In fact, people with disabilities and their advocates for them claimed that Singapore has made progress in creating a more welcoming work and expanding job opportunities for people with disabilities.
They cited important activities that have promoted diverse choosing, such as the Open Door Programme and the Enabling Employment Credit, as government grants and assistance.
They even cited the Enabling Masterplan 2030, which provides a list of 29 suggestions for helping people with disabilities, as well as its 2022 announcement.  ,  ,
By 2030, 40 % of people with disabilities will be employed, up from 31.4 percent in 2022, according to the tips.
While some illness proponents said that this goal is both “ambitious” and “achievable”, they added that more needs to be done to improve companies ‘ consciousness of illness to better connect people with disabilities , into the working world.  ,
For instance, it is necessary to examine the 40 % employment rate further to determine what qualifies as “gainfully employed.”
Referring to the current scenario, Ms Cassandra Chiu, chairman of the Handicapped Women’s Association, wondered what proportion of people with disability who are employed are also unemployed, where they hold tasks that are far below their skill set.  ,  ,
According to Ms. Chiu,” we must find real jobs as people with disabilities rather than be created jobs.”  ,
Disability advocates emphasized other issues, such as career advancement and disability mobility, in addition to raising the employment rate.  ,
TODAY examines how workplace attitudes have changed and how much people’s perceptions have changed since Singapore’s May 1 birth anniversary.  ,
THE PROGRESS SO FAR ,  ,
Although there is still room for improvement, disability advocates and organizations claim that Singapore has made strides in promoting equality for people with disabilities at work.
In Singapore, the prevalence of disability is 2.1 per cent of the student population, which is approximately 460, 000.  ,
The prevalence of disability for those between the ages of 18 and 49 is 3.4 %, and it covers residents over 50.
Resident employment rate for persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64 has increased from 28.2 per cent in the period of 2018 to 2019 when such data was first collected, to 30.1 per cent from 2020 to 2021 and to 31.4 per cent between 2021 to 2022.
From 2018- 2019 to 2020- 2021, the , nominal median gross monthly income from work ( including employer Central Provident Fund contributions ) of full- time employed persons with disabilities rose by 4.0 per cent from S$ 2, 630 ( US$ 1, 940 ) to S$ 2, 735.  ,  ,
According to Mr. Nasrul Rohmat, executive director of My Inspiring Journey ( MIJ) Hub ),” Over the past years, there have definitely been more resources from the government and more employers who start opening up and want to employ those with special needs.”
A non-profit organization called MIJ Hub offers educational opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities between the ages of three and thirty.
Ms Chiu, who is blind, added:  ,” If we look at the last 20 years or so in terms of employment of persons with disabilities, I think there are a lot more schemes currently” . ,
She serves as the executive director of the Singaporean charity K9Assistance, which promotes the use and acceptance of assistance dogs for people with disabilities.  ,
Ms. Chiu recalls how challenging it was to work as a school counselor in public schools after earning her Masters in Counseling in 2011. Before taking into account Central Provident Fund deductions, she discovered that her salary was half that of her peers and that she was working for a private organization that counseled inmates at Changi Prison.  ,
Ms. Chiu had to bring her own laptop to the workplace because she was not given access to a laptop with accessibility software for her work.  ,
She said,” I was n’t able to do my job because there were beliefs or attitudes that a blind person could n’t do the job because it was dangerous or whatever the reason was.”  ,
When he was tasked with taking the minutes of a government body’s meetings, Mr. Winston Wong, 35, who is hard of hearing, recalls how his first job there in 2014 was rather unpleasant.  ,
Mr. Wong cannot multitask or take landline calls because he uses lip-reading to communicate with people.  ,
” I was forced to take meeting minutes because I was a fresh graduate, and to be honest, nobody wanted to do it”, he said.  ,
When Mr. Wong declared he would not be able to perform well, his manager persisted and worked with a colleague.  ,  ,
The partner took the majority of the meeting’s minutes because it was difficult for me. This probably had an impact on my performance review, according to Mr. Wong.