Getting help in Singapore isn’t a herculean task if you know where to look for it – fact is, there is plenty of information online. For all things related to disability support schemes, services and resources, it starts here with the Enabling Guide. We speak to two individuals to find out how it has helped them.
Developed by SG Enable and launched in July 2019, the Enabling Guide is a first-stop resource website for persons with disabilities and their caregivers to find help. It pulls together information and resources for persons with disabilities, and organises them according to disability types, life stages, and specific needs. This means you’ll spend less time weeding out irrelevant information, and more time with your loved ones. It also means getting the help you need faster.
Knowledge is Power
For homemaker Farah Juwita, the Enabling Guide helped her to understand what was happening with her youngest son Ilhanshah, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the age of four. At that point, she felt helpless and lonely, as she had no knowledge of ASD or prior experience in taking care of someone with special needs. She also did not know where to find help or available support, she said.
Through SG Enable, Farah was invited to review the Enabling Guide before it went “live”. She used it to learn more about ASD as well as Special Education Needs (SPED) schools as Ilhan will enter primary school in 2020.
“The Enabling Guide has been a very useful tool in finding information for both Ilhan and me as a caregiver. It is comprehensive yet easy to understand, with helpful tips and links to other useful websites. On top of that, it is easily accessible online.”
Farah says that the information on SPED and mainstream schools are especially useful to her and other parents who are thinking about which schools to send their children as they reach the school-going age.
She adds: “Overall, I think the Enabling Guide should be everyone’s go-to site as the resources available are definitely helpful.”
One-Stop Shop for Support
One of the key advantages to using the Enabling Guide is that it gives a snapshot of many available resources provided by multiple public agencies, social service agencies and businesses including social enterprises. These resources include schemes and services that range from early intervention and education to employment, social care, financial assistance and assistive technology for persons with disabilities. It also helps caregivers, family members and friends, community leaders, educators, healthcare providers and employers to better support persons with disabilities.
That’s what drew homemaker Ng Wen Jing to the Enabling Guide – something she wished was available when her daughter Jing An was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay at 20 months old.
Recounting her experience of searching for a childcare centre, Wen Jing said she had to navigate through several websites, talk to each of the centres individually about their programmes, and check if they would be able to enroll her child.
“A lot of time was spent researching for a suitable childcare centre, visiting each centre, and bringing my daughter there to be assessed. Emotionally, it was overwhelming. If the Enabling Guide was available then, I would have shortened my search time.”
Fast forward to today, Wen Jing says she especially likes the service directory which offers links to many early intervention programmes and SPED schools, organised by life stages. She also finds the information about the various educational pathways for her daughter reassuring.
She adds: “I like that the Enabling Guide is a platform tailored for individual needs. As a caregiver, I was searching for support and a counsellor. I did my own research and it was pretty frustrating and hard to find someone who could understand what I was going through and help me.”
More about Enabling Guide
The Enabling Guide is not just for persons with disabilities and their caregivers. It is also for community leaders, educators, healthcare providers and employers who want to know how they can better support their constituents, students, patients and employees with disabilities.
Start exploring:
With this website, you will be able to start your search for support and use it to help you navigate your way through the listed resources. To share your feedback, or to report any technical issues related to the website, email contactus@sgenable.sg.