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MICA (P) 036/02/2012 Issue No. 1/2012<br />

M i n d s C r a f t<br />

i s S T A C K I N G U P<br />

O N C R E A T I V E<br />

S T A T I O N E R Y P R O D U C T S


MINDS’ Vision<br />

To be a world-class voluntary welfare<br />

organisation that advances the<br />

development, well-being and aspirations<br />

of persons with intellectual disability and<br />

their integration into society<br />

MINDS Headquarters<br />

800 Margaret Drive<br />

Singapore 149310<br />

Tel: 6479 5655 Fax: 6479 0706<br />

Website: www.minds.org.sg<br />

MINDS Centres<br />

Idea Employment Development Centre<br />

29 Rosyth Road, Singapore 546190<br />

Tel: 6282 4852 Fax: 6280 5078<br />

SIA-MINDS Employment<br />

Development Centre<br />

800 Margaret Drive, Singapore 149310<br />

Tel: 6473 1148 Fax: 6473 3885<br />

Woodlands Employment<br />

Development Centre<br />

30 Woodlands Ring Road, #01-02<br />

Singapore 737883<br />

Tel: 6366 3966 Fax: 6366 7422<br />

Ang Mo Kio Training<br />

& Development Centre<br />

Blk 134 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, #01-1677<br />

Singapore 560134<br />

Tel: 6456 4174 Fax: 6456 0570<br />

Clementi Training<br />

& Development Centre<br />

Blk 304 Clementi Ave 4, #01-487<br />

Singapore 120304<br />

Tel: 6776 8743 Fax: 6776 8741<br />

Napiri Training & Development Centre<br />

7 Lorong Napiri, Singapore 547533<br />

Tel: 6387 7662 Fax: 6387 3357<br />

MINDS Special Education Schools<br />

Fernvale Gardens School<br />

7 Fernvale Road, Singapore 797635<br />

Tel: 6481 6697 Fax: 6483 2631<br />

Lee Kong Chian Gardens School<br />

802 Margaret Drive, Singapore 149311<br />

Tel: 6473 8332 Fax: 6473 4776<br />

Towner Gardens School<br />

1B Lengkong Lima, Singapore 417557<br />

Tel: 6446 2612 Fax: 6243 7498<br />

Woodlands Gardens School<br />

30 Woodlands Ring Road, #01-01<br />

Singapore 737883<br />

Tel: 6468 0566 Fax: 6468 2142<br />

MINDS Home & Hostel / Group Home<br />

MINDSville@Napiri<br />

7 Lorong Napiri<br />

Singapore 547533<br />

Tel: 6387 7662 Fax: 6387 3357<br />

MINDS Social Enterprise<br />

800 Margaret Drive<br />

Singapore 149310<br />

Tel: 6473 7512 (ext.244)<br />

Fax: 6473 0831<br />

CONTENTS<br />

1. Message from the CEO<br />

2. Rhapsody of Joy<br />

3. Majulah Singapura!<br />

4. Regardless of Race, We are Singapore<br />

4. NUS EVC (Eusoff Hall Voluntary Corp) Day Camp<br />

5. Let’s meet at Fernvale<br />

6. Siblings Camp - Teen Building 2011<br />

7. A beautiful day-out at Chinese Garden<br />

8. Entering the world of Open Employment<br />

The personal journey of Akari Inoue<br />

9. Supporting a MINDS Client On-The-Job<br />

Guiding Akari<br />

10. One Proud Moment<br />

11. Spiderman Arrives at MINDS Schools!<br />

12. A look into Community Group Home<br />

13. Healthy Lifestyle @ SMEDC<br />

14. WEDC MINDS Food awarded Food Tuckshop License<br />

15. Special Olympics 2011<br />

15. TGS Overseas Learning Journey To Malaysia<br />

16. Glitz and Glamour with the Miss World Contestants<br />

16. Goal! ~ Soccer clinic organised by YMCA at ITE College West<br />

17. iReflect - A Special friend indeed<br />

A glimpse into the social lives of Persons with intellectual disability<br />

17. On our Coverpage and Rear page<br />

Advisory Committee<br />

The Public Relations, Education & Communications Committee<br />

Chairman: Boo Chong Han<br />

Members: Doreen Yap | Daniel Tan | Lee Seng Liang | Keh Eng Song | Brenda Lee<br />

Editorial Committee<br />

Advisors: Keh Eng Song / Jeannie Ho<br />

Editor: Brenda Lee<br />

Members: Anthony Tan / Sharon Ng / Josephine Ong / Suzana Soo / Chao Ye Peng / Prema<br />

Thevarajah / Ng Mun Wai / Inez Toh / Koh Gee May / Ling Chong Beng / Rose Kwek /<br />

Rosalyn Peng / Shafiyah Sarwan / Mike Koh / Mimi Tan / Gerald Ng<br />

MINDSpeak is published by the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore<br />

(MINDS).<br />

Designed and printed by adamsapple.<br />

© Copyright is held by the publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any<br />

forms or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recordings or otherwise, without prior<br />

written permission of the publisher. All views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not<br />

necessarily reflect those of publisher.


MESSAGE<br />

FROM THE CEO<br />

Almost 50 years ago on 29 May 1962, the Singapore Association for Retarded Children (SARC)<br />

was registered as a society by a pioneering group of civic conscious people who wanted to<br />

do their bit for children with intellectual disability who at that time did not have any specific<br />

organization to cater to their special needs. What started out as a pilot education centre project<br />

with a single classroom for 26 children with intellectual disability has grown into an organization<br />

that today runs four special education schools, three sheltered workshops, three day activity<br />

centres and a residential facility, serving a total of 2,400 persons with intellectual disability. The<br />

Association changed its name to Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS)<br />

on 11 June 1985.<br />

We will be celebrating MINDS’ 50th Anniversary with a series of events in 2012. The golden jubilee celebrations will start off<br />

with a 50th Anniversary Dinner on 25 May 2012. President Tony Tan and Mrs Tan have kindly accepted our invitation to be the<br />

Guests-of-Honour. A Commemorative Book on our 50-year journey will be launched at the Dinner.<br />

A series of exhibition and open houses will be held to create public awareness and promote social integration for persons with<br />

intellectual disability in July 2012. A 3-day exhibition will take place at Jurong Point from 27 to 29 July 2012. At the same time,<br />

there will be open houses and other activities organized by our schools and centres to reach out to the neighbourhoods.<br />

For our clients and caregivers, a Family Day will be held at the Singapore Zoo on 22 September 2012. This is to provide an<br />

opportunity for our clients and their families to come together with MINDS staff to have a day of fun and togetherness. The Zoo<br />

is a public place and well visited by locals and overseas visitors. Holding the MINDS Family Day at the Zoo will also raise public<br />

awareness of MINDS and encourage community acceptance of persons with intellectual disability.<br />

As we look forward to an exciting 2012, we also take a quick reminisce of some events in the last few months.<br />

A series of psychosocial- educational workshops was organized by Fernvale Gardens School for parents to network and share<br />

common issues facing them at different stages of their children’s life. Parents were also challenged to think of the long-term<br />

plan for their children after their graduation from the school. Some parents also shared their parenting journey.<br />

“Teen Building 2011” saw 17 special needs youths from various MINDS facilities and their teenage siblings coming together<br />

for an overnight camp. The teenage siblings had the opportunity to share their experiences with other youths facing similar<br />

challenges of having brothers or sisters with special needs. Facilitated by MINDS social workers, they engaged in reflective<br />

discussion with one another. With the Camp, we hope that the teenagers have found a platform to support each other.<br />

