Many Dawns: A Brief History Of Services For Individuals With Intellectual Disability In Singapore

An exploration of the continuing journey of individuals and organizations in Singapore to improve the quality of life of intellectually disabled people (IDPs) in Singapore. It recounts key historical events relating to service provision, seeking to capture something of the spirit of the Voluntary Welfare Organisations' movement over the last 50 years, and deepen the public's understanding of the meaning of intellectual disability to IDPs, service providers, caregivers and society. The main text is crafted in a story form comparing the quality of life, availability of resources, employment opportunities and society's inclusion and perception of IDPs with that of 50 years ago. It recounts individuals', professionals', government's, clubs' and corporations' many voluntary and monetary contributions to provide services. It also unfolds the development of areas like sports, structured and specialized education, professional support, international collaborations, regional developments, and researches, leading to heightened awareness and increased service provision. Windows throughout the text provide facts on the different types of intellectual disability such as Rett Syndrome, Fragile-X Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Cri du Chat Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome, Down Syndrome, autism, and definition of what is intellectual disability. On the other end of the spectrum is an understanding of what IQ Score means and Gardner's Theory on Multiple Intelligence to put the whole concept of "intelligence" in perspective. The legal issues relating to persons with intellectual disability in Singapore are explained. New developments and services such as "what is assistive technology", the use of IT in special education, caregivers support groups, are highlighted. There are also windows providing information on some international organizations servicing persons with intellectual disability, The International Day of Disabled Persons (IDDP), The International Year of Disabled Persons 1981 (IYDP), The Salamanca Agreement and The L'Arche Community.