SG Enable Empowers Next Generation Leaders through Partnership with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL)

The collaboration with Temasek Polytechnic is the first of many with IHLs to drive disability inclusion

Singapore, 3 December 2022 – Paving the way for a disability-inclusive society, SG Enable, the focal agency for disability and inclusion in Singapore, formalises its partnership with Temasek Polytechnic (TP) on inclusive initiatives in areas such as volunteerism, and mutual sharing of knowledge and skills through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The MoU was inked by Ms Ku Geok Boon, Chief Executive Officer of SG Enable and Mr Peter Lam, Principal & CEO of TP today. The signing was witnessed by Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Ministry of Social and Family Development, who was the Guest of Honour at the Enabling Lives Festival at Enabling Village.

Impactful Partnerships

SG Enable has had a long-standing collaboration with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) through internship and mentorship programmes that support students and graduates with disabilities in their transition to work for enhanced employment and employability. The partnership with TP sets the stage for SG Enable’s expanded partnerships with IHLs in the following areas:

• Public education to effect mindset change and encourage positive actions for disability inclusion. This includes setting up Enabling Volunteer Chapters in IHLs where students take the lead in promoting disability inclusion on campus and beyond in the community.
• Capability development such as resource sharing and training on accessibility and inclusion for the IHLs and faculty/student-led initiatives to build enterprise capabilities for SG Enable’s Social Service Agency partners through leveraging on TP’s domain expertise to support PwDs in their work-life activities and help create resilience and self-reliance, and these can be achieved through collaborating with TP on student projects and internships.
• Disability-inclusive employment initiatives to empower persons with disabilities. This includes career coaching, student internship and mentorship programmes, and inclusive hiring by IHLs.

SENvocates, a co-curricular (CCA) disability advocacy interest group that builds and fosters an inclusive community at TP, is instrumental in driving SG Enable’s collaboration with TP. SENvocates is set up by SG Enable’s iChamp (inclusion champion) and Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards (GCTEA) winner Winston Wong, who is also with the Special Educational Needs Support Office at TP. From an initial membership of four in April 2021, SENvocates now has 50 students.

Through the MoU, SENvocates will become the first IHL Enabling Volunteer Chapter. As an Enabling Volunteer Chapter, SENvocates members are empowered to curate disability programmes and initiatives for external communities as part of outreach and advocacy.

Ms Ku Geok Boon, Chief Executive Officer of SG Enable, said: “Our partnership with TP will empower students to take positive action for disability inclusion while enabling students and graduates with disabilities – from equipping them with the skills they need for their future career to participate more actively in the community. We hope to partner with more IHLs to better prepare the next generation of leaders in disability inclusion.”

Mr Peter Lam, Principal & CEO of TP, said: "The collaboration with SG Enable is significant as TP is constantly exploring opportunities to provide meaningful prospects for our students with disabilities and better prepare them to tackle future challenges. TP has been working with SG Enable over the past few years and this MOU further solidifies our partnership in providing our students with an inclusive and holistic education. We also look forward to pursuing other collaborations with SG Enable in areas such as outreach, public education, capability development and inclusive hiring, in support of Singapore’s inclusivity efforts.”