Read about the touching story of two very special friends at Idea EDC and their connections with each other. Our clients are<br />

often not able to communicate their feelings and emotions. We have to constantly remind ourselves that they too experience<br />

social interactivity, relationships and friendships.<br />

MINDS celebrated the talents of persons with intellectual disability on 14 and 15 October 2011 with a concert entitled “Rhapsody<br />

of Joy”. Some 195 beneficiaries from MINDS schools and centres showed their parents and caregivers what they are capable<br />

of when given the stage to express their creativity and abilities. Through the concert, we hope to enhance the students and<br />

adults’ self confidence and self esteem.<br />

3 male and 3 female residents from our MINDS Hostel at Lorong Napiri have been living in two HDB rental units since May 2010<br />

as part of our 3-year Community Group Home Pilot Project. These ladies and gentlemen are much happier now that they have<br />

their own “home”, exercising choices in their daily independent living and participating in community and grassroots activities.<br />

The Community Group Home serves to fill a gap for those who are capable of independent living to live within the community<br />

rather than in a home or hostel. They will remain a part of the community even if their parents are no longer with them. Parents<br />

who are interested to explore this option for their children are encouraged to get in touch with us for an exploratory discussion.<br />

Thanks to a team of very dedicated staff from the EDCs and the Job Placement/Job Support Programme, MINDS closed 2011<br />

with successful placements of a total of 40 persons with intellectual disability in open employment under the 3-year pilot Job<br />

Placement and Job Support Programme. Although the Programme is supposed to serve all persons with intellectual disability<br />

in Singapore, we found ourselves looking for potential candidates from the three MINDS EDCs as there were only a handful<br />

of external referrals. In this issue, we share two success stories; the journey of Ms Yoko and her daughter Ms Akari from SIA-<br />

MINDS EDC, and Ms Ang Poh Hua from Woodlands EDC. We urge more parents and caregivers to encourage and support their<br />

children in taking up open employment opportunities so that they will be better integrated into the society.<br />

Happy reading!<br />

Mr Keh Eng Song<br />

Chief Executive Officer<br />

MINDS<br />

1


• Text & Photos by: Ms Brenda Lee, Corporate Communications Executive •<br />

RHAPSODY<br />

OF JOY<br />

On 14 to 15 October 2011, MINDS held a concert entitled<br />

“Rhapsody of Joy” at the Republic Cultural Centre, Republic<br />

Polytechnic. Held once every two years, the concert which<br />

involved performance groups from all MINDS schools and<br />

centres was a joyous occasion held to celebrate the talents<br />

of persons with intellectual disability. It is also a time for the<br />

parents and caregivers of our clients to witness and take<br />

pride in their children’s potential and creative abilities.<br />

A total of 195 students, trainees and clients across the<br />

various schools and adult centres of MINDS performed<br />

16 invigorating performance items. Routines included a<br />

wide array of dance recitals, gymnastics, hip-hop, singing<br />

and even an elaborate, rhythmic drum routine. Ms Chia<br />

Poh Hong, Director of School Services & Head of MINDS’<br />

Curriculum Development Unit commented, “Performing arts<br />

provides an avenue for our students and adults to express<br />

their creativity and enhances their self confidence and self<br />

esteem.”<br />

Rockin’ it out with MINDS Perform from SMEDC<br />

The concert ended with a rousing applause from the audience.<br />

MINDS salutes the efforts of all its performing beneficiaries<br />

who had tirelessly practised their choreographed routines<br />

for months and months!<br />

Bollywood Extravaganza!<br />

2<br />

Each performance utilized a splendid array of colourful costumes and props


• Text by: Mr Abdul Hafiz, Assistant Training Officer • Photos by: ATDC •<br />

MAJULAH<br />

SINGAPURA!<br />

On 8 August 2011, Ang Mo Kio TDC<br />

(ATDC) celebrated Singapore’s birthday<br />

with fun filled games and laughter.<br />

We had great companions from our<br />

corporate volunteers from Goldman<br />

Sachs, caregivers and guests; totalling<br />

about 120 participants, including our<br />

clients and staff.<br />

Although it was a really hot day, it did<br />

not dampen the spirits of the volunteers,<br />

caregivers and clients as we headed out<br />

for outdoor activities. The celebration<br />

started with the marching in of our very<br />

own ATDC-MINDS flag contingent,<br />

followed by the recital of the Singapore<br />

pledge and singing the national anthem.<br />

A great line-up of games organised by<br />

the staff of ATDC followed.<br />

Some of the activities required skilful<br />

handiwork, as demonstrated by our<br />

Acting Supervisor, Mr Edward, who drew<br />

a magnificent overview of Singapore’s<br />

downtown skyline on styrofoam. It was<br />

drawn to create a huge jigsaw puzzle for<br />

the teams to put back together.<br />

Another exciting game has definitely got<br />

to be the “Singapore Cheer”, where the<br />

volunteers had to come up with creative<br />

and somewhat funny cheers depicting<br />

Singapore’s history and modernisation.<br />

Not contented with just creative cheers,<br />

the volunteers were given props for them<br />

to act out their cheers together with the<br />

clients.<br />

Our dearest volunteers Creating the world of modern Singapore Count on me Singapore!<br />

Count on me to give my best and more!<br />

Celebrating our nation’s birth under one roof<br />

After all the fun and games, our nation’s birthday celebration concluded with a cake<br />

cutting ceremony. We invited clients, staff and volunteers whose birthday fell in the<br />

month of August to be a part of the cake cutting as well. To top it all, everyone was<br />

treated to a delicious buffet lunch spread generously sponsored by Goldman Sachs.<br />

ATDC would like to thank Goldman Sachs for their involvement in reaching out to<br />

their community. The day certainly ended on a high note with everybody thoroughly<br />

enjoying themselves and the day’s festivities. Happy 46th National Day Singapore!<br />

3


• Text By: Mdm Flora Dcruz, Assistant Training Officer • Photos By: Mdm Shafiyah Sarwan, Head of CTDC •<br />

REGARDLESS OF<br />

RACE, WE ARE<br />

SINGAPORE<br />

To eradicate racism totally is difficult if not impossible because you are dealing with people’s<br />

emotions and mindsets, which have been molded through years of misconception. However,<br />

we must try to lessen racist attitudes through education and information. This will help<br />

people understand more about other races, religion, cultures and beliefs.<br />

Source: www.library.thinkquest.org<br />

In Singapore, Racial Harmony Day is<br />

commemorated on the 21st of July. On<br />

this very day, in 1964, Singapore saw the<br />

first and worst ever racial riot. History has<br />

taught us a very valuable lesson about<br />

the necessity of living harmoniously with<br />

one other.<br />

Here in Clementi Training & Development<br />

Centre (CTDC), we felt the need to<br />

introduce and instil into our trainees the<br />

importance of racial harmony. It would<br />

thus be the first time we decided to<br />

celebrate Racial Harmony Day at the<br />

centre. In schools all across the nation,<br />

students are encouraged to dress up in<br />

traditional ethnic costumes such as the<br />

Cheongsam, Baju Kurung and Sarees.<br />

So with one accord, CTDC’s trainees,<br />

caregivers and staff did exactly that on<br />

Racial Harmony Day.<br />

Indeed, it was such a colourful and<br />

wonderful event! We had fashion parades<br />

featuring different ethnic groups, sang<br />

songs from different cultures and races.<br />

There were also delightful performances<br />

by our caregivers! We feasted visually<br />

and gastronomically as well as a wide<br />

array of traditional ethnic food was<br />

served. In all, it was a unique experience<br />

to have everyone dressed and learning<br />

more about different ethnic groups.<br />

Our best dressed ladies; trainees from Training Unit 2<br />

Our multi racial ambassadors in<br />

their best outfits depicting “We are ONE”!<br />

• Text By: Mr Muhammad Rasyidi Bin Rosdi, Assistant Training Officer • Photos By: Ms Murni Bte Sab Adi, CTDC •<br />

