Country / Singapore
1/ Background Statistics
Human development index rank / 271
GNI per capita (PPP in US$) / 48,8931
Life expectancy at birth (years) / 80.71
Mean years of schooling (years) / 8.81
Expected years of schooling (years) / 14.4 1, a
Total population / 5,086,0002
2/ Disability Statistics
Population of persons with disabilities / 131,000b
Proportion of persons with disabilities to total population / 3.0 – 4.0 per cent3, b
Employment rate of persons with disabilities / ..
Access to education / ..
3/Definitions
Definition of disability / Enabling Master Plan 2007-2011 (chap. 1, para. 1)
“[P]hysical disabilities include impairments such as amputations and the effects of polio; sensory disabilities are defined as hearing impairment with the loss of hearing for sounds below 12 decibels, and visual impairment with eye-test scores of less than 3/60 (blindness) or less than 6/18 (low vision); intellectual disabilities are defined as those with an IQ of 70 & below; and other developmental disorders include examples such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).”
Definition of persons with disabilities / TheEnabling Master Plan 2007-2011 defines persons with disabilities as “those whose prospects of securing, retaining places and advancing in education and training institutions, employment and recreation as equal members of the community are substantially reduced as a result of physical, sensory, intellectual and developmental impairments.”
Categories of impairment / The Singapore Government’sClassification of Different Disability Types includes seven types of disability: 1) visual disability, 2) hearing disability, 3) physical disability, 4) intellectual disability, 5) learning disability, 6) autism spectrum disorder and 7) multiple disabilities.
TheEnabling Master Plan 2007-2011notes that “[P]hysical disabilities include impairments such as amputations and the effects of polio; sensory disabilities are defined as hearing impairment with the loss of hearing for sounds below 12 decibels, and visual impairment with eye-test scores of less than 3/60 (blindness) or less than 6/18 (low vision); intellectual disabilities are defined as those with an IQ of 70 & below; and other developmental disorders include examples such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).” (Singapore 2007a, chapter 1)
TheCode on Accessibility in the Built Environment (2007)defines persons with disabilities as “persons whose mobility and use of a building are affected as a consequence of one or more of the following physical or sensory disabilities or impairments: (a) ambulant disabled; (b) wheelchair-bound; (c) hearing impairment or deafness; or (d) visual impairment or blindness.” (Singapore 2007b)
4/ Commitment to International Instruments on Disability
Ratification or signatory of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and its Optional Protocol / No4
Ratification of ILO Convention 159 / No5
Ratification or signatory of the Convention on Cluster Munitions / No6
Ratification or signatory of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction / No7
5/Legal Framework
Constitutional provisions / ..
Disability-specific laws
Comprehensive / Mental Capacity Act (2008)
Sectoral / ..
Disability-inclusive laws / Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment (2007)
6/Policy Framework
Disability-specific policies
Comprehensive / Enabling Master Plan 2007-2011
Sectoral / ..
Disability-inclusive / ..
7/Institutional Framework
The national coordination mechanism or disability focal point / Disability Policy Branch, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
Sources:
- United Nations Development Programme (2010). Human Development Report 2010 (New York, UNDP).
- United Nations (2011).World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision, accessed from on 28 July 2011.
- Singapore (2008a). Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, electronic communication with ESCAP.
- United Nations (2011). “Convention and Optional Protocol Signatures and Ratifications”, on the United Nations Enable website, accessed from 17 October 2011.
- International Labour Organization (2011). “Convention No. C 159”, accessed from 17 October 2011.
- Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) (2008). “Ratifications and Signatures”, accessed from 17 October 2011.
- Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (1997). “State Parties and Signatories”, accessed from on 17 October 2011.
Notes:
- Based on cross-country regression.
- Estimated by ESCAP secretariat according to the available data. It should be noted that the Enabling Master Plan 2007-2011 indicates that “Collecting statistics of the number of persons with disabilities in Singapore has remained a challenge till today […). The most robust data is that for the pre-school cohort (0-6 years old). About 1,400 children are diagnosed annually to have patterns of developmental problems. This is about 3.2 per cent of the cohort annually. However, this is not a prevalence rate as there could be children who are not diagnosed. Furthermore, we could not extrapolate this rate to the older cohorts. Thus, we could not arrive at the prevalence rate of disability in Singapore.”
Comprehensive
1.Definitions
a) Disability
“[P]hysical disabilities include impairments such as amputations and the effects of polio; sensory disabilities are defined as hearing impairment with the loss of hearing for sounds below 12 decibels, and visual impairment with eye-test scores of less than 3/60 (blindness) or less than 6/18 (low vision); intellectual disabilities are defined as those with an IQ of 70 & below; and other developmental disorders include examples such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).” (Singapore 2007a, chap. 1, para. 4)
b) Persons with disabilities
TheEnabling Master Plan 2007-2011 defines persons with disabilities as “those whose prospects of securing, retaining places and advancing in education and training institutions, employment and recreation as equal members of the community are substantially reduced as a result of physical, sensory, intellectual and developmental impairments.” (Singapore 2007a, chapter 1)
c) Categories of impairment
The Singapore Government’sClassification of Different Disability Types includes seven types of disability: 1) visual disability, 2) hearing disability, 3) physical disability, 4) intellectual disability, 5) learning disability, 6) autism spectrum disorder and 7) multiple disabilities.
