Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore
MINDS (short for Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore) is a Singaporean voluntary welfare organisation that provides services for the intellectually disabled. They run four special schools and a centre called MINDSville@Napiri, which offers therapy and residential care. Other MINDS services include sheltered workshops, social enterprises, weekly activities and trust funds. Founded in 1962, MINDS is among the largest charities in Singapore, with 420 staff, 2400 beneficiaries and yearly expenses of S$21 million. Two other organisations, the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN, formerly AESN) and Special Olympics Singapore, originated as MINDS projects.
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[edit] History
In 1960, the Singapore Children's Society initiated several educational and training programmes for intellectually disabled children, leading to the formation of the Singapore Association for Retarded Children in 1962.[1][2] From two teachers and 26 students in a single classroom in Towner Road,[3][4] the new association rapidly expanded over the 1960s, building special schools at Margaret Drive and Jurong, a sheltered workshop at Geylang, a residential home at Tampines and their main administration centre, Lee Kong Chian Centre.[1][2] SARC started a subcommittee for services for those with less severe intellectual disabilities in 1971 and a youth volunteering group the year after;[2][5] the subcommittee was split into an independent organisation, the Association for the Educationally Subnormal, in 1976.[6] In 1983, SARC launched the first early intervention programme in Singapore, prompting other organisations to follow suit,[2] and set up an adjunct subcommittee that became Special Olympics Singapore.[7]
Since the term "retarded" had acquired negative connotations and the organisation had started services for adults, SARC changed their name to the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) in 1985.[8] In 1987, the organisation became mainly funded by The Community Chest of Singapore,[4] and in 1993, MINDS was the largest voluntary welfare organisation in Singapore, with AESN in second place.[6] Relocation of the MINDS special schools, from premises of closed-down mainstream primary schools, to new buildings with customised facilities, began in 1998.[9] The association started their first social enterprise, a car washing service along Pasir Panjang Road, in 2001.[10] Their residential homes and training centres were merged into the MINDSville@Napiri centre, which opened in 2007,[11] and the relocation programme was completed two years later.[3]
[edit] Activities
MINDS runs four special schools for intellectually disabled students aged 4 to 18, who are taught various life skills, such as personal grooming and money management, and taken on outings to learn how to handle common tasks, such as buying groceries and taking public transport. Students also undergo physiotherapy, pre-vocational training and basic instruction in some mainstream academic subjects, including languages, mathematics, art and science.[3][12] To help the intellectually disabled gain employment, MINDS trains them for simple sorting and packing jobs at sheltered workshops, then negotiates contracts with potential employers; for example, some were hired by Singapore Airlines to recycle headsets.[13] The organisation also manages several social enterprises, including a thrift shop, a car washing service, a food catering company and a performing arts troupe, to increase employment opportunities for the intellectually disabled.[4]
Under the MINDS Trusteeship Scheme, parents of the intellectually disabled can deposit their savings into a trust account, safeguarded by the public trustee, and after they die, MINDS would ensure the money is used to fund caregiving of the beneficiary.[14] Other MINDS services, including counselling, behaviour therapy and rehabilitation, are concentrated at their integrated service centre called MINDSville@Napiri. The centre contains a nursing home for adults with high support needs, another home for intellectually disabled children from broken families and a hostel, which provides flexible accommodation options for clients who need less intensive care.[11] In addition, volunteers from the MINDS Youth Group conduct weekly educational, social and recreational activities, such as swimming classes and singing sessions, for around 170 intellectually disabled people.[5]
[edit] Management
MINDS is one of the oldest and largest voluntary welfare organisations in Singapore, with 420 staff, 2400 beneficiaries and yearly expenses of S$21 million. Their primary source of funding is the Community Chest of Singapore, with programme fees, their social enterprises, corporate sponsorships and public donations as secondary sources.[4] The organisation is headed by executive director Aaron Ng and managed by a 15-member executive committee overseeing four subcommittees that meet monthly to discuss problems and plan new programmes.[6] Awards that MINDS have won include the 2001 President's Social Service Award (for MINDS Youth Group) from the National Council of Social Service and the 2010 Singapore Health Award (Gold) by the Health Promotion Board.[15][16]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Country Report 1980 (Singapore)", Group Training Course on Intellectual Disabilities.
- ^ a b c d "Special Education Timeline", St Gabriel's Secondary Special Needs Centre.
- ^ a b c April Chong, "Special school in Sengkang opens", The Straits Times, 18 July 2009.
- ^ a b c d Vivi Zainol, "Serving the intellectually disabled", Straits Times, 27 August 2005.
- ^ a b "MINDS Youth Group - Celebrating 35 Years of Volunteerism", Group Training Course on Intellectual Disabilities.
- ^ a b c Mardiana Abu Bakar, "Minds over matter", The Straits Times, 17 June 1993.
- ^ "About Us", Special Olympics Singapore.
- ^ "Minds to help disabled grow with the times", The Straits Times, 12 June 1985.
- ^ "A school to put Minds pupils at ease", The Straits Times, 25 September 1998.
- ^ Lee Hui Chieh, "Intellectually disabled wash cars for wages.", The Straits Times, 4 September 2001.
- ^ a b "Trusteeship scheme for kids with intellectual disability taking shape", Channel NewsAsia, 14 April 2007.
- ^ Loh Chee Kong, "He'll weep, but he can now walk alone", TODAY, 19 August 2005.
- ^ Radha Basu, "Looking beyond disability", The Straits Times, 12 April 2008.
- ^ "MINDS to extend trusteeship scheme to give more help to the disabled", Channel NewsAsia, 28 October 2006.
- ^ "President's Social Service Award Past Winners - MINDS Youth Group", National Council of Social Service.
- ^ "Gold Awards Recipients 2010", Health Promotion Board.
