Address by Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Law & Ministry of Social and Family Development, at the Re:Define Success Conference 2025

Date: 8 Sep 2025

Associate Professor Allan Chia (Deputy Provost, SUSS);

Professor Roger Slee (Joint Director, Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds);

Representatives from SkillsFuture Singapore;

Distinguished guests, partners, friends of the community;

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

  1. Warm greetings to all. It is my pleasure to join all of you on the first day of this inaugural Re:Define Success Conference 2025.

     

  2. Let me begin by expressing my appreciation to SUSS's Student Success Centre and the Node for Inclusive Lifelong Education, working in close collaboration with the University of Leeds' Centre for Disability Studies, for organising this conference.

     

  3. As we commemorate SG60, it is fitting that we gather to explore new narratives in defining success and shaping an inclusive future together. When we create systems that enable everyone to thrive, the whole of society benefits.

     

    Singapore’s Progress and Commitment

  4. Our shared vision is to enable each person with disability to pursue their aspirations, achieve their potential, and participate as integral members of society. We recognise current post-18 challenges that persons with disabilities and their caregivers contend with, particularly the transition beyond formal education, concerns about long-term care and support, especially after caregivers pass on. This is an especially cogent concern, given our fast super-ageing demographics in Singapore.


  5. As persons with disabilities and their caregivers age, their needs change through different life stages. That is why our Enabling Masterplan 2030, or EMP2030 – which guides our collective efforts toward inclusivity – focuses on key areas such as improving employment and employability for persons with disabilities, and expanding the range of community living options available to them. EMP2030 is a national roadmap built for, and with persons with disabilities and their caregivers. It remains a live and dynamic document as we work collectively to realise our shared vision.

     

  6. On inclusive education, we work closely with the Ministry of Education to ensure that children with disabilities have access to quality education, and an inclusive school environment. I am happy to learn that SUSS puts inclusive learning into practice through its Student Accessibility Support framework, which provides accommodations such as live captioning, assistive technologies, and personalised support. This enables students with diverse needs to engage meaningfully in their academic journey.

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  7. Next, on inclusive employment, the EMP2030 sets an aspirational target to increase employment among persons with disabilities to 40% by 2030. We have made steady progress, with the employment rate of resident persons with disabilities aged between 15 and 64, increasing from 28.2% in 2019 to 2020, to 33.6% in 2023 to 2024.

     

  8. We will continue to press on towards our goal of 40% by 2030. We envision workplaces where inclusion is part of the organisational culture. An inclusive work environment is one where colleagues naturally support one another, where flexible work arrangements benefit all employees, and where diverse perspectives drive innovation. Simple workplace accommodations – such as adjustable workstations, installation of ramps, tapping on assistive technology – often enhance productivity across the board. In a research report titled “The Disability Inclusion Imperative” published by Accenture in 2023, lived experiences of persons of disabilities in workplaces often offer unique perspectives on problem solving and innovation, fostering increased creativity.

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  9. At this year’s Committee of Supply, we announced that we will strengthen our upstream support for students transitioning from school to work, through the ITE-SG Enable Internship and Employment Support programme and School-to-Work Transition Programme. We are also taking a targeted approach to curate job opportunities in six key sectors that either already traditionally hire or can offer suitable and meaningful jobs to persons with disabilities. I hope that the conversations over the next few days will spur more employers to come onboard and embrace the vision of inclusive workplaces.

     

  10. Finally, on inclusive communities. Our vision is that by 2030, Singapore will embody what it means to be a caring and inclusive community, with physical and social environments that are inclusive to persons with disabilities, and positive attitudes, mindsets, and behaviours towards persons with disabilities.

     

  11. We have made progress in making physical environments accessible, such as in transport and public spaces. We also endeavour to avail activities that are accessible, and encourage participation, in areas such as arts and heritage and sports. We can also provide more opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in their local communities. Our Enabling Services Hubs (ESHs) aim to do just this, and we have progressively set up three ESHs across Singapore at Tampines, Jurong and Punggol.

     

  12. More fundamentally, as fellow Singaporeans, we can each play a part in building inclusive communities.

     

  13. Allow me to share an example that I highlighted during the 2023 Committee of Supply. I had the privilege of meeting Ms Sophie Soon in 2021, when she represented Singapore proudly at the Tokyo Paralympics. Sophie is an energetic and outgoing swimmer who happens to be visually impaired. She is rarely seen without her faithful companion, Orinda – a Golden Labrador guide dog who spent 18 months in specialised guide dog training. Yet despite Orinda's professional training, the pair encountered challenging situations due to public unfamiliarity with guide dogs. At a Candlelight concert in January that year, security personnel questioned Sophie's attendance, asking "You want to watch the show right? How you see? You cannot see, right?"

     

  14. While these incidents show we have room for improvement, they also reflect that perhaps what is needed is simply greater awareness and know-how to express and extend appropriate support. Each of us can be that understanding neighbour, supportive friend, or inclusive colleague.

     

    Conclusion

  15. I look forward to the panel discussion later this afternoon and over the next two days of this conference. Building an inclusive society is a shared responsibility. I encourage all of us here to be multipliers of inclusion. And I hope that the conversations and partnerships formed over these three days will ripple outward, influencing classrooms, workplaces, and community spaces.

     

  16. When educators adopt inclusive teaching approaches pedagogies, when employers design roles accessible to all, and when neighbours extend empathy and support, inclusivity becomes a lived culture, not a policy aspiration.

     

  17. Let us commit to turning today's insights into tangible actions. Together, we can achieve our vision where inclusivity is not just an ideal, but a lived reality, where every individual, regardless of ability, can contribute fully and thrive.

     

  18. Thank you.