More people with disabilities tapping enhanced tech fund

This post came out from The Straits Times (21 July 2016)

More than 1,100 people with disabilities have benefited from a fund that helps them pay less for assistive technology, mobile apps and devices such as hearing aids since criteria to qualify for the subsidies were changed in August last year. This is more than a fivefold jump from the figure over the one year period before the changes were made - and has exceeded expectations, The Straits Times has learnt.

When announcing the changes to the Assistive Technology Fund (ATF) in March last year, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam had said that he expected the number of beneficiaries to double from 200 to 400 a year. The ATF disburses up to 90 per cent of the cost of the equipment. Three enhancements were made to the funding scheme.

Previously, the fund could only be used to buy assistive technology devices only for use in school or at work. It can now be used to pay for devices for more purposes, including those that help with daily living. The monthly household income per capita cap for eligibility was raised from $1,500 to $1,800, to help more families to benefit. The lifetime cap for subsidies was doubled to $40,000, as people may need money to replace devices or buy new ones when their needs change as they age.

Mr Tharman had said the Government wanted to encourage and support the use of assistive technology by people with disabilities. There is scope for them to make better use of technology, not just in education and in jobs, but also for rehabilitation and daily living. The technologies themselves are advancing, making them better designed for use by people with disabilities.

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

Something Small Thinking Big

Special education grads to get more help finding jobs

This post came out from The Straits Times (17 October 2015)

Graduating students with special needs have been getting help to find jobs via a school-to-work scheme, which will be expanded next year. The scheme, started a year ago, has helped place 30 students who graduated from five special education (Sped) schools last year, on work stints with 10 firms.

Acting Minister for Education Ng Chee Meng, who gave this update yesterday at the biennial Special Education Learning Day, said employers are interested in hiring Sped graduates after they finish training. "These graduates are acquiring important work skills and gaining greater confidence as contributing individuals at their work place," said Mr Ng, who was speaking to 1,700 educators at the Resorts World Convention Centre.

The scheme was developed by the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and SG Enable, a government established body that offers services for people with disabilities.

It will be expanded to more Sped schools in phrases from next year, said Mr Ng. The schools currently on the scheme are Pathlight School, APSN Delta Senior School, Grace Orchard School, Metta School and Woodlands Gardens School.

This year, another 30 final year students from these schools will join the scheme. They will be referred to SG Enable to identify employment or training opportunities. The first batch of 2014 graduates started their nine month internship in March. They have been receiving training from job coaches at their workplace. Prior to the stint, they had two months of training with SG Enable to learn social skills and build up their physical stamina for work.

Currently, one in four Sped graduates is employed successfully after vocational education programmes in Sped schools. There are 20 Sped schools here with about 5000 students aged seven to 18.

Yesterday, Mr Ng said that MOE has improved the quality of Sped in the past five years through efforts such as literacy and numeracy programmes. It will increase funding for Sped schools to hire IT professionals and use technology for learning, and ensure that staff salaries remain competitive so they can attract and retain quality staff, he added.

Thoughts:

1. It is important to see such programmes on three aspects. Individually, the student would feel that he is a useful individual who can earn some money to support himself/herself and the family. This will also raise the person's self esteem and confidence, as well as feeling of leading a meaningful life.
2. At the family level, such programmes also helps family members to reduce stress in caregiving for the child. Imagine the family has to plan for day activity centre (with all the pick ups), or quitting job to stay at home and look after the child. This will no longer be required as a child who has been trained would be equipped with all the necessary skills. This overall lessens the burden on the family.
3. At the society/ community level, it would help to put tax payers money into better use to turn individuals into contributing members of the society, rather than putting him/her (and the family members) out of the economic cycle. Also, another person put in the economy also helps in some ways to meet needs of manpower too!
4. So many wins in a programme! 

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

Something Small Thinking Big

Rules on parking labels for disabled set to be tightened

This post came out from The Straits Times (28 September 2015)

Those who ferry passengers with disabilities may soon find it harder to get the coveted label that allows them to park at parking spaces reserved for those with disabilities. The authorities are looking into tighten how these labels are issued, following a spike in the number of people using them and feedback on shortage of such designated parking spaces because of abuse.

In future, passengers who use smaller mobility aids, such as walking sticks or frames, may not qualify for the parking labels. The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said: "There is competition for these parking spaces due to the ageing population and we would like to reserve them for those who need it most, especially those who use bulky equipment such as wheelchairs."

An accessible parking space is 1.5 times bigger than a usual one. Last year, 1229 Class 2 parking labels were issued, 62 per cent more than the 757 in 2010. They are given to disabled people who are being ferried by caregivers and allow vehicles to be parked in the allocated spaces for up to 60 minutes each time.

Over the same period, the number of Class 1 parking labels given to disabled drivers increased by 39 per cent, from 271 to 377. Cars with such labels can park at designated spaces with no time limit, and can do so free for the first hour at carparks run by the Housing Board and Urban Redevelopment Authority

The government committee reviewing the scheme is also looking at how the number of reserved parking spaces for the disabled is calculated. More accessible parking spaces may be built in areas with larger numbers of elderly people.

SG Enable, a government established body that offers services for people with disabilities, receives on average 10 complaints each month about the misuse of carpark labels. Half of the complaints are about able-bodied individuals driving vehicles with Class 1 label. The other half come from disabled drivers who cannot find parking spaces because some motorists using Class 2 label exceed the permitted time or use the reserved spaces even when they are not ferrying disabled passengers.