What is life without having good bonding<br />

and fun interaction with one another? 33<br />

trainees and seven staff members from<br />

Clementi Training & Development Centre<br />

(CTDC) were invited to a day camp at<br />

National University of Singapore’s (NUS)<br />

Eusoff Hall on 14 July 2011 by a group of<br />

warm-hearted student volunteers from<br />

NUS. The day camp was to promote<br />

integration, cohesiveness, social<br />

bonding as well as to increase the level<br />

of awareness on intellectually disability<br />

amongst the undergrads. Furthermore,<br />

it provided a great opportunity for our<br />

trainees to integrate into society. Each<br />

volunteer was paired up with a trainee<br />

throughout the day camp as teamwork<br />

was required.<br />

One of the activities planned was to<br />

create a “tie and dye” t-shirt. The<br />

process involved tying lots and lots of<br />

rubber bands and knots on the t-shirts.<br />

After the very knotted and odd looking<br />

NUS EVC<br />

(EUSOFF HALL VOLUNTARY CORP) DAY CAMP<br />

t-shirt is done, the students and trainees<br />

worked together to soak the t-shirts into<br />

a tray filled with coloured-dye solution.<br />

Besides creating their own “tie and dye”<br />

t-shirt, the volunteers and our trainees<br />

spent time having lunch together,<br />

interacting and getting to know each<br />

other better. In addition, there were many<br />

enjoyable activities such as painting,<br />

sing along sessions, dancing and games<br />

that encouraged learning and interaction<br />

through fun-filled activities.<br />

Volunteers and trainees gathering for a<br />

photo taking session with their<br />

tie & dye t-shirts<br />

A volunteer & a trainee enjoying the company<br />

of one another in “comfort”<br />

Finally after all the activities, fun and<br />

bonding with each other throughout the<br />

day camp, it was time to bid farewell<br />

and head back to centre. It was almost<br />

difficult for the trainees to bid their<br />

goodbyes as both the volunteers and<br />

trainees had a ball of a time. The trainees<br />

were making their way out of Eusoff<br />

Hall reluctantly but it was a clear that<br />

the times spent would serve as good<br />

memories residing in their heart always.<br />

4


• Text & photos by: FGS •<br />

Let’s Meet @<br />

Fernvale<br />

Let’s Meet@Fernvale is a series of psychosocialeducational<br />

workshops organised for parents of<br />

Fernvale Gardens School (FGS). It was organised<br />

to serve as a platform where parents of children at<br />

different levels (Junior, Senior and Special) meet,<br />

network, acquire information and discuss about<br />

common issues that they are facing at different<br />

stages of their children’s life.<br />

The workshop for our Junior level’s parents was<br />

held on 12 March 2010. We were privileged to<br />

invite members of our MINDS CSG to share with<br />

us their parenting journey. During the discussion,<br />

parents shared with each other what were some of<br />

the goals they had set for their child and to look at<br />

possible steps to achieve these goals.<br />

An FGS social worker introduces the speakers<br />

The focus of the Special level workshop which was<br />

held on 16 April 2011 was about improving students’<br />

self-help skills. Parents acquired tips from the<br />

various Allied Health Professionals and teachers,<br />

on Activities of Daily Living (ADL) skills training,<br />

functional communication, behaviour management<br />

and recreational activities. Parents also shared<br />

their experiences and discussed options for their<br />

children upon graduation.<br />

For the Senior level workshop which was held on 9<br />

July 2011, parents were challenged to think about<br />

a more holistic plan for their child after he or she<br />

graduates from school. Invited speakers included<br />

Mr Koh Seng Choon, the founder of Dignity Kitchen<br />

and also parents of former FGS students. The aim<br />

of the message was to promote a more balanced<br />

quality of life for our students after they graduate<br />

from school. Parents were so motivated after the<br />

workshop that they organised a trip to Dignity<br />

Kitchen to experience the training themselves.<br />

A parent sharing his learning journey<br />

Parents who attended the session found the platform<br />

for discussion and sharing amongst parents very<br />

helpful. They appreciated the opportunity to be<br />

able to network with fellow parents that have similar<br />

concerns. They hope that the school would be able<br />

to organise more of these workshops in the near<br />

future.<br />

Teacher sharing resources with parents<br />

5


SIBLINGS CAMP<br />

TEEN BUILDING 2011<br />

• Text: Ms Oh Li Ling Cherlyn, Social Worker • Photos by: MINDS Social Workers •<br />

While most teenagers went on holidays, scouted<br />

for part-time jobs or attended remedial lessons<br />

during their June holidays, a group of extraordinary<br />

youths took time aside to attend a camp specially<br />

planned for them by MINDS’ social workers.<br />

The overnight camp, Teen Building 2011, was held<br />

from 3 to 4 June 2011 at Lee Kong Chian Gardens<br />

(LGS) School, and was planned specifically for<br />

youths with special needs and their siblings.<br />

Siblings of children with special needs often<br />

face a variety of difficult challenges. They find it<br />

difficult to relate to their peers who are unable<br />

to understand their lives. Teen Building 2011 was<br />

organised to help these youths foster rapport with<br />

other youths facing similar challenges. Altogether,<br />

17 special needs children from various MINDS<br />

facilities attended the camp with their siblings.<br />

Participants overcoming their fear as their friends cheer them on<br />

On the first day, the youths participated in icebreakers,<br />

followed by a series of challenging high<br />

element activities at SHINES Outdoor. The aim<br />

of these activities was to promote camaraderie<br />

among the youths, in preparation for the sharing<br />

session held in the evening. Bonds were quickly<br />

formed among the youths as they supported<br />

one another through the mental challenges and<br />

physical obstacle courses.<br />

Later that evening, the youths had a thoughtful<br />

session under the facilitation of MINDS’ social<br />

workers. They shared and engaged in reflective<br />

discussion with one another on topics relating<br />

to their situation. This platform of being able to<br />

share one’s difficulties and have a support group<br />

who could understand their predicament is an<br />

important one in providing emotional support to<br />

these siblings.<br />

Following the sharing session, the siblings<br />

enjoyed a sumptious late-night supper while<br />

watching an inspirational movie on overcoming<br />

adversity and emerging as a stronger person.<br />

Siblings sharing with each other what they have discussed<br />

The following day, other family members of the participants were invited<br />

for a half-day session. Parents were gathered in a room for a workshop<br />

with some of the MINDS social workers, while participants with special<br />

needs joined their siblings for team activities in the hall.<br />

Finally, everybody gathered back together in the hall for a family activity.<br />

Each family was given an umbrella and had to create a family umbrella.<br />

They had a fantastic time pulling together their creativity to arrange and<br />

decorate the umbrella in a manner that best represents them as a family.<br />

Some of the families later shared the story and reasons behind their design.<br />

There were certainly many impressive family sculptures!<br />

All too soon, it was time for goodbye, but not before the participant<br />

families exchanged contact details with one another for future meet-ups.<br />

The camp came to a close, but we know it is only the beginning of strong<br />

and inspiring friendships formed amongst the families.<br />

Participants playing together with their siblings with<br />

special needs<br />

6


• Text by: Ms Hema D/O Thenarassu, Assistant Training Officer • Photos by: Mdm Flora D’Cruz, Assistant Training Officer •<br />

