It started off as a recreational club for people with disabilities 50 years ago, but the Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA) has evolved into a charity providing crucial services for the disabled today.

In 1969, a group of 23 people with disabilities - who are known as the association's founding members - came together to set up HWA to socialise and organise activities for the disabled.

HWA president Edmund Wan, 76, who suffers from polio, said: "Most disabled felt lonely as there was very little integration with society then and very little accessibility (for wheelchair users), unlike today, where Singapore is a more inclusive society."

One of HWA's key services, which started in 1980, is to provide transport services to help wheelchair users and people with disabilities to move around, to workplaces or the hospital for appointments. Back then, the public transport system was not wheelchair-friendly and taxis were costly, he added.

Mr Wan said: "Without transport services, the disabled were stuck at home."

Today, the association has 42 vehicles, such as buses and vans, to ferry the disabled around at subsidised rates.

In 1984, the charity started teaching the disabled how to drive in cars specially modified to cater to their needs. For example, a person who has lost the use of his legs can learn to drive a car where the brake and accelerator are controlled by his hands.

The charity runs two rehabilitation centres at Jurong Point Shopping Centre and Whampoa Drive to offer physical rehabilitation for those with disabilities.

It also provides home care services, which brings nursing, physiotherapy and other therapy services to a person's house.

Over the years, it has played a role in improving the welfare of the disabled, such as pushing for ways to make Singapore more disabled-friendly and accessible, Mr Wan said.

It serves about 4,000 beneficiaries a year, and it currently has about 140 staff. The charity is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a dinner on Dec 18.

Ms Grace Ng, 71, who works as a transport officer at the association, uses its transport service to travel between her home and workplace. She was struck by polio as a baby and uses a wheelchair to get around.

She pays over $200 a month for the service.

She said: "The transport service is provided from door to door. It is really very convenient for me."

• To find out more about HWA, go to hwa.org.sg