Thoughts:

1. Misuse of carpark labels, I think it is something that the authorities should really look into to deter people from doing so. I am a little skeptical about how gracious Singaporeans can be as they may think that having the label is an entitlement and not willing to compromise. I will support a stronger hand if the Government wishes to impose fines on such drivers!

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

Something Small Thinking Big

$30 million scheme to help disabled workers and their employers

This post came out from The New Paper (19 September 2015)

The Open Door Programme (ODP) is an initiative run by Government agency SG Enable that supports disabled workers and their employers.

In April last year, the Government set aside $30 million to fund the scheme over three years. Any Singapore-registered organisation interested in hiring, or who has hired employees with disabilities can apply for the programme that helps integrate disabled workers into the workplace.

The scheme covers job training, recruitment services, workplace modification, job redesign and other funds to ease employers into hiring disabled workers. That means employers worried about additional costs when hiring disabled workers can apply for financial grants to send disabled employees for training and create a user-friendly workplace.

Any disabled person who is looking for a job or wish to attend skills upgrading courses can also apply for the ODP. Unemployed workers can refer to the Open Door Job Portal as well as apply for training grants and allowances during the training period.

Registration and posting of job vacancies is free on the SG Enable website. Employers and employees can register with SG Enable by calling 1800 8585 885. More information can be found at www.sgenable.sg in the ODP section.


Thoughts:

1. The government is doing its part to fund this mega project to help the disabled community in skills training, job placement and modification of the workplace. This seems to be a great push towards a greater inclusive society.
2. That said, one would ask if there has been enough publicity to the businesses to inform them on this scheme? 
3. Other than that, are there also relevant job positions that businesses can craft out to cater for the disabled worker too?

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

Something Small Thinking Big

$30m job scheme to help the disabled

This post came out from The Straits Times (25 April 2014)

A new $30 million scheme will help people with disabilities to train and look for jobs, and defray employers' costs in supporting them. The Open Door Programme was announced last night by Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing.

Speaking at last night's Enabling Employers Awards Gala Dinner at Gardens by the Bay, he said more companies are becoming interested in hiring people with disabilities. "To take advantage of this rising interest, we have decided to provide employers and persons with disabilities better job and training support," he said.

The new scheme replaces the former Open Door Fund, which also subsidised employers' efforts to recruit and integrate disabled people. However, whereas the fund could be tapped for only new employees, the programme covers both new and existing workers with disabilities. The money can go towards apprenticeships, job and workplace redesign, and training staff to work with disabled colleagues. A funding cap of $100,000 per company has also been lifted.

More funding will also be given for apprenticeships: 70 per cent of the apprentice's salary capped at $1,00 a month for up to four months, with a possible two months more. This is up from 60 per cent, capped at $600 a month.

Unlike the fund, which was for companies, the programme is also open to individuals with disabilities themselves. They can get help to search for jobs and funding support for training. The Government has set aside $30 million for the scheme over the next three years, funded mainly by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency and supplemented by the ministry. It is expected to help some 4,000 people with disabilities and 1,000 employers. Interested companies and workers can contact SG Enable, a government established agency which administers the scheme.

Thoughts:

1. I believe in empowering a person to do the best of his/her capabilities, and this includes people with disabilities! This scheme not only allows these individuals to upgrade themselves, but also enables the companies to tap on the fund to make the workplace more disabled-family. How cool is that! 

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

Something Small Thinking Big

Helping those with acquired disability

This post came out from The Straits Times (24 August 2015)

People who acquire disabilities halfway through life and can no longer do the same job may draw comfort from two schemes set up in the last year or so to help them.

The Transitional Programme for Employment was piloted in June last year and aimed at people below 50 who have spinal cord injuries or strokes. The scheme is delivered by the SPD - formerly the Society for the Physically Disabled - and puts clients through rehabilitation, job training and counselling, and then job matching. It has since taken in 63 clients and matched nine to jobs.

The other programme, iEnable, was launched in April last year and is helmed by SG Enable, a government-established agency formed to provide services for people with disabilities. iEnable attaches a case manager to each client to help repair clients' confidence, support them emotionally, prepare them for job interviews, and get them a new job with an employer who understands their needs. It has taken in 51 clients and helped 19 get jobs.

While there are no national figures on people with acquired disabilities losing employment, SG Enable said there are about 300 patients suffering from spinal cord injuries and amputations discharged from hospitals every year. Acquired disabilities can arise from severe stroke, traffic accidents, or diseases such as diabetes, which may require amputation. Those with new disabilities sometimes cannot carry out the same jobs. There were 6,567 stroke cases in 2013 and studies done in other countries show that only 20.7 per cent remained employed after a stroke, with half of these having had a change of jobs.

Depending on a person's financial situation, iEnable can help him get aid for his daily basic needs and offer pre-employment assistance such as buying new work clothes and helping with transport fees, training and job interviews. iEnable currently relies on medical social workers from 10 public and community hospitals to refer clients with acquired disabilities.

Thoughts:

1. Nice to hear more about employment support for the disabled. It is heartening to hear that other than employment, the psychological and financial support comes along with it as well, thus reducing the burden/ strains which these people and their families are facing over the loss of employment and income. 
2. Next step is to even make such schemes known further! As reported about seven thousand stroke cases in a year where only 20 per cent remained employed in their job. These agencies can do more with publicity and reach out to those in need! Besides, the disabled can also be meaningful contributors to the society, and need not be always on the receiving end!

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

Something Small Thinking Big