Give persons with disabilities a chance to work and contribute economically

INCLUSION refers to building a culture where everyone, regardless of their background or status, is comfortable and welcomed.

Creating an inclusive workplace where persons with disabilities can succeed involves developing long-term strategies, systems and support from both the community and employers from the private and public sectors.

Strides have been made over the years in addressing the various needs of persons with disabilities, including the upgrading of physical infrastructure to make transport barrier-free, and enacting legislation to allow guide dogs on public transport and food establishments for persons with visual impairment.

On the employer front, the Enabling Mark, a national-level accreditation framework that benchmarks and recognises organisations for their best practices and outcomes in disability-inclusive employment, was launched by SG Enable in 2020.

At Workforce Singapore (WSG), helping Singaporeans from all walks of life be gainfully employed is a key priority. As we learn about what it means to live with disabilities, and understand the anxieties and challenges, we also rolled out several strategic measures to better support persons with disabilities.

For example, we installed tables with adjustable heights at our Careers Connect centres’ self-help areas so that wheelchair users can easily access the computer terminals to use digital services such as career profiling tools, and search for jobs through MyCareersFuture.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

An eKiosk designed with a height adjustment function is also open around the clock at one of our centres. In addition, we have installed special keyboards with high-contrast colours and extra-large keys to make typing easier for persons with visual impairment. Career ambassadors are also around during operating hours to provide assistance.

We have been fortunate to partner companies from various sectors at our career events. Our partners include food and beverage, hospitality and infocomm technology firms, which are open to hiring persons with disabilities.

We will continue to work with SG Enable to educate more employers on the benefits of inclusive hiring.

More recently, the Enabling Masterplan 2030 aims to have 40 per cent of working-age persons with disabilities employed by 2030, up from about 30 per cent between 2020 and 2021.

With that, more can be done to educate on the value that persons with disabilities can bring to the workplace, and we recognise that it takes a whole-of-society effort to achieve this goal.

Through WSG’s Employment Support for Persons with Disabilities programme, more than 3,400 persons with disabilities have been placed into gainful employment across close to 2,000 companies between January 2016 and September 2022, representing 500 placements per year on average.

Within that same timeline, over 130 employers have also tapped the Job Redesign Grant to redesign jobs and create more accessible workplaces for over 280 employees with disabilities.

Fortitude Culina, a social enterprise that aims to offer fair employment opportunities and career advancement for persons with visual impairment as chefs, is one such employer. To provide a better and safer work environment for their visually-impaired chefs, the company used the Job Redesign Grant last month to redesign the kitchen workspace.

For example, they hacked down some walls to create more room for their employees to manoeuvre safely, and also constructed a ramp for easier access as the food kiosk was on an elevated flooring. In addition, customised lighting with dimmers was fixed at individual work stations to allow chefs with low vision to adjust the lighting according to their needs.

However, more – especially on the hiring front – can be done in our journey towards workplace and workforce inclusivity.

WSG is planning to work with SG Enable to make the MyCareersFuture job portal more friendly for persons with disabilities to navigate and apply for jobs, at the same time encouraging employers to post more jobs suitable for them.

We are also exploring ways to improve inclusivity at our career events, such as prioritising venues that are barrier-free and accessible, and also highlighting jobs that are suitable for persons with disabilities. There are benefits that companies can unlock by adopting inclusive practices.

According to a study commissioned by SG Enable, it was found that individuals who worked closely with persons with disabilities perceived their company culture and performance significantly more positively than individuals who did not, and employees in disability-inclusive organisations felt that a diverse team was conducive to original and creative thinking and felt a sense of purpose with their employer.

Employers who require support to build up their capabilities and confidence in hiring and integrating persons with disabilities into the workplace can be assured that the journey will not be a lonesome one, and support is available under the Employment Support for Persons with Disabilities programme.

SG Enable and its Job Placement and Job Support partners provide up to one year of complimentary recruitment and job support services to support employers in the recruitment and retention of employees with disabilities. Employers can also tap on the programme to redesign job roles, purchase new equipment, or modify the workplace to be more conducive for their employees with disabilities.

As we embark on the Forward Singapore journey towards a fairer and more inclusive Singapore, we call on employers and the community to work together to build a society with stronger safety nets and collective support especially for persons with disabilities.

We need to move away from the misconception that a person’s disability is an inability to do the job. Leaders need to set the right tone and not picture the employment of persons with disabilities as just a pay cheque. Persons with disabilities have their unique capabilities and talents and having a job is akin to a second home for them. What they need is a chance.

The writer is assistant chief executive of Workforce Singapore