SINGAPORE: Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua on Monday ( Mar 10 ) announced a range of initiatives to better support people with disabilities in Singapore in the areas of living independently in the community as well as employment and lifelong learning.
Speaking in parliament as he laid out his agency’s saving ideas for the year, Mr Chua said most people with disabilities live with their families and would like to maintain doing so.  ,
” But, many have ageing caregivers who may shortly be unable to care for them. Without other options, they may end up institutionalised” . ,
An Activated Living Project in the second half of the time will help lower-income people with disabilities, who are not able to sit with their families, to live in designated public hire flats.  ,
They will get assistance such as fundamental control, referrals to monetary assistance and training on living and social abilities, Mr Chua said.  ,
It was reported last year that this captain may offer up to 250 people with disabilities from 2025 to 2028.
Next, a Home Support Programme will be launched in 2026 to help people with disabilities with small to average needs to live at home as long as possible.  ,
For instance, a man with physical disabilities living with a caretaker who is weak and unable to assist his daily needs, will be able to click on the Home Support Programme’s visiting services, such as monitoring and coaching for separate living and interpersonal skills.  ,
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Mr Chua also announced that a new Enabling Skills for Life Programme will work from 2025 to 2028, to deliver lifelong learning opportunities to persons with disabilities who don’t work.  ,
The project, which is targeted at individuals with disabilities with higher aid needs, will be run at determined protected workshops and morning activity centres.  ,
” Persons with disabilities will be better served within a single service catering to their evolving learning needs. They will benefit from a curriculum focused on independent living, communication and language and social-emotional skills, without needing to move between multiple services”, Mr Chua said.  ,
The Institute of Technical Education and disability agency SG Enable will also improve their internship and employment support programme for students with special educational needs.  ,
This will provide pre-employment training, career exploration opportunities and post-graduation job placement with on-site job coaching, for up to a year.  ,
SG Enable will also double its intake for a school-to-work programme from 45 per year today to 90 by 2030.  ,
The programme offers structured training, job placement, and job support in sectors like transport and financial services to graduates from Special Education ( SPED ) schools.
The employment rate of persons with disabilities aged between 15 and 64 has increased, from 28.2 per cent in 2019 to 2020, to 33.6 per cent in 2023 to 2024.  ,
” We will continue to push towards our goal of 40 per cent by 2030″, Mr Chua said.  ,