Temasek Poly students raise awareness of hidden disabilities
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The event at Punggol Regional Library saw Temasek Polytechnic students and alumni advocate for and raise greater public awareness of disabilities.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
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- Temasek Polytechnic (TP) event highlighted invisible disabilities like dyslexia, with support from TomoWork and TP's SENvocates interest group.
- Bryan Teo's dyslexia diagnosis at age eight explained his learning difficulties, impacting his studies and later, his internships and army service.
- Advocates like Mr Teo and Gabriel Lu, who has hearing loss, seek greater awareness and support to enable success for individuals with hidden disabilities.
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SINGAPORE - After seeing their son go from getting As in the first two years of primary school to suddenly bringing home U (ungraded) grades, Mr Bryan Teo’s parents were concerned with his sudden change.
They suspected he had a learning disability, and following specialist check-ups, he was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of eight.
The diagnosis explained why he had trouble keeping up in class and understanding lessons. Dyslexia mainly involves difficulties with word recognition, connecting sounds and letters, and spelling, but can also impact memory, organisation, time management and communication.
Even with the diagnosis, the condition affected him in many life phases, as not many people are aware of such hidden disabilities, Mr Teo, now 23, said at a community event on Oct 5.
The event at Punggol Regional Library saw Temasek Polytechnic (TP) students and alumni advocate and raise greater public awareness of such disabilities.
These include conditions like autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, which are not immediately obvious to others or may not have physical markers.
Among the activities on offer were storytelling sessions and booths to help members of the public better understand conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and mild intellectual disabilities.
Mr Teo recounted how, during his polytechnic internship, unclear instructions from colleagues left him feeling lost. It was also demoralising to encounter impatient superiors in the army who chided him for taking too long to understand tasks, he added.
“When people see me, they think I’m just a normal person who can function like everyone else. But actually, I’m struggling on the inside,” said the TP alumnus.
The event was organised by SENvocates, a student interest group in TP that was started in 2021 by a group of students interested in the topic. The name refers to special educational needs advocates. It has 130 student members.
Mr Teo was a member of the group from 2021 to 2024.
TP’s director of student support and career services Samuel Wee said the group has done extensive work in the school to raise awareness in the student population of those among them with special educational needs, and to help these students feel that they belong.
The event at Punggol is the first that SENvocates has organised outside TP.
Also at the event was TomoWork, a Singapore charity that advocates disability inclusion at companies.
It showcased its year-long campaign to call for greater support for people with invisible disabilities in Singapore. Launched in June, the campaign has a mix of online and offline initiatives such as videos, articles and talks to raise public awareness.
TomoWork also runs a talent accelerator programme for graduating polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education students with disabilities, to prepare them for work. The programme has benefited 118 students with special educational needs since 2021.
Mr Gabriel Lu, another member of SENvocates, said his hope for the future is for more people to know that those with invisible disabilities, or disabilities in general, can be as successful as anyone else if they have the right support.
Mr Lu, 19, was born with profound hearing loss. He underwent a cochlear implant surgery when he was three years old, which helps him hear.
His implants, which are black and covered by his hair, often go unnoticed by people.
Temasek Polytechnic alumnus Bryan Teo posing for a photo at The Hidden Stories: Unveiling Invisible disAbilities. It is a community engagement initiative by SENvocates, TP's student-led advocacy group that champions inclusivity and raises awareness of invisible special educational needs.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
“A lot of people, even after I tell them about my condition, tend to forget about it. Some of them think I’m ‘blur’ or slow when I take a while to respond if they are talking too quick or if we are in a noisy environment,” he said.
Mr Teo said more awareness in the community about such disabilities would make it easier to tell people about his condition.
“In the past, I was very hesitant to tell people about it. I would wonder whether people would change their perception of me if they know I have dyslexia,” he said. “But as I grow older, I’m more focused on advocacy work. Invisible disabilities are real, and our voices need to be heard.”
