People with disabilities will be given more targeted help to secure and stay in employment as well as move about Singapore on their own.

These plans are built on 21 recommendations by two work groups on issues such as barrier-free accessibility, digital inclusion, bringing job support services to the heartland and strengthening the soft skills curriculum in special education schools.

The recommendations come after consultations over two years with about 300 people with disabilities, their families and caregivers, and disability social service agencies.

The Government has accepted these recommendations, which were announced by the Ministry of Social and Family Development yesterday.

Some were already rolled out by ministries and agencies last year, while more will be progressively implemented from the second half of this year.

The two work groups were launched in 2019 as part of the Third Enabling Masterplan, a national road map to building a more inclusive society for people with disabilities here.

The employment work group focused on preparing people with disabilities for the future economy, while the independent living work group aimed to promote independent living of people with disabilities through technology and design.

Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, who co-chaired both work groups, said: "All these years, we have been trying to enable persons with disabilities so they can work like us. We hope more of them can be absorbed into the workforce by either providing the support that they need or training that the employers want us to give."

There has been some success in doing so with current schemes, but the Government wants more of such examples to be the norm in Singapore, he said.

Mr Masagos spoke to the media after a visit to the Hive and Tech Able at the Enabling Village in Bukit Merah, where he observed the employment services supporting individuals with autism, and the assistive technology available to individuals with disabilities.

The employment work group's 10 recommendations seek to better prepare students with special educational needs for employment, create new employment opportunities for people with disabilities, support them in upgrading their skills, and better recognise and incentivise inclusive employers.

Some plans to help achieve these aims are in the works.

One is an upcoming review by the Ministry of Education of the vocational education curriculum in special education schools, to further emphasise the intentional development of soft skills for work.

Enabling Business Hubs in regional centres will also be developed to offer training and employment, shared facilities and services such as job coaching for people with disabilities and their employers. The first such hub is expected to open in 2023.

"(The hub) will offer training and support nearer to where people with disabilities live rather than (them) having to travel to places like the Enabling Village. It is better to put it across as many regions as possible," said Mr Masagos.

The independent living work group's 11 recommendations are focused on improving accessibility in the built environment, ensuring access to information and services, increasing adoption of assistive technology, raising awareness about disabilities and promoting inclusion.

In response, two community partnership groups will be set up by the first half of this year - one to identify the accessibility gaps in the Central Business District, and another to identify the accessibility gaps in a Housing Board town, among other plans.

The Public Transport Council will also seek feedback from people with special needs or disabilities, and their caregivers, on travel experiences in a survey later this year.

More details about the Third Enabling Masterplan are available on a new website: https://go.gov.sg/emp-microsite