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The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities (UNCRPD) has been a
milestone in global and national disability development efforts. The UNCRPD looks at what can
be done to make sure that persons with disabilities (PWDs) can have access to the same rights as
everybody else. In addition, the convention also identifies areas where the interests of PWDs can
be protected.
Singapore signed and officially ratified the UNCRPD on 18 August 2013. They joined an
international community of 132 other countries that have committed themselves to ensuring that
PWDs are treated equally with dignity and respect. Under the countrys national development
framework, called the Enabling Master Plan 2012-2014, Singapore seeks to establish an
inclusive society, one that encompasses disability, via collaboration between the public and
private stakeholders.
Although Singapore has officially become a signatory of the UNCRPD, the road towards
promoting greater inclusion of PWDs into the society may still be far off. The main problem that
Singapore faces is their inability to identify the current numbers of PWDs in the country. In
Singapore, the number of PWDs are measured based on those who have registered to use public
disability services. And this number is roughly around 97, 200 people.
According to the United Nations, it is estimated that anywhere between 10 to 15 per cent of a
countrys population are disabled. This means that of the 5.4 million people currently living in
Singapore, it is estimated that there are anywhere between 540, 000 to 810,000 people living
with some form of disability in the country. If the actual situation is as such, then the current
number of registered PWDs in Singapore is barely 1.5 per cent of the true numbers.
This case study takes a look at Singapore and the issue it faces in correctly identifying the
current number of disabled people living within the country. The discrepancy between actual and
current numbers is an issue that Singapore ought to tackle as their first few steps towards their
commitment towards the UNCRPD. One of the fundamental problems behind this issue is that
there is a lack of a proper registration service for PWDs in the country.
Before 1987 Singapore had the Central Registry of Disabled Persons which kept track of the
number of PWDs irrespective of whether they used public disability services. However, the
Singapore government closed the Central Registry in 1987 as other governmental agencies were
serving the same purpose and this caused inefficient repetition of work. And as a result, the only
method for the government to measure the disability prevalence rate now depended on those who
registered to use public disability services.
In order to ensure that Singapores laws, policies, and practices are aligned with the UNCRPD,
reliable statistics are required in order to ascertain needs and concerns, with such data
disaggregated in terms of gender and form of disability. This lack of data is troubling as the
proportion of people with disabilities is increasing with the ageing of the population.
In the policy brief following this case study, it is highly suggested that the Singaporean
government resume its operations of the Central Registry of Disabled Persons in order to
establish a reliable and valid information data bank. By addressing this issue, the exact numbers
of people living with disabilities in the country can be known. Further, it will enable the
Singapore government to implement relevant and effective policies that will help this group.
This paper is thus organized as follows: 1) brief background of Singapore and the UNCRPD,
2) Singapores Enabling Masterplan and Disability, 3) how Singapore will implement these
strategies, 4) the current and potential problems Singapore faces, 5) a cross-country case study,
and 6) policy brief for action.
However, the initial welfare approach adopted by the Malaysian government has greatly
hindered their disability development attempts as it has also indirectly altered the way in which
the society views the issue. Changing this perception could be one of the steps that Malaysia can
take in order to improve the lives of its disabled. Perhaps stronger enforcement and greater
awareness on the issue of disability could lead to an improved situation in the case of Malaysia.
Thailand
Thailand is referred to be a
http://thailand.angloinfo.com/healthcare/people-with-disabilities/disability-benefits/