A BEAUTIFUL DAY<br />

OUT AT CHINESE GARDEN<br />

Painting activity with a volunteer<br />

On 29 July 2011, the Boys’ Brigade from Boon Lay<br />

Secondary School organized a trip for Clementi Training<br />

& Development Centre’s (CTDC) trainees to Chinese<br />

Garden. The aim was to facilitate the trainees in their<br />

integration into society, as well as to increase public<br />

awareness of persons with intellectual disability. They<br />

also wished to understand the needs of those with<br />

intellectual disability to assist them in future projects.<br />

During the volunteer briefing before the actual outing,<br />

the Boys’ Brigade volunteers were taught a few basic<br />

gestures to recognise a trainee’s need to drink, wait or<br />

go to the toilet. This training was put to practice on the<br />

actual day of outing.<br />

The trainees were divided into three different groups<br />

catering to different activities such as kite-flying, touring<br />

and painting. Kite-Flying was a fun and whimsical affair<br />

which produced many smiles and much laughter from<br />

everyone. The trainees learned to manoeuvre the kite in<br />

the air, which was a a good activity to help strengthen<br />

their hand-eye coordination.<br />

Touring around Chinese Garden was breathtaking! We got to view<br />

the legendary Chinese statues. Although the walk was long, it was<br />

very pleasant and calming. We took the opportunity during the tour<br />

to bond with one other and indulge in the beauty of Chinese Garden<br />

by capturing it in photography. There were groups also involved in a<br />

painting activity. Instead of preparing a picture for them to paint on<br />

canvas, the art groups were encouraged to observe the scenery and<br />

paint their interpretation of it.<br />

Trainees were later treated to a scrumptious McChicken meal to<br />

round of the day’s events. The volunteers interacted well with our<br />

trainees; persevering to understand them better by interacting and<br />

caring for their needs throughout the day. Our trainees had a great<br />

time, and apart from having the chance to interact with people<br />

outside of their normal circles, they learnt to fly a kite and articulate<br />

their imagination and thoughts through painting. Furthermore, our<br />

trainees engaged in gainful activities too. They learnt to use facilities<br />

outside of their daily centre engagement and took initiatives to keep<br />

their surroundings clean by throwing rubbish into public bins.<br />

See the joy reflected on their faces in relishing the opportunity to appreciate the garden’s scenic beauty<br />

7


ENTERING THE WORLD<br />

OF OPEN EMPLOYMENT<br />

~THE PERSONAL JOURNEY OF AKARI INOUE~<br />

• Text by: Mr Jason Sim, Job Placement Executive • Photos by: JPJS •<br />

Right from the beginning, Ms Yoko had always been<br />

very pro-active and supportive of her daughter, Akari<br />

Inoue and her journey into open employment (OE).<br />

Upon graduation from Lee Kong Chian Gardens<br />

School (LGS), she began vocational training a MINDS<br />

Food in SIA-MINDS Employment Development<br />

Centre (SMEDC). During the course of her training,<br />

Ms Yoko welcomed feedback concerning her<br />

daughter’s work performance at SMEDC.<br />

When it was identified that Akari had potential to<br />

pursue open employment, Ms Yoko worked closely<br />

with Akari’s Training Officers in their training plans<br />

and behaviour intervention programmes to improve<br />

Akari’s work endurance, skills, attitude and level of<br />

productivity. This cooperative effort was pivotal in<br />

shaping the Akari we know today.<br />

With the inception of the Job Placement / Job Support<br />

Programme (JPJS), job placement officers were able<br />

to help source and secure Akari a job. At that point<br />

in time, Akari had grown comfortable in working for<br />

MINDS Food and expressed some reluctance in venturing out to open employment.<br />

However Ms Yoko understood the importance of creating opportunities for Akari<br />

to be independent and was very supportive at the prospect of Akari’s transitition<br />

from the sheltered workshop to an actual working environment. Akari would not<br />

have found gainful employment if it were not for her mother’s constant effort in<br />

motivating her daughter to come out of her comfort zone.<br />

“Sometimes I didn’t want to do the things they want me to as I’m afraid I can’t do it well and will<br />

disappoint them, but my mom always talks to me and tells me I can do it. She will always tell me that it<br />

is for my own good and encourages me to try and not to give up. I listen to my mom because I trust her<br />

and she knows what is best for me.” ~ Akari Inoue<br />

Ms Yoko was very open to the various<br />

job matches recommended to Akari by<br />

the JPJS Team. She understood the<br />

need for her daughter to be able to work<br />

shift hours (sometimes in the afternoons<br />

and evenings) and weekends to increase<br />

Akari’s employability in the F&B, Cleaning,<br />

Service and Hospitality industries. These<br />

industries also provide suitable job<br />

matches for MINDS clients who are referred<br />

by JPJS. Although Akari was turned down<br />

several times by potential employers, her<br />

mother and her were not disheartened.<br />

They took these incidents as learning<br />

experiences whilst keeping an open mind<br />

that something good will turn up.<br />

Assessing that Akari would need to<br />

undergo further specialised skills training<br />

to increase her employability, the JPJS<br />

Team then suggested that Ms Yoko send<br />

her daughter for the “Hawker Training<br />

Program” conducted at Balestier Market by<br />

Dignity Kitchen. Every working day, mother<br />

and daughter would travel from Dover to<br />

Balestier. And despite the inconvenient<br />

distance, Ms Yoko remained understanding<br />

and supportive of the training program.<br />

Upon graduating from the training program,<br />

the JPJS Team successfully found her<br />

a job as a Service Staff at Laksania<br />

(Serangoon Nex outlet), a Singaporean<br />

café serving Laksa. It was at this moment<br />

that Ms Yoko realised that her daughter<br />

had transitioned to adult working life. As<br />

routine is fundamental at this phase, Ms<br />

Yoko made arrangements to ensure that<br />

other activities did not clash with Akari’s<br />

work schedule.<br />

It took quite a while for Akari to finally<br />

adapt and transition into the working world<br />

of Open Employment. But it has been<br />

richly rewarding to see her well settled at<br />

Laksania. Since she began working, there<br />

has been nothing but positive feedback<br />

and praise from her management on her<br />

positive attitude and work performance.<br />

Emplacing a client into Open Employment<br />

will always require a “Many Helping<br />

Hands” approach – from the JPJS team<br />

to employers. It is also essential that<br />

respective caregivers are supportive<br />

and involved. In the case of Akari, much<br />

recognition and credit goes to Ms Yoke<br />

Inoue, a proud mother and pillar of support<br />

to her daughter.<br />

“I do not mind the time or distance of her workplace as at the end of the day, it is important<br />

for Akari to be meaningfully occupied & learn to be fully independent.” ~ Ms Yoko Inoue, Akari’s mom<br />

Read the next article to see the detailed steps taken by the JPJS team to transition a MINDS client identified for Open<br />

Employment (in this case, Akari) into the reality of the working world.<br />

8


• Text by: Mr Jason Sim, Job Placement Executive • Photos by: JPJS •<br />

SUPPORTING A MINDS CLIENT<br />

ON-THE-JOB ~ GUIDING AKARI ~<br />

If you are keen to refer your<br />

adult child with intellectual<br />

disability or for more<br />

information on the JPJS<br />

Programme,<br />

you may contact:<br />

Jason Sim,<br />

Job Placement Executive at<br />

jasonsim.hq@minds.org.sg<br />

From left: Akari’s Job Placement Officer (Jason Sim); Supervisor (Nancy), Manager (Su Yin) & Mom (Ms Yoko Inoue)<br />

