New home, more places at day activity centres for adults with disabilities

SINGAPORE — Some 140 places at day activity centres will be added for adults with disabilities, bringing the total number to almost 1,200.

A new day activity centre for adults with autism and their caregivers will be completed by this year, while a new home for adults with disabilities will be built by 2018.

Outlining plans to expand capacity for persons with disabilities, Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Low Yen Ling said that the Ministry for Social and Family Development (MSF) is reviewing the “adult care landscape”.

Noting that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, Ms Low said: “We hope to have a wider range of care options in future, to meet different needs based on the type of disabilities, severity, and level of family support.”

Ms Low was speaking during the MSF’s Committee of Supply debate today (March 13).

To enhance mobility for persons with disabilities, the MSF has also partnered the National Council of Social Services to award S$5 million in grants to three transport operators to provide dedicated transport for persons using community-based disability services or attending special education schools.

The ministry is also exploring ways to make services for children with special needs more accessible and affordable, such as expanding the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children and increasing the number of student care centres for older children with special needs.