Benefits of Smart Nation Project for Persons with Disabilities

Mdm Speaker, technology can be a very important enabler for persons with disabilities. As Singapore strives to become a Smart Nation, persons with disabilities would be able to benefit from a broad range of initiatives. In addition, the Government will have specific initiatives on infocomm and assistive technology to help persons with disabilities make use of suitable technology devices and solutions in their daily living, education, employment and interactions with others and in whatever areas that we think that we could apply those technologies in.

Some of these are already in the works. For example, from August this year, MSF will increase the lifetime cap and subsidy coverage of its Assistive Technology Fund. The changes will help more persons with disabilities and provide them greater support to defray the cost of purchasing or repairing their assistive devices. In education, for example, MOE already supports students with special needs in both mainstream and Special Education (SPED) schools through funding assistive technology devices and support services. Students studying in Institutes of Higher Learning can now tap on the Special Education Needs Fund to purchase devices to support their learning.

Besides individuals, we are also reaching out to VWOs that serve persons with disabilities. VWOs can tap on grants to use infocomm and assistive technology in their programmes, for example, to improve communication and socialisation skills of their clients. SPED schools can also tap on a fund to upgrade their IT infrastructure and develop innovative projects.

To generate new solutions for persons with disabilities, a $30 million Tote Board-Enabling Lives Initiative Grant was launched in 2014 and administered by SG Enable. The grant scheme supports new ideas and innovative pilots that address cross-cutting issues on disability, including more effective use of data and technology. A grant call was made early this year to seek out ideas and solutions on using technology to improve the lives of persons with disabilities from both the private and VWO sectors. The results should be known in

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about a month's time.

I thank the Minister for the clarification and we want to thank the Government for the ATF as well as the other initiatives that have been made available to persons with disabilities. My question relates more to where persons with disabilities come in, in the Smart Nation initiatives.

We do understand that that is in the course of being built, but do persons with disabilities play a role? And specifically, Minister, if you could share with us the road map towards including persons with disabilities within this larger Smart Nation initiative – what the strategies are to empower, enable and facilitate persons with disabilities to be able to live independently, work independently? What initiatives will there be to increase or build on the capability within the sector, the AT assessors, the occupational therapists, for example? Minister, if you could clarify.

Mdm Speaker, as we embark on the Smart Nation effort, we find that there are many applications across society. It is important for all the different stakeholders to participate in whatever capacities that they can and to offer ideas and initiatives and also to push the Government to explore those new areas. At the same time, it is also about the partnership between the Government and the commercial sectors. There are also companies who are also innovative and thinking about ways to apply this.

Some of the things that we are doing, for example, the SPD Assistive Technology Centre provides consultation, assessment, loan, training and the use of AT devices. In addition, the InfoComm Accessibility Centre (IAC) was set up at SPD's premises through a people-public-private partnership supported by IDA, MSF, NCSS, Tote Board and Microsoft Singapore. The IAC encourages the use of technology through IT training to bridge the digital divide for persons with disabilities. SG Enable will play a very important part in working with partners. That is really quite key, to bring on board the private sector, many of whom have technologies which are being used for commercial applications, but you could see how they could also be adapted to help persons with disabilities as well.

They are working with partners to improve the provision and adoption of infocomm and assistive technology among persons with disabilities. So, as we look to integrate technology into our daily lives under this push, new ideas and innovations will continue and I think we need to bring them on board. That is where we will be keen to listen to new ideas, possible technological innovations and collaborations that can lead to improvement in the lives of all Singaporeans and also for Singaporeans with disabilities.

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This is an on-going effort and I do encourage all the different stakeholders to play a part to help shape that space. The way in which technology is transforming is quite significant. So, we need to make sure that we harness it, not just at the individual level but at the systemic level as well. Let us explore how best we could apply.

I thank the Minister. I do recognise that there are initiatives within the sector and I do speak as someone from SPD as well as SG Enable and here I declare my interest. But it is also because of where we are right now that we feel that the reach for assistive technology to persons with disabilities is not sufficient. It cannot be the work just of VWOs, however many VWOs collaborate. It has got to be a national effort.

Hence, Minister, my question is, again, how we fit all these efforts within the national initiative so that it does not become a stand-alone project, but it is a continuum of our phasing of persons within the community, a truly whole-of-Government approach, Minister. I am looking forward to your sharing of more concrete plans as well as a more definite timeline for us to work on, so that we know how to prepare ourselves.

