参与者蒙上双眼，坐上轮椅，感受社会的冷暖。
平时轻而易举就可以办到的事，坐上轮椅后就变得举步艰难。20名老师、辅导员和义工参与了理解残疾人士工作坊，亲身体验了残障者所遇到的困难。
幸好还有其他学员从旁指引和协助，但在短短两个小时的活动中，他们的观念已经有所改变。
为期四天的工作坊除了课堂理论，还会安排学员和残疾人士面对面交流。他们毕业后，将在接下来的工作坊里，协助教导其他学员。
PROJECT ABLED is recruiting volunteers for the coming charity events which will be held progessively from jun to aug 2007. Volunteers can choose to be involved in one or more events. Volunteers will be given a training workshop which involves games and exploration in disability activities. It is a fun-filled and rewarding activity and we hope that volunteers can play a part in moulding our society into a loving and inclusive one. Feel free to drop us an email : projectabled@gmail.com
For the actual news broadcast that is featured on channel 8 saturday 5 may news:
To see us in the interview pls go to the above website and click on the mini film icon which is next to the 
chinese headings - 理解残疾人士工作坊. You will be able to see one of our team members, Pang Hwei Ying, in the interview and what our team has been learning in the workshop to enable us to better understand people with disabilities.
Our VWO: Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA)
This year, our team is honoured to have HWA as our VWO and we hope to seek a close working relationship with the management and members of HWA. Our aim is to build an inclusive society for people with disabilities to live in.Visit HWA's website: http://www.hwa.org.sg
VWO is the acronym for Voluntary Welfare Organisation and it refers to an organization that:
- is a voluntary set-up and governed by an elected volunteer board
- is non-profit making
- promotes and provides social and community services in financial, emotional, educational, health and social aid and support
- caters for those in need, distress or at-risk and helps the disadvantaged and disabled to be independent
- is driven by a strong spirit of volunteerism and works with volunteers, government authorities, public and private organisations and the community.
Source from www.youthforcauses.com
CitiBank & YMCA - youth for causes 2007
Team Metamorphosis has been selected to be among the 105 fund raising groups for the Youth for Causes challenge this year. Our idea: Project Abled is going to take flight from 19 MAY 2007 during the inauguration ceremony at Anglo Chinese School at Barker Rd. To find out more about this mega charity event please visit this website:
Team Metamorphosis---Yes! We were Born 14 April 2007
Project ABLED Project ABLED is a non-profit making project which aims play a role to create a truly and totally inclusive society regardless of people with different abilities.
Team Metamorphosis believes that each and every one of us is able to strive to do our part to make Singapore a truly and totally inclusive society where the people of different abilities will live, work and play together.
This Project is initiated by a team of 4 working adults :
1.Tan Zhi Aun (ZaTan)
2.Mohammad Noor Mohamed Hussein
3.Lim Wee Yin
4.Pang Hwei Ying Vera
For enquiry and volunteering pls send your email to:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