Since January 2010, through our JPJS (Job<br />

Placement / Job Support) Programme, 59<br />

individuals, including Akari, were matched to<br />

suitable jobs and placed in open employment.<br />

The objective of the JPJS Programme which is to<br />

promote the employment and retention of persons<br />

with intellectual disability in the open job market,<br />

can be evidently seen by the majority of these 59<br />

individuals who have sustained their jobs to-date<br />

through our strong job support service. Many of<br />

these individuals have been (and are still) with<br />

their employers for over a year!<br />

When Akari was referred to our JPJS Programme,<br />

a Team of Professionals consisting of a Job<br />

Placement Executive, an Occupational Therapist<br />

and a Psychologist identified her key strengths,<br />

skills and job interests through a series of<br />

assessments and interviews to ensure that the<br />

right job match is made for her. By recognising<br />

Akari’s strong Food & Beverage (F&B) training<br />

experience and her keen interest to serve<br />

customers, the JPJS Team was able to scout for<br />

the appropriate job opportunity and recommended<br />

an F&B service-related job at Laksania which<br />

would give ample opportunities for Akari to greet,<br />

serve and interact with people.<br />

The JPJS Team then arranged a Job Trial for<br />

Akari to try out and have a feel of the actual job<br />

at Laksania before taking up the job. During the<br />

Job Trial and over the course of her employment<br />

with Laksania, the Job Placement Executive<br />

and Occupational Therapist analysed her job<br />

tasks and taught her improvisations to help<br />

Akari improve the speed and quality of her work.<br />

Though Akari was initially passive and uncertain of<br />

herself, through intensive support, she gradually<br />

grew more confident and was able to perform well<br />

during the Job Trial. Upon indicating her interest<br />

in taking up the job, the Job Placement Executive<br />

then negotiated employment terms and conditions<br />

with Laksania concerning Akari’s working hours,<br />

before confirming her employment.<br />

Throughout Akari’s first three days at work, the<br />

Job Placement Officer supported her intensively<br />

on-the-job, providing her job coaching and<br />

counselling to help her adapt and settle down<br />

quickly. The Job Placement Officer continued to<br />

provide active support for Akari by visiting her<br />

weekly for the next two months to review, followup<br />

& resolve any work performance issues and<br />

help her build a positive relationship with her coworkers<br />

and superiors. The Job Placement Officer<br />

continues to work closely with Akari’s superiors<br />

and her mother by constantly garnering feedback<br />

as well as to resolve and provide interventions or<br />

solutions to any issues.<br />

Through our intensive support, Akari’s work<br />

endurance, productivity, speed, punctuality and<br />

social interaction has considerably improved<br />

over the months. The Job Placement Officer<br />

worked to build a positive impression of Akari to<br />

her superiors who commended on how she has<br />

significantly improved since her first day of work.<br />

The Job Placement Officer was also attentive<br />

to Akari’s health and well-being, immediately<br />

working with her mom on a skin peeling habit<br />

that Akari had recently started again before it<br />

worsened. The Job Placement Officer also plays<br />

mentor to Akari; giving her sound advice and<br />

listening her thoughts and concerns on the job.<br />

The officer also helps her manage her emotionally<br />

and provides support to transit her into the next<br />

phase of working life.<br />

At present, Akari has reached her eight month<br />

of employment with Laksania and can be seen<br />

cheerfully greeting everyone with a great big<br />

smile! She takes great pride in her work, serving<br />

customers with much enthusiasm and developing<br />

as a mentor to her new co-workers!<br />

9


• Text & Photo by: Ms Reena Aariyapillai Rajagopal, Occupational Therapist •<br />

