DPA collaborated with Common Purpose for the project ‘Immersion Visit 2017’. Common Purpose is a not-for-profit leadership development organisation that specialises in cross-boundary leadership. On 12 December 2017, DPA conducted a training session on ‘Inclusion of persons with disabilities in Singapore’ for students from various universities. DPA conducted this training as a part of the Global Leader Experience (GLE) initiative of Common Purpose which aims to develop leaders who can contribute to build inclusive societies. Seventeen students from different universities of Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Singapore attended this session.
During the interaction session, our Inclusion Ambassadors Esmond, Margaret and Timothy shared about importance of promoting inclusion of persons with disabilities. Margaret shared her experience and also emphasised that inclusion is not charity. To her, inclusion is about making sure that everybody has the same opportunities to participate in every aspect of life to the best of their abilities and desires. Esmond expounded on how we can encourage interaction between persons with and without disabilities to develop better understanding, promoting inclusiveness. Timothy highlighted the significant role played by leaders in enabling persons with disabilities to reach their full potential contributing to building inclusive world. During the discussion, the team compared the accessibility features and best practices of different countries. The session provided great learning experience for the participants and ended on a joyful note when Esmond sang the song ‘Five Hundred Miles’ by Justin Timberlake.
Leaders play an essential role in advocating for the rights and dignity of the persons with disabilities. Besides having a holistic approach to inclusion, empowering persons with disability to be the leaders is the need of the hour. DPA welcomes promising new leaders, with and without disabilities, who can contribute to building inclusive societies, enabling people with disabilities.