$1 Billion Plan for the Disabled!

I am excited to read about this in The New Paper on Sunday today.  Perhaps a percentage of this $1B should be set aside to educate both the Disabled and the General Public.  Interestingly, the disabled are unaware of this five-year masterplan though this plan was meant for this particular group.  As a parent of a multiple handicapped person, I am definitely interested to know how to benefit from this fund.

After reading the article, I felt that perhaps the Steering Committee could have, for example, inform the special schools in Singapore so the schools can in turn inform the parents.  Most of these special schools cater to children from 0 year to at least 18 years of age!  I couldn’t agree more with the Member of Parliament for Moulmein-Kallang GRC Denise Phua that the incentives should be communicated more effectively to the disabled.

There are facilities for the disabled such as lifts at the MRT stations, wheelchair access buses, ATMs for the blind, barrier free HDB estates, extra crossing time under the Green Man Plus Scheme.   Are these facilities built using the $1Billion Plan?

How often does the wheelchair bound person able to get into the lifts without having to rush with the other able bodied passengers?  How about the toilets for the handicapped?  These are sometimes used by the able bodied too!  I have personal experience with both.  This is exactly the reason why I don't bring my son to shopping malls on weekends and public holidays!  A real nightmare!

Toilets for Wheelchair/Handicapped Users

I brought Mikaail to Marina Square on Saturday, 10 November for window shopping and also to have our meals there.  I was pleasantly surprised that the management of Marina Square Holdings had pasted a reminder in the handicapped toilet to remind the able bodied users to refrain from using the handicapped toilet.  What a timely reminder as there is no shortage of able bodied users using the toilets meant for the handicapped users.  including tenants of the shopping malls using the handicapped toilets!

We were at IMM on Sunday, 11 November doing some shopping and eating.  When we arrived at IMM, my wheelchair bound son needed to use the toilet.  We were on level 5 and I looked around for a wheelchair toilet.  After looking around for a while, I spotted a wheelchair toilet signage outside the lift lobby, near the carpark.  Alas, the toilet was occupied and after waiting for about 5 - 10 minutes, I knocked on the door.  A tall Indian man stepped out of the toilet and he was not even apologetic after seeing my wheelchair bound son outside the handicapped toilet.  There are ample toilets for the able bodied and I personally loathe seeing these able bodied users misusing the toilets meant for the handicapped users.

I thought that the reminder letter from Marina Square Holdings was a fantastic reminder for the able bodied to refrain from misusing the handicapped toilets.  Perhaps the Restroom Association of Singapore and/or Handicapped Welfare Association would be able to encourage the other malls to have a gentle reminder pasted on both the inside and outside of the wheelchair toilets to remind like minded able bodied users not to misuse the handicapped toilets as there are usually very limited number of wheelchair toilets on each level of the malls.