ONE PROUD<br />

MOMENT<br />

assistant. He was very proud when he recounted an incident<br />

where Poh Heng assisted him in a surgical implantation and<br />

found her to be a wonderful person and co-worker. He stated<br />

that she was able to hand over the correct surgical instruments<br />

when asked and is surprised and happy that she has picked<br />

up skills taught to her so efficiently. He added that she is very<br />

sincere in her work and she is able to do her routine tasks with<br />

ease. However, he learned that she would require assistance<br />

if there is change in her work routine and especially when new<br />

tasks are introduced.<br />

According to Dr.Goh, Poh Hua has a lot of initiative, is a fast<br />

learner and always punctual at work. He added that she works<br />

well with her other colleagues and he feels that it has been a<br />

good experience for the other staff as well. He feels that she is<br />

enthusiastic and easy-going person to work with. With all the<br />

above qualities mentioned, Dr Goh expressed that she is a model<br />

employee. He added that Poh Hua contributed tremendously to<br />

their company. He also expressed that he is willing to provide<br />

further work opportunities for MINDS clients.<br />

WEDC trainee Ang Poh Hua (middle) is now a clinical assistant<br />

to dentist, Dr Wilson Goh (extreme right)<br />

WEDC Occupational Therapist Mdm Reena Aariyapillai<br />

Rajagopal and Centre Job Placement Officer, Mr Lee Yong<br />

Ho visited Ms Ang Poh Hua, a MINDS WEDC client currently<br />

on Open Employment at GPA Dentistry. She is currently<br />

working as a full time, Clinical Assistant.<br />

Poh Hua shared with us that she enjoys working at GPA<br />

dentistry and her employers and colleagues have been very<br />

supportive of her journey into Open Employment.<br />

She added that she is still active with Special Olympics<br />

Singapore since her schooling days and is still taking part<br />

in their sports training and other activities during her free<br />

time. It was through their assistance that she was able to get<br />

this job after her previous company Motorola moved their<br />

manufacturing plant elsewhere. She is currently drawing a<br />

monthly salary of $1,200.<br />

I am personally very proud of Poh Hua and her achievements.<br />

This has propelled me to work even harder for our clients. Her<br />

employer Dr Wilson Goh; who is a Dentist and her Human<br />

Resource Manager Ms Eva Fernandez were also present<br />

together with Poh Hua during the discussion.<br />

When we asked about Poh Hua’s work performance, Dr<br />

Goh shared that he is very fortunate to employ her and he<br />

also thanked our organization for the support we have been<br />

giving. He said that initially, Poh Hua started her career as a<br />

cleaner in the Dentistry and because of her consistent work<br />

performance; she was promoted to a full-fledged clinical<br />

10


• Text & photos by: LGS •<br />

SPIDERMAN<br />

ARRIVES AT MINDS<br />

A two year old dream of a group of sports coaches in Lee<br />

Kong Chian Gardens School (LGS) became a reality on 5<br />

September 2011, the first day of the September school<br />

holidays. 20 students chosen from the four MINDS schools<br />

had the opportunity to showcase, bond and compete as a<br />

team in the inaugural Rock Climbing Competition.<br />

our CEO Mr Keh Eng Song turned up to cheer the athletes.<br />

Other than the excitement and the anxiety from watching the<br />

“Spiderboys” and “Spidergirls” ascend quickly up the four<br />

storey high wall, everyone had a fun time getting to know new<br />

friends, bonding over food and taking pictures for memory.<br />

Mr Thiruselvam of Towner Gardens School (TGS) felt that<br />

through the competition, students are given the opportunity to<br />

prove themselves. He said, “Most of our students suitable for<br />

rock climbing are already engaged in other activities, so we had<br />

to choose and train others who are free but fit. They did us<br />

proud as the four climbers won a medal each.”<br />

When approached to reflect on the event, Ms Noor Adilah said,<br />

“I am really impressed by the enthusiasm and performance of<br />

the participants. Once they started up the wall, they did not give<br />

up until they reached the top. This is character development<br />

and I think more of such events should be organized. They are<br />

really opportunities for our students to learn our core values<br />

S.M.I.L.E. I look forward to other similar events organized by<br />

each of the MINDS schools.”<br />

FGS climber scaling the<br />

formidable wall<br />

Fear is not an option!<br />

Miss Noor Adilah who initiated the activity under the Sports<br />

Education Programme in LGS two years ago, observed<br />

that most of the physically fit students also possess the<br />

ability to persevere and felt that they could excel in Rock<br />

Climbing. After successfully implementing the activity in the<br />

school and getting to know that the programme was also in<br />

place in the other MINDS schools, she and team discussed<br />

the possibility of an Inter-MINDS school competition.<br />

The first Inter-MINDS school competition was jointly<br />

organized by Climb Asia and LGS. The participants<br />

competed in the individual junior, individual senior and a<br />

group event. About 30 family members, school staff and<br />

When approached to reflect on the event, Ms Noor Adilah said,<br />

“I am really impressed by the enthusiasm and performance of<br />

the participants. Once they started up the wall, they did not give<br />

up until they reached the top. This is character development<br />

and I think more of such events should be organized. They are<br />

really opportunities for our students to learn our core values<br />

S.M.I.L.E. I look forward to other similar events organized by<br />

each of the MINDS schools.”<br />

Proud of our lightning-fast “Spidergirls” and “Spiderboys”<br />

RESULTS:<br />

EVENT<br />

PLACING<br />

1ST 2ND 3RD<br />

RECORD<br />

Individual<br />

( Junior )<br />

Halijah Bte<br />

Borhannudin<br />

( FGS )<br />

Jordon Ong<br />

( LGS )<br />

Danial Addandy<br />

( TGS )<br />

30s<br />

Individual<br />

( Senior )<br />

Syed Amin<br />

( TGS )<br />

Lim Zong Qing<br />

( LGS )<br />

Muhd Shafiq<br />

Abdullah<br />

( FGS )<br />

38s<br />

Group FGS TGS LGS 2m 32s<br />

11


• Text & photos by: Mr Ling Chong Beng, Head of MV Group Home & Hostel •<br />

A LOOK INTO<br />

COMMUNITY<br />

GROUP HOME<br />

MINDS had set-up two Community Group<br />

Home units located in the east on 10 May<br />

2010 with the following objectives:<br />

• to train residents to live with minimum<br />

support in the community<br />

• to enhance a resident’s quality of life<br />

through social inclusion and provision<br />

of choices<br />

• to allow residents with potential to<br />

live with minimum support in the<br />

community<br />

Our model for the Community Group Home<br />

emphasized in the Ministry of Community,<br />

Youth and Sports (MCYS) Enabling Master<br />

Plan 2007 to 2011, can also supplement the<br />

Trusteeship Scheme managed by Special<br />

Needs Trust Company (SNTC) in providing<br />

the care component to low support need<br />

persons with intellectual disability.<br />

The three male and three female residents<br />

who participated in this project expressed<br />

much happiness and joy after successfully<br />

moving into the two 4-rooms HDB flat units.<br />

With the new environment, the residents<br />

have also learned and appreciated the<br />

need to help each other and are also<br />

more willing to learn new tasks required<br />

for independent living. To date, they have<br />

been able to enjoy full independent living<br />

where they exercise their own choices in<br />

deciding how to decorate their own home<br />

and how they should spend their time with<br />

family and friends at their own premises.<br />

They are able to experience and enjoy the<br />

freedom of choice, which many people with<br />

intellectual disability are not able to do.<br />

Learning to cook independently<br />

After the move into their new home,<br />

the residents have participated in<br />

many community and grassroots<br />

activities and have even helped<br />

the Residents’ Committee in many<br />

occasions where they have been<br />

treated as normal members of the<br />

community. They are also making use<br />

of community facilities like the library<br />

and cinema for their own recreation.<br />

We are delighted that our residents<br />

are not only being successfully<br />

placed in the community but are also<br />

now part of the community.<br />

We currently still have three male and<br />

three female vacancies in the two<br />

units Community Group Home units.<br />

If you would like your child or siblings<br />

with intellectual disability to learn<br />

independent living skills and enjoy living<br />

in the community with support from<br />

our staff, please contact the following<br />

personnel for more information:<br />

Elene Liew, Social Worker, Hostel / Group<br />

Home at email: eleneliew.mv@minds.org.<br />

sg, tel: 6387-7662 ext. 240.<br />

Ling Chong Beng, Head, Hostel / Group<br />

Home at email: lingchongbeng.mv@<br />

minds.org.sg, tel: 63877662 ext 207.<br />

We look forward to working with you to<br />

enhance your child or sibling’s skills in<br />

community living.<br />

A homey living room for the residents<br />

12


• Text & photos by: Ms Cheryl Lee, Social Worker & Ms Prabha Ramakrishnan, Occupational Therapist •<br />

