Financial Assistance for Families with Special Needs Adult Members
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Murali Pillai's inquiry regarding financial assistance for families with adult members having special needs to access employability and social engagement programmes. Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee explained that SG Enable provides government-funded employment assistance and the Open Door Programme Training Grant, which subsidises up to 90% of course fees. For individuals unable to join open employment, the Government funds Sheltered Workshops and Day Activity Centres, the latter of which provides tiered fee subsidies for lower-income families to learn daily living skills. Minister Desmond Lee also noted that the Assistive Technology Fund subsidises up to 90% of the cost for assistive devices to help persons with disabilities live independently. Furthermore, mobility is supported through various transport subsidy schemes, including the Public Transport Concession and Taxi Subsidy Scheme, to enhance community integration and employability for these individuals.
Transcript
24 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Social and Family Development what financial avenues of help are there for families with adult members who have special needs such as dyslexia, autism and Down's Syndrome and who wish to enrol them into programmes to make them employable or socially engaged.
Mr Desmond Lee: We support adult persons with disabilities (whether medically diagnosed with intellectual disability, physical disability, sensory impairments or Autism Spectrum Disorder) through a range of services in employment, independent living and care. Adults with dyslexia receive the same support if they have the same medical diagnosis.
For job-ready persons with disabilities looking for employment, they can approach SG Enable for employment assistance. SG Enable runs career fairs, internship and mentorship programmes, and works with partner agencies on job placement and support. These are funded by the Government. SG Enable also administers the Open Door Programme Training Grant, which subsidises up to 90% of course fees to support the employability of persons with disabilities.
Those who are unable to work in an open employment setting can enrol in Sheltered Workshops, which are also funded by the Government. These workshops collaborate with industry partners to offer job training and enrichment programmes.
Those who require long-term care support can enrol in Day Activity Centres (DACs). These centres aim to equip persons with disabilities with community and daily living skills to enable them to live as independently as possible at home and within the community. DAC fees vary depending on the programme that the client is enrolled in, with low-income families receiving more fee subsidies.
SG Enable also administers various schemes that support persons with disabilities to live independently in their homes and the community. The Assistive Technology Fund subsidises up to 90% of the cost of buying, replacing and repairing assistive technology devices that help in independent living. To facilitate mobility, SG Enable provides transport subsidies to persons with disabilities, through the Public Transport Concession Scheme, Voluntary Welfare Organisation (VWO) Transport Subsidies, Taxi Subsidy Scheme, and the Disabled Persons Scheme. All these schemes aim to help persons with disabilities to enhance their employability, their ability to live independently and be socially engaged.