Mdm Speaker, there are discrete efforts in terms of focusing on specific areas of needs. But you will realise that in the effort, for example, in transforming the way we lay out our city, it also incorporates how technology is being brought on board to help persons with disabilities. I would suggest that some of these areas also would straddle our other areas of concern, for example, with the way our demographics are evolving, a lot more elderly in our society. In terms of mobility, for example, that is something that we are looking at in terms of how do you provide for better tracking of needs. These technology applications would also apply for persons with disabilities.

If you are asking for whether there is a specific dedicated road map for persons with disabilities, that is something that we can take up, if that provides a level of assurance. I would say that that is an area that we are looking at, if it helps to pull it all together and present it as one whole, that is something that we can do so that it will give the stakeholders in the sector better clarity of how it pulls together and also whether, as a result of pulling it together, we could further enhance it.

Rest assured that we are committed to making sure that Singapore is an inclusive society and that includes Singaporeans of varying abilities. The way in which we want to apply technology to the way we evolve as a city – not just physically, but also in terms of the soft aspect – technology has a very big part to play. Really, it is about applying it in ways in which as many, if not all, Singaporeans can benefit, including persons with disabilities.

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I thank the Minister for the assurance that he will put aside some resources to support some of these discrete programmes that are happening in the special needs sector. Singapore is one of the most wired nations and much needs to be done in order that this community would not be left behind in information technology.

In view of the urgency of the matter, since almost every child in Singapore has access to IT, I would like to ask the Minister when the timeframe would be for the Ministry to set aside resources and perhaps even set up a small taskforce comprising the different players so that what Ms Chia Yong Yong mentioned about the inclusion of the disability community in the Smart Nation master plan could be effected. When could that be?

Mdm Speaker, Ms Denise Phua likes to ask for specific timelines. This is something that I would follow up on and I will get back to her.

It is very heartening to hear that we have a Smart Nation plan that does want to be inclusive and bring in also the interest of the marginalised. I am also wondering, on the same note, whether it is possible to include the marginalised, our disabled community, upstream. In other words, at the planning and gathering of inputs stage, but also to get some of them who are quite able despite their physical or other disabilities, to be part of the planning and designing team.

The second area is, as the Minister mentioned about the barrier-free access efforts made by the various agencies, quite often, I have encountered circumstances and feedback from the disabled community that many of these barrier-free access amenities, no doubt were planned with good intentions, but when put together, may not actually work for the disabled.

For example, the visually impaired has given feedback that, although you have tactiles on the ground at the MRT stations, they do not know where the tactiles are leading to the toilet or leading to another bus station. Or for the wheelchair-bound, very often, when they come down a slope, it meets all the barrier-free access specifications but it ends up with the pillar right in front and issues like these.

So, whether it is possible to involve them, either upstream or even downstream where they could then be also trained as barrier-free access auditors or other such fields, especially when universal designs are concerned.

Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the Member for her points raised. I would not use the term "marginalised" to describe them. I would say that they are

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Singaporeans with different abilities and I think it is important for us to include them.

I would suggest that many of them are involved in the consultation process, in terms of designing, certainly, in my time in MND, and looking at how MND works with different stakeholders, in terms of shaping our respective spaces.

We would very much appreciate the various feedback. Feedback has always been provided, where there are inadequacies or where it was less than ideal. But the Member would agree with me that things have moved on in significant ways.

I would not deny that there will always be teething issues along the way, whether in terms of the physical infrastructure or the way perhaps technology is applied. It cannot be applied for its own sake. So, the point the Member is making is an important one which is, ultimately, the outcome must be something that is useful for those who are involved.

And so, upstream involvement, that is something that is on-going, but I think we can look at whether they could be extended or to what degree and to make sure that at least the key stakeholders are there, whether in consultation or as part of the team to shape some of these respective spaces. So, that is a fair point and we will make sure that that is something that is done.

While we are on the topic of Smart Nation, the current EM refers to the setting up of the National Technology Centre. How is that coming along and how would that fit into the Smart Nation initiative?

Mdm Speaker, I would be quite happy to provide an update if the Member could submit a separate Parliamentary Question. We can follow up on that.