Programme helps people with disabilities secure jobs
Open Door Programme by MSF and WSG encourages employers to hire, train and integrate people with disabilities
Her left eye is completely blind and only 10 per cent of her right eye is functioning.
But Madam Tang Lai Mui, 57, has been working as an administrative officer in Methodist Girls' School (Primary) for the past 26 years.
She told The New Paper: "I have had my disability since I was young and it got worse as I got older."
She said she overcame her struggles by remaining positive and gaining support from her husband and two sons.
To mark International Day of Disabled Persons today, her advice to others like her is not to suppress any negative feelings and "share your difficulties with others".
Madam Tang requires visual aid in the form of a magnifier to help her do her job effectively.
The magnifier enables her to read the contents of hard copy documents that she needs to photocopy.
In December last year, Madam Tang's magnifier broke down and needed to be replaced.
The school tapped on the Open Door Programme's (ODP) funding support to purchase the magnifier, which costs about $4,000.
Mr Desmond Yip, vice-principal (administration) of Methodist Girls' School, said: "The programme is extremely useful and important as it subsidised 90 per cent of the equipment Madam Tang needs."
The ODP began in April 2014 and is a government-funded initiative by Ministry of Social and Family Development and Workforce Singapore (WSG), supported as part of WSG's Adapt and Grow efforts, and administered by SG Enable.
The ODP aims to encourage employers to hire, train and integrate people with disabilities (PWDs) in their workforce.
Ms Lynn Ng, group director of WSG's Careers Connect Group, told TNP: "As the nation strives towards building an inclusive society, we must recognise that PWDs are an integral part of the Singapore workforce and that they should be empowered and given opportunities to contribute."
According to WSG, as of October this year, more than 2,000 PWDs have been successfully placed into jobs with close to 70 per cent retaining in their jobs for at least six months.
Mr Ahmad Syafiq Muhammad Saleh, who has an intellectual disability, came from the APSN (Association for Persons with Special Needs) Delta Senior School and his teacher helped him apply for his first job as a barista at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf cafe.
The 24-year-old said: "After a few years of working there, SG Enable approached me and asked if I wanted to try another job.
" I agreed because I wanted to gain experience working in other areas."
SG Enable suggested that he work at NTUC FairPrice.
Before he started with the job, he attended a five-day Supermarket Retail Assistant Training, which falls under the training grant of the ODP, to better equip himself with essential skills and help him understand his job scope better.
Mr Ahmad then began working at NTUC FairPrice's Potong Pasir outlet as a retail assistant in January last year.
He was attached to the grocery department and mainly does replenishment of biscuits and drinks.
Mr Irvin Lim, manager, human resource (business partnering) of NTUC FairPrice, said: "Being able to enhance our workforce with PWDs has enriched and inspired all of us.
"The NTUC FairPrice team is better able to empathise with others and appreciate what it takes to persevere in the face of challenges."
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