disability

Healthcare subsidies for persons with disabilities

Committee of Supply debate, Ministry of Health, 5 March 2024

Currently, Pioneer Generation, Merdeka Generation and Public Assistance cardholders receive special subsidies under CHAS.

I would like to propose adding persons with disabilities or special needs as another group of Singaporeans to receive special subsidies under CHAS. They should also receive additional MediSave top-ups and more subsidies for intermediate and long-term care.

All this will help persons with disabilities or special needs — and their families — to defray their medical expenses, which are likely to be larger over their lifetimes.

I would also like to suggest that MOH track the number of individuals under CHAS who are persons with disabilities or special needs, so as to better understand the healthcare expenses and needs of this group of Singaporeans.

Insurance coverage for persons with disabilities or special needs

My speech in Parliament during the Committee of Supply debate (Prime Minister’s Office).

Persons with disabilities or special needs often receive inadequate insurance coverage to protect themselves. Even if they manage to get insured, the scope of coverage and insured amount is often limited. MAS is proposing to issue guidelines to insurers that they should not indiscriminately reject an application solely based on declared personal information such as a disability.

Mr Chairman,

Instead, insurers are expected to carry out an objective assessment of every application based on reliable information or data relevant to the risks being insured. However, even under the new proposed guidelines, insurers are not prohibited from declining applications, setting higher premiums or applying conditions in view of the risks presented by an applicant with a disability.

Can the Minister explain when these guidelines will be issued, and how they will be materially different or more beneficial to persons with disabilities or special needs?

MOM: Workplace discrimination against PwDs

About 78% of persons with disabilities (PwDs) have reported experiencing discrimination at the workplace, according to a survey last August by AWARE and Milieu Insight. Discrimination faced by PwDs can range from exploitation and denigration, to stereotyping and displaying patronising attitudes towards them.

The Government has announced its intention to enshrine the TAFEP Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in a new workplace anti-discrimination law. It is important to ensure that this legislation provides sufficient protection for PwDs. To achieve this, the law should incorporate several key provisions, which have also been recommended by the Disabled People’s Association.

First, it needs a definition of disability that is inclusive of the entire disability population in Singapore.

Second, it should require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to PwD employees. A reasonable accommodation is a modification to a job or work environment that enables a qualified PwD to perform the essential functions of the job and have the same employment opportunities as their able-bodied colleagues, without imposing an unreasonable burden on the employer. Singapore ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) a decade ago. Article 27 of the CRPD requires signatories to take appropriate steps, including legislation, to ensure that reasonable accommodation is provided to PwDs in the workplace. Examples of reasonable accommodations may include providing screen readers, installing ramps, offering flexible work arrangements, or conducting meetings online.

And third, the legislation must be enforceable in a timely manner and provide the necessary remedies and measures to prevent repeat offences.

Enshrining these provisions in the anti-discrimination legislation will ensure it is effective in preventing PwDs from being excluded from the workforce.

We need to change societal attitudes to foster inclusivity in the workplace for PwDs. Rather than viewing PwDs as beneficiaries of charity, we must recognise them as individuals and workers who possess equal rights and contribute valuable skills to the workforce.

Is the Ministry looking to do more to highlight the contributions to PwDs in the workplace?

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Committee of Supply Debate, Ministry of Manpower, 1 March 2023

Photo by SHVETS production on Pexels

MOE: PwDs’ access to SkillsFuture programmes

[Declaration of interest] I declare that I am an owner and director of a company that provides software for the administration of SkillsFuture-funded courses.

Persons with disabilities (PwDs) need access to training and lifelong learning just as much as their able-bodied counterparts. However, they sometimes face barriers to attending courses. According to the Disabled People’s Association, PwDs have encountered SkillsFuture-funded courses that use charts or diagrams with no text descriptions, creating difficulties for visually-impaired persons.

Accessibility should be embedded in all SkillsFuture-funded courses. There should be a set of guidelines to ensure that reasonable accommodations are provided. MOE could also establish a Disability Support Office to provide support to PwDs and training providers to implement reasonable accommodations for SkillsFuture courses.

I appreciate that SG Enable is curating courses suitable for the disability community and the Enabling Academy will assist in creating accessible courses. However, to be fully inclusive, PwDs need access to all courses that are open to the general public, not just a curated subset.

Can I ask the Minister what proportion of SkillsFuture courses are currently accessible to PwDs? How is SSG ensuring that most SkillsFuture courses are accessible and will there be a standardisation of accessibility for all SkillsFuture courses?

Committee of Supply Debate, Ministry of Education, 28 Feb 2023

Photo by Marcus Aurelius on Pexels

Adult disability care

Many residents with moderate to severe disabilities require care provided for by adult disability care facilities like Day Activity Centres, Adult Disability Homes, Adult Disability Hostels and Sheltered Workshops.

May I ask the Minister what is the current utilisation rate among each of these facilities and what are their staff-client ratios? How many individuals are on the waiting list for these centres currently?

Based on publicly available information, I understand the waiting times, depending on centres, can vary from three months to two years.

If there is insufficient capacity and inadequate staffing at these facilities, this can create a cliff effect for those with special needs. They would have been receiving care from special education (SPED) schools but have difficulty finding the same level of support after leaving school. As a result, their ageing parents often have to bear the full weight of caregiving, and many worry about how their children will be cared for after they pass on.

I would like to call for MSF to enhance its funding and support for adult disability care facilities to be at least on par with what SPED schools receive.

Such funding can help expand the capacity of care facilities and reduce their long waitlists. It can also go towards hiring and retaining more good staff, including Singaporeans, with better pay and working conditions.

All this will enable the centres to conduct more meaningful and effective engagement and training activities for their clients, and lighten the worries of their caregivers.

Besides improving the welfare of their clients, it will also give caregivers much-needed respite and allow them to be economically active if they choose to. This will produce both tangible and intangible returns for families, our society and our economy.

This was my “cut” during the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s Committee of Supply debate on 9 Mar 2022.