HEALTHY<br />

LIFESTYLE @<br />

SMEDC<br />

Early 2009, the first Physical Fitness Group<br />

was started with the aim to help eight<br />

high-priority trainees lose some pounds<br />

and also give them an opportunity to<br />

exercise regularly. For some trainees who<br />

have minimum exposure to exercise and<br />

physical activities once they return home,<br />

they tend to put on weight at a faster rate.<br />

This group session also gave rise to more<br />

interaction opportunity to mingle with<br />

their peers, which made the session more<br />

meaningful<br />

Cycling is fun and exciting!<br />

Initially, the three-times-a-week fitness<br />

group seemed like another work activity for<br />

the trainees. When the move to introduce<br />

other various activities (apart from walking<br />

on the treadmill and cycling), such as<br />

visiting community parks and playing ball<br />

games took place, the trainees became<br />

more involved and excited. Walking around<br />

the community park further motivated<br />

some of them to do the same in their own<br />

neighbourhood park. Pleasantly surprised,<br />

they all looked forward to these group<br />

sessions and would make bookings with<br />

the therapist two days ahead of their<br />

scheduled sessions!<br />

Apart from exercises, trainees were also<br />

educated on acquiring a healthy and<br />

balanced diet through picture cards and<br />

group interaction games, for which they<br />

were more than willing to participate.<br />

Witnessing this enthusiasm, the Physical<br />

Fitness Group has now expanded to benefit<br />

more members.<br />

On 12 September 2011, 100 trainees,<br />

including those in the Physical Fitness<br />

Ms Prabha giving instructions to<br />

her gym trainees<br />

Group, attended Mr Bottle’s<br />

Magic Show on Nutrition, kindly<br />

sponsored by the Health Promotion<br />

Board (HPB). Rainbow coloured<br />

balloons and handkerchiefs that<br />

were pulled out of the magician’s<br />

top hat reminded them that a<br />

healthy diet could be maintained by<br />

regular consumption of fruits and<br />

vegetables that marked the colours<br />

of the rainbow. A competition on<br />

“who had the quickest reaction”<br />

showed the trainees different<br />

kinds of exercises they could do<br />

for at least 150 minutes per week,<br />

such as skipping, jogging, and<br />

swimming. Lessons on eating<br />

right and importance of exercise<br />

were ingeniously incorporated into<br />

different tricks and mini competitions<br />

which built more excitement<br />

amongst trainees. Towards the end<br />

of the show, we were all reminded<br />

on eating two servings each of fruits<br />

and vegetables per day to maintain<br />

a healthy and balanced diet.<br />

Within the Physical Fitness Group,<br />

a decrease in trainees BMI was<br />

recorded, and a positive feedback<br />

on their productivity was derived<br />

from their training officers. Trainees<br />

were overjoyed at seeing themselves<br />

lose weight. Needless to say, these<br />

results boosted their self-esteem.<br />

It was also heart-warming to see<br />

them make new friends throughout<br />

the duration of the programme.<br />

“I am happy to enjoy the company<br />

of friends and get to know more<br />

friends” – Eileen & Yin choo.<br />

“I enjoy playing games” – Zhen<br />

Zhen<br />

Recommendations<br />

It would definitely make a positive<br />

difference if adults with intellectual<br />

disability and their caregivers receive<br />

appropriate ongoing education<br />

regarding healthy living in areas<br />

such as nutrition, exercise, and oral<br />

hygiene and recognise the need to<br />

implement activities to maintain a<br />

healthy lifestyle.<br />

Consider doing the following at<br />

home:<br />

1. Walk/cycle to the nearest park,<br />

making use of the exercise<br />

equipment in the neighbourhood.<br />

2. Participate in swimming classes,<br />

as a group and/or together with<br />

family members.<br />

3. Engage your child/ward to help<br />

out with household chores such<br />

as mopping, sweeping and<br />

washing the dishes. This will<br />

help your child/ward to be on the<br />

move, rather than being hooked<br />

to the television or computer.<br />

4. Encourage your child/ward to<br />

engage in play time with siblings<br />

or friends, through activities such<br />

as soccer or badminton.<br />

All these activities not only help<br />

your child to lose calories, but it<br />

encourages your child to be more<br />

independent, and also to spend more<br />

quality time with others and family<br />

members.<br />

However, there are also some things<br />

to take note of:<br />

1. Get advice from your physician<br />

before you put your child<br />

through any kind of strenuous<br />

activities. Always watch out for<br />

warning signs such as difficulty<br />

in breathing and fatigue. When<br />

your child displays these signs<br />

and symptoms, stop the activity<br />

immediately and give them some<br />

time to relax before continuing<br />

with the activity.<br />

2. Ensure the safety of your child/<br />

ward at all times when doing<br />

any kind of physical activity.<br />

This includes making sure the<br />

physical environment is safe.<br />

3. Always do warm up and cool<br />

down exercises before and after<br />

any physical activity.<br />

13


• Text & Photos by: Ms Aveline Cheong Mei Yee, Senior Training Officer •<br />

WEDC MINDS FOOD<br />

AWARDED FOOD<br />

TUCKSHOP LICENSE<br />

We are now certified!<br />

Woodlands Employment EDC (WEDC) MINDS Food was finally<br />

awarded its Food Shop license on 13 May 2011.<br />

The direction provided by MINDS Management was not only<br />

to get required and relevant certifications for our trainees but<br />

also, to enhance our trainees’ service marketability in the<br />

relevant industries.<br />

Moving towards the license approval, the greatest challenge<br />

was to certify all the trainees in the unit who are handling food.<br />

Daily, our trainees are also involved in the food preparation and<br />

food serving processes which require them to attend and pass<br />

the WSQ Basic Food Hygiene Course slated by the National<br />

Environment Agency (NEA).<br />

This is in accordance to NEA’s guidelines for all food shop<br />

operators. There was also an additional condition that one<br />

staff from the Centre be trained as a Food Hygiene Officer<br />

within the next three months of getting the Food Shop license.<br />

A portion of the assessment into being certified is theorybased.<br />

Knowing that our trainees will require adaptation to<br />

understand and learn the required information, the WEDC staff<br />

went out to source for training organizations that are able to<br />

do modified assessments for the trainees. With the assistance<br />

of SIA MINDS Employment Development Centre (SMEDC), we<br />

managed to identify an organization which was willing to make<br />

those modifications to the assessment portion for our trainees,<br />

without compromising the essentialities of the course content.<br />

We scheduled our Training Officers and Cooks to go for the<br />

course prior to sending our trainees. This strategy proved<br />

useful as Training Officers were able to bring back the vital<br />

information and conduct training sessions to prepare the<br />

trainees. It took a challenging two months to prepare them<br />

in both the modified theory and practical portions. Several<br />

mock assessments were also done, replicating the actual<br />

day assessments which were carried out on a weekly basis.<br />

During the course, the instructor who had prior experience<br />

in working with our trainees, presented and taught using<br />

simpler instruction. He also used role-play to facilitate<br />

the learning process. He gave good feedback about our<br />

trainees’ ability to understand what was being taught. It<br />

was then that we shared with him the strategy we adopted<br />

to help our trainees. He added that the efforts made to<br />

prepare our trainees before the course commenced was<br />

crucial and integral. His thoughts were confirmed when our<br />

trainees passed their final assessment.<br />

The first batch of clients attained their certification on 27<br />

November 2010. The second batch attained theirs on 8<br />

January 2011. A total of 25 clients have attained the Basic<br />

Food Hygiene certification.<br />

On 28 July 2011, in compliance with the NEA license<br />

condition, Senior Training Officer Aveline Cheong,<br />

completed her Conduct Food and Beverage Hygiene Audit<br />

course with At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy. She will be<br />

assisting to supervise and audit food handling processes<br />

in MINDS WEDC.<br />

On 8 August 2011, after two rounds of stringent inspections<br />

by NEA inspectors during the 3 months wait, WEDC MINDS<br />

Food received an ‘A’ grading for the Food Shop license!<br />

Well done everyone!<br />

14


• Text & photos by: WGS •<br />

SPECIAL<br />

OLYMPICS 2011<br />

The Special Olympics World<br />

Summer Games 2011 was held<br />

from 25 June to 4 July 2011 in<br />

Athens, Greece. Altogether, 7500<br />

Special Olympics athletes from<br />

185 countries participated in 22<br />

Olympic-type sporting categories.<br />

Amongst the 46 Singaporean<br />

athletes selected to compete<br />

across seven sporting categories<br />

(Aquatics, Athletics, Bowling,<br />

Bocce, Badminton, Basketball and<br />

Soccer) were Teo Meng Hiang and<br />

Nadhrah Binte Daud from MINDS<br />

Woodlands Gardens School (WGS)<br />

Meng Hiang competed in the<br />

events 800m, 1500m and 4 x<br />

400m relay in Athletics. He bags<br />

a Bronze medal for his 800m and<br />

2 ribbons, 4th and 5th positions<br />

for the 1500m and 4 x 400m relay<br />

respectively. Nadhrah competed<br />

in the Singles, Doubles and Team<br />

event for Bowling. She has also<br />

obtained commendable results of<br />

a Silver medal for the Singles, 4th<br />

and 5th positions for the Doubles<br />

and Team events.<br />

Leading up to the Games, Meng<br />

Hiang and Nadhrah trained<br />

rigourously; averaging at least two<br />

times a week in preparation for<br />

the competition. Their hard work,<br />

commitment and excellent attitude<br />

yielded worthy results. They have<br />

shown the world that they can<br />

achieve sporting excellence and<br />

be the best that they can be. They<br />

have truly embraced the Special<br />

Olympics Oath “Let me win, but if<br />

I cannot win, Let me be brave in<br />

the attempt.” Congratulations to<br />

Meng Hiang and Nadhrah! We are<br />

proud of you!<br />

Meng Hiang celebrating<br />

his win!<br />

so proud of our athletes!<br />

Nadhrah is also<br />

beaming with joy!<br />

TGS OVERSEAS LEARNING<br />

JOURNEY TO MALAYSIA<br />

27 students and ten staff from Towner Gardens School (TGS) embarked on a<br />

learning journey to Malaysia on 1 July 2011. The aim of the three-day visit to Johor<br />

and Malacca was to create an awareness of the different cultures, encourage<br />

socialisation among the students and provide opportunities for them to generalise<br />

specific skills acquired in the classroom to a different environment.<br />

During the trip, the students had hands-on experience in rubber tapping; exposure<br />

to harvesting oil palm fruit and palm sugar (gula Melaka) production; and learning<br />

how pineapples are grown. They also played traditional games such as gasing,<br />

chongkak and sepak takraw with the villagers. Other activities included a scenic<br />

cruise along the Malacca River; visiting different places of worship; shopping at<br />

the famous Jonker Street; and a city tour to see the ruins of St. Paul’s Church.<br />

There was also a customised workshop for<br />

the students specially conducted by TGS<br />

Vice-Principal Ms Loke and one of the<br />

teachers Mrs Gill. During the workshop,<br />

the students learnt about establishing<br />

good work attitudes and played teambuilding<br />

games.<br />

Truly, this trip has been an authentic<br />

learning journey from the classroom into<br />

the world beyond our local shores!<br />

All smiles at the pineapple plantation. Rubber tapping is hard work! Three cheers for Malacca!<br />

• Text by: Ms Agnes Sim, Teacher • Photos by: Ms Rahimah Sakaryoh, Teacher •<br />

