Forum: More understanding, less judgment of persons with intellectual disabilities needed
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Singapore has made encouraging progress towards becoming a more inclusive society, but inclusion is more than having accessible infrastructure or policies. It also depends on how we respond to one another in everyday situations.
As Year 3 Diploma in Social Work students from Nanyang Polytechnic working on a community awareness initiative, my classmates and I have had opportunities to engage with caregivers and members of the public while developing a project on persons with intellectual disabilities (PWIDs).
One recurring observation stood out: Many negative reactions stem not from ill intent, but from limited understanding. Behaviours such as emotional dysregulation, difficulty in communicating or taking longer to complete everyday tasks are sometimes mistaken for rudeness, a result of poor parenting or intentional misconduct.
These misunderstandings can leave PWIDs and their caregivers feeling isolated in places that should belong to everyone, from MRT stations and hawker centres to neighbourhoods and online spaces. Greater inclusion begins with perspective-taking. Before making assumptions, we can pause to consider that there may be challenges we cannot immediately see. Small actions, such as demonstrating patience, speaking respectfully or showing kindness, can help create a community where everyone feels they belong.
To contribute towards this conversation, our team developed Little Red Dot Diaries, a comic-style resource that shares relatable stories of everyday interactions involving PWIDs. We hope it encourages readers to see beyond behaviours and recognise the person behind them.
An inclusive Singapore is built not only through national initiatives, but also through the choices each of us makes in our daily encounters.
Leah Poh, 18
Year 3 polytechnic student
