from Singapore, Ireland and Dubai
Singaporean HSPer gets $5000 to pursue wheelchair racing
SINGAPORE – Several individuals with disabilities were recognised at two events on Saturday (Jan 20) – one that celebrated inclusive employment and another that honoured organisations that back socially responsible initiatives.
Grants of $5,000 were also awarded to Mr Joshua Tseng Shi Hao, Mr Justin Kueh Jin Yan and Mr Shahrul Izwan Shaiful Bahri through the SPD Youth Aspiration Award to pursue their interests. This initiative, which helps more than 5,500 individuals with disabilities, is supported by NatSteel.
Bursaries totalling $117,550 were handed out at the NatSteel-SPD education programme awards to 95 students with disabilities and students whose parents have disabilities.
Mr Shahrul, 23, was diagnosed with lower limbs spastic paraparesis when he was 16, and found drive through a new sport – wheelchair racing.
Meanwhile, Charity in the Park 2018, one of the Community Chest’s events, raised about $2.3 million for about 80 social service organisations on Saturday night.
It attracted more than 4,000 donors, volunteers, social service users and their caregivers.
Community Chest Chairman Phillip Tan noted: “Besides a five-year pledge of $5 million cash donation and in-kind support to Community Chest, Resorts World Sentosa’s staff have volunteered in many corporate social responsibility activities, and it went further to initiate job re-design for their employees with disabilities.”
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The Straits Times, JAN 20, 2018, 8:26 PM SGT
By Grace Leong
Grants and honours for people with disabilities, social service groups
Independent living for HSP sisters in Ireland
Funding from Council and community
IRELAND – THE parents of two daughters, Mairéad and Aoibheann Mitchell, who are living with the debilitating Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), have thanked the public for their huge support for the ‘Mitchell Sisters Independent Living Project’. Their parents Hilary and Kathleen Mitchell have written an open-letter to communities in their home county of Sligo, and Co Mayo, to confirm the fundraising effort is now complete and to acknowledge its success.
Hilary, who is now the full-time carer for the girls, said it was not easy for them to agree to the funding venture. He said: “Retirement has now taken on a whole different perspective. Nowhere had we made provision for this set of circumstances. We had never heard of HSP. Trying to meet the complex needs of their disability has of course put the family under stress: emotional, physical and financial.”
Just over three months after the fundraising effort went public, and with financial support from Sligo County Council, the girls can now look forward to living in specially adapted dwellings, next door to their parents. They are built in accordance with Wheelchair Association’s Best Practice Access Guidelines.
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The Mayo News, 09 January 2018
By Áine Ryan
Fundraising for Mitchell Sisters Independent Living Project complete
Zahra in a band to play the National Anthem
DUBAI – A group of 20 children of determination is set to perform the UAE national anthem at the Dubai Garden Glow this Thursday using Assistive Technology (AT). Zahra Abdul Nasar with spastic paraparesis and intellectual disability will play a mounted Triangle – an idiophone type instrument.
Music without Barriers
The children, aged between seven and 14, are all part of a music band called ‘Music without Barriers’ at Al Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities. They have been learning to play the national anthem for the last one year for their first public performance in the park.
“At the centre, we have developed special-purpose computers, pointing devices, mounting systems, special screen readers communication programs, specialised learning materials and curriculum aids to help these children play music,” said Isphana Al Khatib, director of the centre.
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Published: January 31, 2018
Anjana Kumar, staff reporter
Children of determination to play the UAE’s national anthem