15


• Text by: Mr Muhd Naharendie, Senior Teacher • Photos by: WGS •<br />

GLITZ AND GLAMOUR WITH THE<br />

MISS WORLD CONTESTANTS<br />

WGS pupils bringing smiles to the audience<br />

and the beauty queens<br />

What a wonderful opportunity to partner<br />

with these lovely ladies<br />

We are cut out for pageant too!<br />

Under the collaboration of the National Council of Social<br />

Service (NCSS); CSS and Limelite Production Pte Ltd,<br />

Woodlands Gardens School was selected to participate in Miss<br />

World Singapore 2011 pageant. An aspect of the competition<br />

to fulfil the criterion, “Beauty with a Purpose”, thus pupils from<br />

WGS were invited to take part in the celebration.<br />

As a follow-up from their previous visit to the school on<br />

8 September, 21 pupils and five teachers were invited to<br />

participate in the Miss World 2011 Coronation Night held at<br />

the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition<br />

Centre. The selected pupils appeared on stage alongside<br />

contestants during the evening gown session. It was a<br />

moment of brilliance for our pupils to be involved in such a<br />

prestigious event in Singapore in the presence of Miss Julia<br />

Morley, Chairman of the Miss World Organisation.<br />

Prior to the pageant, as the criteria required for the beauty<br />

queens was charity work, the 20 contestants brought on a tour<br />

around WGS to explain the school’s programme and facilities.<br />

The contestants were given the opportunity to interact with the<br />

pupils during their volunteering visits to the school. They also<br />

performed two items during the assembly time.<br />

The contestants were also given hands-on experience working<br />

with a group of pupils from the Senior level on craft projects.<br />

All in all, the pupils really enjoyed the experience.<br />

GOAL! ~SOCCER CLINIC<br />

ORGANISED BY YMCA AT ITE COLLEGE WEST<br />

A total of about 40 volunteers participated to assist our CTDC trainees;<br />

the entire entourage was led by Mr Victor Poh, Assistant Manager<br />

for Community Service, YMCA Singapore. The volunteers came from<br />

various backgrounds and included students, lecturers and fitness<br />

trainers.<br />

Volunteers and trainees getting know one another<br />

Sports such as soccer, badminton, athletics,<br />

swimming are very important activities for a healthy<br />

and balanced lifestyle. These sports are well liked<br />

by our trainees in Clementi Training & Development<br />

Centre (CTDC) as they understand the need to<br />

maintain active and healthy lifestyle.<br />

Together with YMCA, a group of ITE students<br />

organized a soccer clinic for CTDC clients, which<br />

was held at ITE College West (Choa Chu Kang) on<br />

20 May 2011. A total of 18 trainees were selected<br />

to participate in this clinic, accompanied by two<br />

Training Officers, Mr Shah Rizan and Mr Rasyidi.<br />

Our trainees and volunteers were divided into two groups and they<br />

started off with mass warm up exercises. As the soccer clinic was held<br />

in an indoor sports hall, it was not so humid and rather cooling.<br />

The two groups that we split into two had enjoyed two different games;<br />

one was soccer and another was Captain’s Ball. As the volunteers were<br />

very sporting and actively engaged with the trainees, strong bonds of<br />

interaction and affinity were formed. You could hear peals of laughter<br />

throughout the hall, followed by cheers and claps when the trainees<br />

scored their goals.<br />

Big kudos to ITE College West and YMCA volunteers for organizing<br />

such a meaningful event and we hope that there will be more of such<br />

events in the future. As this is one of the rarer sporting activities the<br />

centre had, it was clear that our trainees benefitted from it. You could<br />

literally see the expression of joy in each of their faces!<br />

16<br />

• Text by: Mr Shah Rizan Bin Ramlee, Assistant Training Officer • Photos by: CTDC •


• Text by: Mr Selvadurai Joshua, Occupational Therapist • Photos by: IEDC •<br />

A SPECIAL FRIEND INDEED<br />

~ A GLIMPSE INTO THE SOCIAL LIVES OF PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY<br />

It puzzled our staff to observe this client’s behaviour.<br />

Ms MSK, a trainee at Idea Employment Development Centre (IEPC),<br />

had been known to have problems walking due to weight issues. Her<br />

vocational duties were subsequently relocated from the third storey<br />

classroom to the first storey and that alleviated the inconvenience<br />

of having to climb arduous flights of stairs at the workshop.<br />

Gradually however, she refused to walk and sought attention from<br />

staff to hold her hand whilst travelling to classrooms and toilets.<br />

She also began to insist on sitting on the floor. When assessed,<br />

the health professionals reported that she was not regressing<br />

and that her mobility skills were sufficient for independence. This<br />

unusual behaviour continued for more than two weeks and though it<br />

eventually stopped, the staff were not able to locate what triggered<br />

this temporal behaviour alteration.<br />

Following that incident, another client, Ms AFV, came back to visit<br />

our centre. She had been diagnosed with Leukaemia and could not<br />

continue working at Idea Employment Development Centre (IEDC)<br />

as she underwent chemotherapy treatment. Upon her return, Ms<br />

AFV looked drastically different; she had grown thin and lost a lot of<br />

hair due to her treatments. However, on that very day, she insisted<br />

that her parents bring her to visit the centre.<br />

Despite having balance and mobility issues, Ms MSK dashed<br />

towards Ms AFV the minute she saw her. Ms MSK hugged her<br />

tightly, eyes filled with tears of joy at seeing Ms AFV again. After that,<br />

for the entire time that Ms AFV was at the centre, Ms MSK ensured<br />

that she sat beside her. Ms MSK spoke kindly to her and introduced<br />

Ms AFV as her best friend to everyone at the centre. In fact, Ms<br />

MSK chose to stay with Ms AFV instead of heading down for lunch<br />

at the cafeteria with everyone else. She only ate her lunch after Ms<br />

AFV departed. However, just before Ms AFV left the premises, Ms<br />

MSK shouted, “I Love you Ms AFV”, “Get well soon” and “Come<br />

back soon”. It was certainly an emotional experience for the staff<br />

as we observed the love and friendship between these two ladies.<br />

Undoubtedly, there was a deep level of connection between them<br />

both.<br />

This incident brought understanding to the peculiar episode<br />

regarding Ms MSK’s behavioural change. Two weeks earlier, Ms AFV<br />

was diagnosed with leukaemia and stopped coming to the centre<br />

when treatment began. Indeed, Ms MSK was shocked to know that<br />

her friend had a life-threatening disease that impeded her quality<br />

of life. Without her friend, Ms MSK felt lonely and uncomfortable.<br />

As we dug deeper into the story of their connection, we eventually<br />

discovered that Ms MSK and Ms AFV were in the same sheltered<br />

workshop unit for many years and befriended one another. As both<br />

of them had balance and mobility issues, they were subsequently<br />

transferred to the first storey classroom. During this course of<br />

time, both ladies started depending heavily on each other to get<br />

around; supporting one another when walking to the cafeteria and<br />

washrooms. They understood one another, bore one another’s<br />

burdens and invested in a best-friendship that was as true or if not<br />

truer, than any average person’s.<br />

Not knowing how to cope with the void of Ms AFV’s sudden<br />

departure from the workshop and the emotional stress that followed<br />

suit, we concluded that Ms MSK communicated her feelings through<br />

atypical behavioural expressions.<br />

We (caregivers, siblings, teachers and health professionals etc.)<br />

care about a variety of factors regarding the lives of persons with<br />

intellectual disability. This is so, especially in areas concerning their<br />

physical, financial and psychological wellbeing. Quite often however,<br />

we tend to ignore the importance of their social lives. We have to<br />

remember that they too, place importance on social interactivity,<br />

relationships and friendships though they might not know how to<br />

express it in the usual way. Let us take time to consider their social<br />

wellbeing as well; to respect their emotions and feelings when it<br />

comes to relationships.<br />

ON OUR COVERPAGE AND REAR PAGE<br />

About our Artist<br />

“Liu Sze Sze is a 34 year old artistic client<br />

in Woodlands Employment Development<br />

Centre (WEDC). Sze Sze has cerebral<br />

palsy and complex perceptual-motor<br />

skills. However, she has never seen these<br />

limitations as drawbacks to her unwavering<br />

love for craft work. She has developed and<br />

created unique art pieces by herself including<br />

designs using Hama beads. Sze Sze is very<br />

talented and engages herself in a wide range<br />

of craft products in WEDC, ranging from from<br />

notebook covers to hair accessories. She has<br />

high expectations of herself and in the quality<br />

of the work she does. Thus, her completed<br />

works are always tip top! ”<br />

WEDC MINDS <strong>Craft</strong> was officially started in May 2011.<br />

Signature items created by the unit include a wide range of<br />

handmade, eco-friendly stationery products<br />

17


About MINDS<br />

MINDS stands for Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of<br />

Singapore. MINDS started with a single classroom of 26 children<br />

back in 1962. 49 years later, MINDS has grown to be one of the<br />

oldest and biggest VWOs in Singapore. MINDS’ services include<br />

four special education schools, three sheltered workshops, three<br />

day activity centres and a multi-service residential facility catering<br />

to persons with moderate to severe intellectual disability. MINDS<br />

serves about 2,400 clients in the 11 facilities located island-wide.<br />

MINDS has received strong support from various funding bodies,<br />

the community, corporations and individuals. It is our vision to grow<br />

and become a world-class VWO that advances the development,<br />

well-being and aspirations of persons with intellectual disability<br />

and their integration back into society.

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