SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) today announced that the Centre for Enabled Living (CEL) will be renamed as SG Enable and will focus on supporting the needs of persons with disabilities.

SG Enable, which will commence operations from the third quarter of this year, will also work with voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), education and training providers and employers to broaden employment options for persons with disabilities.

Services will continue as usual in the interim until a new site for the centre is found.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the visit of the Autism Resource Centre’s (ARC) Employability and Employment Centre (E2C), Acting Minister for MSF Chan Chun Sing said: “Going forward, we are not just talking about education for those with special needs but about creating job opportunities for them because many members of our disabled community are living longer and they need activities beyond the school.”

Previously, the CEL served both the needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities. However, the aged care arm will now be integrated into the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), as announced at Budget 2013.

Other functions of the repositioned agency will also include enhancing information and referral services and administering government grants and support to persons with disabilities and their caregivers.

It will also rally stakeholder support in enabling persons with disabilities.

NTUC Fairprice is one employer who has partnered the ARC to provide employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Five clients from ARC have been placed at FairPrice Hypermarket at Nex Mall for work exposure since November last year. They pack vegetables for the supermarket with the guidance of a job coach from ARC. If they are assessed to be suitable for the job, they will also be given permanent positions and receive normal wages.

“While VWOs such as the Autism Resource Centre provide structured job training and coaching services, they also need the partnership of enlightened employers like NTUC Fairprice to hire and support persons with disabilities at the workplace. I hope that SG Enable can bring more employers on board, and work with them as well as VWOs and education and training providers to broaden job options for persons with disabilities,” Mr Chan said.