SMRT's initiative to educate its staff on people with special needs is vital in creating a caring culture among people (SMRT staff get training to help commuters with special needs; Aug 24).

The collaboration with social service agencies has fostered a deeper awareness among staff of people with unique needs.

This contributes towards a nation-wide trend of promoting inclusion within our society.

Future improvement should look beyond staff education. An enduring approach would be to establish a permanent foothold for participating agencies.

This could range from allocating fixed advertising spots to organising regular roadshows within the Yishun Integrated Transport Hub.

This ensures continuity and prevents dilution of the current outreach effort.

Additionally, a constant presence would garner public interest. It encourages frequent interaction between commuters and the special needs community.

Through dialogue, people identify social divisions and find meaningful solutions to mitigate them. Subsequently, it cultivates greater understanding and improves people's perceptions towards individuals with special needs.

Ultimately, inclusion needs to be defined by the community. A caring society requires public participation. Together with its partners, SMRT can explore various avenues to engage people productively and shape their views. This would bring about a greater momentum towards becoming an inclusive service provider and eventually alters our social landscape.

Colin Tan Heng Yeow