Mr Jacob is spot-on in his assessment of the situation facing older workers in Singapore.

To quote Mr Jacob, ' 'oldies' have come to be regarded and presumed to be less able, less adequate, less adept and, yes, in cases, less valuable". How aptly this sentence applies, too, to another marginalised segment of society - people with disabilities. Sadly, for the latter group, such discrimination occurs from the onset of their disability, usually from birth or in childhood, rather than later on in life.

Most people with a disability - physical or sensory - find it difficult to integrate fully into mainstream society. Although early intervention and advances in medical, psychosocial care and educational support have helped the younger generation of persons with disabilities to achieve much academically, all these are negated when they seek to enter the workforce.

Most employers tend to shy away from hiring people with disabilities. For example, a person with hearing loss has little chance because employers tend to focus on the fact that he is unable to use the phone or communicate verbally.

In other words, they are unable to see beyond the job applicant's disability, nor the fact that a bit of creative accommodation and re-design of job scope goes a long way to overcome such 'barriers'. In addition, with the advent of assistive technology such as mobility aids, text-to-speech software and hearing devices as well as the widespread adoption of e-mail, text-conferencing and mobile office concepts, people with disabilities are increasingly able to participate actively in the workforce at all levels.

I believe that Singapore, as a city of possibilities and an inclusive society, is in a good position to harness the talents of persons with disabilities, as long as we find the heart, the will and the openness of mind to do so.

Even as we plan to tap on the skills of mature workers, let's not leave out those with disabilities among us, who have as much talent and potential to contribute to our economy.

Ultimately, Singapore benefits when people with disabilities are gainfully employed, economically productive and do not need to rely on welfare.

Tan Wee Huang