New Y+ initiative aims to better support people with disabilities in S’pore

SINGAPORE – As a hospitality services assistant, Mr Isaac Thomas Komatt helps guests of the Metropolitan YMCA (MYMCA) with their room bookings.

But Mr Komatt, who has hearing loss and a crippled right hand from birth, also earns an income at an organic hydroponic vegetable farm that is part of MYMCA’s hospitality services division.

Having undergone training, he now teaches farming to other people with disabilities, and gets paid just the same as other MYMCA staff with a similar job description.

“Everyone has their own challenges. So when we help them, we are able to help lift their burden,” Mr Komatt said of the fulfilment he gets when he teaches farming.

He is among the beneficiaries of a new initiative by the 3Ys – YMCA, YWCA and MYMCA – to pool their resources and expertise to offer more options for people with disabilities during the critical transition from special education schools to employment and community integration.

The initiative, dubbed Y+, seeks to provide more pathways for people with disabilities after they leave school, beyond traditional services such as at day activity centres and centre-based sheltered workshops, said the three organisations.

Supported by funding from SG Enable, the initiative also aims to provide more support for caregivers of people with disabilities.

At the launch on June 7, SG Enable chief executive officer Ku Geok Boon noted that the YMCA, MYMCA and YWCA had each been helping the community through their own programmes, but can make a greater impact collectively by joining forces.

For instance, members of YMCA’s Club Lite are automatically part of Y+, which means both they and their caregivers can now participate in programmes across the 3Ys, said Ms Ku.

Club Lite provides a structured programme for people aged above 18 with disabilities on the waiting list for adult disability care or employment services.

Besides MYMCA’s urban farming programme, a dance initiative by YMCA lets people with disabilities express themselves and bond with their caregivers.

There is also a weaving programme which lets people with disabilities and their caregivers pick up a craft and earn income through their handiwork.

YWCA’s beneficiary mothers, who are caregivers of people with disabilities, can receive free training on making woven merchandise in their own time – effectively, a flexible work arrangement – and on conducting weaving workshops for the public.

One such beneficiary is Madam Sri Artati, 32, who joined the Wellness Weave programme part-time at the end of 2022, and became a full-time employee in November 2023. She now earns more than her previous part-time job in the food and beverage industry.

“The opportunity to facilitate (weaving) workshops, (and) their confidence and faith in me to handle a lot of people, gave me the confidence to communicate, speak up and volunteer myself more,” she said.

The mum of four is grateful for the circle of support she has with other weaving mums, whom she can relate to and share her concerns with over her children, two of whom have special needs.

Madam Artati said the programme has also helped her to manage her stress by providing a calming environment, as well as regular income and working hours.

Mayor of Central Singapore District Denise Phua, who was a guest of honour at the launch event, said Singapore has made great strides in the last 20 years in its support for the disability community, especially for the young, but there remain gaps after they leave formal schooling, such as in lifelong learning and housing.

“These are gaps that are not easy to plug, and it is precisely because it is not easy that we should join forces to face these mountains bravely,” said Ms Phua, who is an MP for Jalan Besar GRC.