People with disabilities play an important role in achieving inclusion. Furthering DPA’s mission to be the voice of the people with disabilities, we have designed the Inclusion Ambassadors Programme to enable and nurture a select few of our members to effectively engage with the public to raise awareness and promote the inclusion of people with disabilities. This is one of our signature programmes that upholds the mission of DPA and carries the spirit of successful advocacy.
The beginning
Purple Fiesta, an event held on 29 May 2015, that supported the inclusion of people with disabilities in Singapore, was organised by Team Echo of Temasek Junior College, together with DPA. The Disability Awareness Talk Series (DATS) was officially launched by DPA’s Executive Director – Dr Medjeral-Mills, together with our first batch of student advocates – Team Echo from Temasek Junior College, and Project Butterfly Team from Hwa Chong Institution. The goal of DATS is to disable the disability and embrace inclusion. Through DATS, we impart awareness, paving way to the successful inclusion of persons with disabilities. An interaction session was organised during this event, where Dr Medjeral-Mills attended with Ms Keng Ying Tan, a DPA Board Member, and other members – Escanan Eugene Jayme, Jorain Ng, and Kagda Sakina Abbasbhai. After witnessing the positive impact of DATS and the interaction session with our DPA members, DPA decided to go ahead with developing a programme to train our members to effectively interact with the public, thereby raising awareness. And thus, the Inclusion Ambassador Programme was created.
Journey Together
The first orientation and training programme was conducted at DPA on 1 June 2017. Our Inclusion Ambassadors Margaret, Rosie and Timothy attended the session. The second orientation and training was conducted on 23 November 2017, where Dr Medjeral-Mills welcomed all Inclusion Ambassadors who attended the session. During her address, she shared the importance of leveraging the contributions of one another, and to continue to challenge one another to achieve the best results through one’s own prowess.
The orientation session was presented by Timothy Ng, our Inclusion Ambassador, and Asha Karen, DPA’s Training Consultant. Informational booths with various names reflecting DPA’s foci – Connect, Include, Empower, Contribute and Vox Nostra – were set up during the orientation to engage with the Inclusion Ambassadors. The Inclusion Ambassadors were also encouraged to indicate their skills, talents, hobbies and interests at these booths to help DPA better identify and organise suitable events for them. A delightful lunch was provided for the participants, as they mingled with other Inclusion Ambassadors and the DPA team. A short orientation session was conducted on 9 December 2017 for those who were not able attend the session on 23 November.
Persons with disabilities face barriers created by the attitudes of people towards them. Whether born from ignorance, fear, misunderstanding or hate, these attitudes keep people from appreciating the full potential of a person with disability. Breaking the attitudinal barriers and misconceptions, our Inclusion Ambassadors engage with participants from different walks of life, upholding the spirit of advocacy and inclusion. They interact with participants and share their powerful insights and personal experiences in an interesting and constructive way. Through the disability experiential activities and interaction, Inclusion Ambassadors help participants to gain confidence in interacting with persons with disabilities and to be more proactive in promoting inclusion.
Being an Inclusion Ambassador is a paid opportunity to raise awareness whilst getting compensated for their time and energy. Participants gain exposure to different engagement methods, including discussions, meetings, forums and interviews. Inclusion Ambassadors also learn to work as a team. Inclusion Ambassadors are engaged to perform a specific roles during various projects and events of DPA. The role of an Inclusion Ambassador provides excellent opportunity to learn and practice new skills, connect with many people and raise awareness to promote inclusion.
Interested in joining our team of Inclusion Ambassadors?
You need to be a DPA member to apply for Inclusion Ambassadors programme. Selected candidates will undergo training to develop necessary skills to be an Inclusion Ambassador.
We encourage individuals with disabilities to become Inclusion Ambassadors. You can visit the following link to apply for DPA membership.
http://www.dpa.org.sg/membership/membership-information/
For more information, please email [email protected] or call 6791 1134.
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