Singapore

Government responses

Mainstreaming of disability inclusion, participation, and partnerships 

• [11 November 2020] The Minister for Social and Family Development has held discussions with members of the disability community on how to achieve a more inclusive and caring future in Singapore as the country recovers from the pandemic.

Continued access to goods and services

• [n.d.] The Ministry of Social and Family Development would continue providing essential services with heightened safe distancing measures. For persons with disabilities with higher care needs, and for those whose caregivers need alternative care arrangements, selected community-based centres would remain open to provide critical therapy and care intervention.
• [n.d.] The NEU PC Plus Programme has been offering low-income households with students or persons with disabilities the opportunity to own a brand-new computer at an affordable price. The Programme has helped students to have digital access to home-based learning.
• [24 March 2020] Older persons, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups have been given dedicated shopping hours at several leading supermarket chains.
• [13 April 2020] Social service agencies and community groups providing essential aid for vulnerable groups could seek approval from the National Council of Social Service to continue their activities.
• [19 May 2020] Community disability facilities would gradually reopen with safe distancing measures in place.

Accessible public information 

• [27 July 2020] Accessible information has been made available by the government. Informative videos have been captioned and posted on the government’s Youtube channel to cater to the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing persons. Besides the provision of sign language interpretation services for key live government communications, information at government websites, public healthcare institutions, and social service agencies has been made accessible

Medical and quarantine policies and processes

• [9 June 2021] The Ministry of Health has announced plans to improve quarantine procedures for persons with disabilities, train healthcare staff on disability inclusion, and examine less intrusive COVID-19 testing options.

Social protection and employment support

• [n.d.] The Social Service Office of the Ministry of Social and Family Development has extended social and financial assistance to persons in need through the Temporary Relief Fund, the COVID-19 Support Grant and ComCare assistance schemes.
• [30 July 2020] The Ministry of Social and Family Development has moved job support initiatives online as far as possible during the pandemic, with accessibility considerations for persons with disabilities.

Institutions and facilities 

• [8 May 2020] To limit transmission amongst vulnerable groups, the Ministry of Health, the Agency for Integrated Care and the Ministry of Social and Family Development have initiated testing for 30,000 residents and staff of nursing homes, welfare homes, sheltered homes and adult disability homes.
• [19 May 2020] There have been enhanced precautionary measures for residential facilities and community-based services.

Last modified: 9 June 2021