The power of collaboration and partnerships have dreamt up possibilities and created opportunities for persons with disabilities to be meaningfully engaged in the community.

In this first installment of the community partners series, we shine the spotlight on Team Nila and Phan Nee Supermarket, both of which are staunch supporters of our DAC Without Walls (DWW) initiative. This is part of our Day Activity Centre’s (DAC) programme.

Keeping active with Team Nila

Every Tuesday, Ms Narumol Muangma and a small group of Team Nila volunteers gather enthusiastically at the Clementi Sports Hall. Equally enthusiastic are the DWW clients who are there for their weekly badminton session.

For the past year, Team Nila has been an invaluable partner to DWW, providing activity-based volunteers and co-facilitators for these sessions. For clients at DAC who are unable to travel outside the centre for the badminton sessions, Team Nila’s volunteers would organise exercises that are more appropriate for these clients on Fridays.

A dedicated Team Nila volunteer, Ms Narumol Muangma looks forward to playing badminton with the participants. She, along with her fellow volunteers, helps facilitate the sessions and builds friendships with the clients, creating a supportive and inclusive environment. “I started to volunteer with SPD because of my son who is diagnosed with autism. I wanted to give back to the community as I am thankful for all the support I’ve received since the diagnosis,” said Ms Narumol.

Coach Kelvin Pung, who leads the badminton sessions, hopes that everyone gets the opportunity to pick up a sport. In fact, he trained three DWW clients, Fong Chee Kit, Chantilyn Ng and Abdul Mansur for a friendly match at Play Inclusive 2024 on 3 August 2024. The event, which was the largest inclusive sports competition in Singapore, included friendly matches between the various DACs. Their maiden outing to the event, the clients carried the SPD banner with pride at the launch ceremony.

“I’m so proud of them for coming in fourth place at the badminton competition. They did such an amazing job, considering that this is the first time that they participated in such large-scale competitions,” said DAC Programme Executive, Mohammad Faizal Bin Hussain.

Learning life skills at Phan Nee Supermarket

Phan Nee Supermarket, located within Sungei Tengah Lodge, serves the foreign workers living in the dormitories. The supermarket, which stocks daily necessities and groceries, supports our DWW programme by providing pre-vocational training opportunities to our clients.

Clients learn to carry out tasks such as repacking and restocking products on shelves. This helps to them train to follow instructions, their accuracy and adherence to deadlines. They also learn to interact with the supermarket’s staff and customers, and pick up skills that help to boost their independence in their activities of daily living.

When SPD reached out to Phan Nee Supermarket’s owner, Mr Eric Yeo, in July 2023 to propose a collaboration, he was receptive to the idea and brainstormed with his team on tasks that our clients could participate in. Mr Yeo sees the benefit of training his employees and have a better understanding of what persons with disabilities can achieve.

In explaining his motivation for partnering SPD,  Mr Yeo said: “This opportunity is more than providing training opportunities for SPD’s clients. It is also about public education and opportunities for interaction with people with disabilities. In fact, the staff at PhanNee Supermarket and residents at Sungei Tengah Lodge all welcome SPD’s clients as part of the family.”

Indeed, when our clients struggle with their wheelchairs, the residents are always eager to lend a helping hand.  For many of our clients, this is a valuable experience in building their independence and confidence. Before our clients started helping out at the supermarket, the DWW team simulated work activities such as repacking coffee sachets into smaller packs at SPD’s DAC to prepare them for the experience. Such simulation prepares our clients for their tasks and ease them into the supermarket workplace. It was a learning journey for both SPD and Phan Nee Supermarket as they collaborated to create the best work environment at the supermarket for the clients.

This is a win-win partnership where SPD’s clients has gained the opportunity to learn about stock management and interacting with customers. Mr Yeo is committed and readily does his part in giving back to the community. Through this partnership, he could share with his staff the importance of providing equal opportunity for persons with disabilities.“In the beginning, some of our clients were quite shy when we were at the supermarket. But today, they are friends with the staff at the supermarket,” said DWW Programme Executive, Mohammad Faizal Bin Hussain.

A brighter future together

DWW’s collaborations with Team Nila and Phan Nee Supermarket are excellent examples on how community partnerships can make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with disabilities. By including persons with disabilities, everyone gains the same opportunities to develop skills, build confidence, and become active, contributing members of the community.

Together, we can build an inclusive and supportive community for all!