The Disabled People’s Association’s “Let’s Talk About Disability” IDPD celebration was held over two days at the Jurong Point atrium on 15 and 16 November 2013.
On the opening Friday, 15 November, we kicked off the celebrations with the opening of the booth exhibitions by various VWOs. Staff and volunteers were on hand to give information to members of the public who wish to find out more about the services and facilities provided.
Here’re some Day 1 highlights:
* The first performance item was by DPA member Ms Aisah Ibrahim, who enthralled the crowd with her soulful renditions of perennial Chinese pop favourites “The moon represents my heart” and “Sweetness”.
* Mr Kumareno from Handicaps Welfare Association similarly won over the audience with his guitar and set of catchy, feet-tapping numbers.
* ExtraOrdinary Horizons put up a xylophone and song-signing performance late in the afternoon. As those who caught this would testify, signing a song can be visually lyrical too!
* Mr Norrizwan Rasip from the Society for the Physically Disabled, a wheelchair user, gave an insightful talk, aptly enough, on “Debunking Misconceptions About Wheelchair Users”. Mrs Nina Munday from DPA spoke on “Barriers to Inclusion”.
* In between were two educational games conducted by emcee Bernard and DPA staff Alvan – on disability symbols and a quiz which tested contestants on their knowledge of disabilities. Participants, including many parent-and-child pairs, walked away with prizes of NTUC vouchers.
The second and final day on Saturday, 16 November, saw a lot more action. Guest-of-honour, Mr Cedric Foo, Member of Parliament for Pioneer constituency, graced the occasion with his presence.
The event opened with speeches by Mr Nicholas Aw, DPA president, and Mr Foo, followed by DPA’s public campaign slideshow. There was also cheque presentation to DPA by Deutsche Bank’s representative.
Next up was Redeafination’s hip-hop item which certainly enlivened the atmosphere with thumping music and funky, eye-catching dance moves.
Equally popular was the performance of “Desert Dreams” by The Drum Prodigy & Percussion Ensemble from Down Syndrome Association Singapore – the eight drummers received a rousing reception from the crowd.
Mr Cedric Foo then toured the VWOs’ booths and, besides interacting with the staff, gamely tried out manoeuvring a wheelchair and practicing sign language.
Other highlights were a talk by Ms Penny Chong, who is blind, on “What the Blind Can Do & How We Can Help” and a sign language game in which winners walked off with a pair of Cathay movie passes.
About International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPD)
The International Day for Persons with Disabilities is commemorated every year on the 3rd of December. IDPD was established by the United Nations and aims to raise awareness of the presence and needs of persons with disabilities among us, as well as celebrate their abilities and achievements.
Acknowledgements
Heartfelt appreciation to fellow disability-related organisations which supported our IDPD celebrations (in alphabetic order):
- Bedok Youth Society for the Disabled
- Bizlink
- Down Syndrome Association Singapore
- ExtraOrdinary Horizons
- Handicaps Welfare Association
- Redeafination
- Society for the Physically Disabled
- Singapore Action Group of Elders
- Singapore Association for the Deaf
We wish to say a big thank-you to our sponsors too!
- Deutsche Bank
- Jurong Point
- Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple
- Lee Foundation Singapore
- Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple
- Singapore Press Holdings Foundation
- McDonald’s
- Zenaco
Kudos, too, to our vendors for their support!
- AYDesigns Pte Ltd
- Courts (Singapore) Pte Ltd – Jurong Point branch
- LEAP DS&C Pte Ltd
Here’s also a shout-out to our engaging emcee, Bernard Seah, and hardworking sign language interpreters Zach Tay and Hanna Omar from the Singapore Association for the Deaf.
Last, but not least, not forgetting our big-hearted volunteers who helped with stage management, ushering, booth setup, photography and more!
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To view more photos, please click here or visit DPA’s Facebook.