TheEnabling Master Plan 2007-2011notes that “[P]hysical disabilities include impairments such as amputations and the effects of polio; sensory disabilities are defined as hearing impairment with the loss of hearing for sounds below 12 decibels, and visual impairment with eye-test scores of less than 3/60 (blindness) or less than 6/18 (low vision); intellectual disabilities are defined as those with an IQ of 70 & below; and other developmental disorders include examples such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).” (Singapore 2007a, chapter 1)
TheCode on Accessibility in the Built Environment (2007)defines persons with disabilities as “persons whose mobility and use of a building are affected as a consequence of one or more of the following physical or sensory disabilities or impairments: (a) ambulant disabled; (b) wheelchair-bound; (c) hearing impairment or deafness; or (d) visual impairment or blindness.” (Singapore 2007b)
2.Legal framework
a) Constitutional provisions
..
b) Disability-specific laws and regulations
i. Comprehensive disability-specific laws and regulations
- Mental Capacity Act, 2008
[English] – [Chinese]
The Mental Capacity Act (Singapore 2008) allows Singaporeans to appoint people whom they can trust to make decisions on their behalf should they become mentally incapacitated. This Act covers the actions and decisions made by caregivers of people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions on their own. Presently, the Mental Capacity Act is in its implementation stages and will come into effect when theOffice ofPublic Guardianis set up and the Code of Practice is ready by September 2009.
ii. Sectoral disability-specific laws and regulations
..
c) Disability-inclusive laws and regulations
- Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment, 2007
[English] – [Chinese]
Following and expanding the initial Code on Barrier-Free Accessibility in Buildings (1990), the Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment (Singapore 2007b) sets out the basic design and construction requirements and guidelines for “improving accessibility in the built environment for persons with disabilities”.
With the aim of creating “a built environment that is seamlessly connected so that people of all ages and physical conditions will be able to integrate into the mainstream society and lead an active as well as normal life”, the Code includes “mandatory barrier-free features in common areas of new buildings” and “non-mandatory design guidelines have been included to help architects and building owners design buildings for specific needs.”
The Code sets requirements for interconnection between buildings and those from buildings to infrastructure. Requirements to improve the level of accessibility in transport stations, bus shelters, vehicles parks, public parks and open spaces are also included.
- Income Tax Act, 1947
[English] – [Chinese]
The Income Tax Act (Singapore 1947) provides income tax deduction to owners or lessees of premises who have incurred expenses in relation to additions and alterations to premises that would facilitate the mobility or work of persons with disabilities, subject to rules and conditions in the Act.
3.Policies and plans
a) Disability-specific policies and plans
i. Comprehensive disability-specific policies and plans
- Enabling Master Plan 2007-2011 for the Disability Sector, 2007
[English] – [Chinese]
Commissioned by the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports, the Enabling Master Plan 2007 - 2011 (Singapore 2007a) charts the development of programmes and services in the disability sector for 2007 - 2011.
It presents recommendations designed "to enhance the integration of persons with disabilities in Singapore and to maximize their potential for independent living." The Committee utilized the 5P approach (People, Private and Public Sectors, Parents and Persons with disabilities themselves) that provided all stakeholders a voice in the national policy.
Key recommendations include the following:
- Achieve better child outcomes with a holistic and integrated early intervention and education system, including systematic assessment and placement in special education or mainstream schools, and the development of a curriculum framework and quality curricula for both academic and life skills.
- Allow persons with disabilities to be gainfully employed with an employment paradigm based on industry needs and business case. Vocational training based on industry needs will begin at school, followed by systematic assessment and placement to ensure job fit and support for employers through the Open Door Fund.
- Empower families to look after their members with disabilities through caregiver training and extension of foreign domestic worker levy concession for persons with disabilities who need care giving assistance.” (Singapore 2007a)
ii. Sectoral disability-specific policies and plans
..
b) Disability-inclusive policies and plans
..
4.Institutional framework and Government focal point
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and the National Council of Social Service have been handling all disability issues in Singapore. The National Council of Social Service is the leading organization that coordinates the social service sector in Singapore. Working together with voluntary welfare organizations, it identifies service gaps, pioneers new programmes and sets best practice guidelines. All these are done to continually enhance the quality of social services for the disadvantaged, including people with disabilities.
5. Useful links
Building and Construction Authority
Disabled Online – Internet portal for people with special needs and disabilities
Handicaps Welfare Association
Information on Voluntary Welfare Organizations
MINDS – Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
National Council of Social Services
NCSS Disability Services:
Society for the Physically Disabled
6. References
Singapore (1947). Income Tax Act (last amended in 2008), accessed from 28 July 2011.
______(2007a). Enabling Master Plan 2007-2011 for the Disability Sector (The Steering Committee for the Enabling Master plan), accessed from 28 July2011.
______(2007b). Code of Accessibility in the Build Environment 2007 (Building and Construction Authority), accessed from 28 July2011.
______(2008a). Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, electronic communication with ESCAP.
______(2008b). “Singapore Social Statistics in Brief” (Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports), accessed from cent20statsper cent202008.pdfon 28 July2011.
______(2008c). Mental Capacity Act, accessed from on 28 July2011.
Last updated: 17October2011.