ED’s Message Dear Valued Members,

I am pleased to share that we have had a very fruitful year for the past 5 months.

We kicked off our 20th Anniversary Celebrations this year by organising the Kite Flying Family Carnival in February which was followed up closely by the World Down Syn-drome Day National Seminar in March and the DSA Char-ity Bowl in April. Together with your presence and strong support, we have managed to create greater awareness for our persons with Down syndrome and make further inroads for a more inclusive society.

Next up, we will have our annual DSA Charity Movie on 19th June at Golden Village, Suntec City. We are certainly looking forward to your continued support even as we currently face a more challenging economic climate. We therefore would appeal for your support in our fundraising efforts so that we can continue to provide programmes

that will help our persons with Down syndrome on their jour-ney towards independence and inclusiveness in society.

As the June school holidays commences, we have also lined up a number of exciting programmes and activities to mean-ingfully engage our persons with Down syndrome. We look forward to your active participation.

Moses Lee Executive Director Down Syndrome Association (Singapore) “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do” - Steve Jobs

D S A News June 2016

DSA CentreDSA CentreDSA Centre 9, Bishan Place, #09-01 Junction 8 Office Tower Singapore 579837 Tel: 6500 9321 Fax: 6255 0337 Opening Hours: Mon to Sat ● 8.30 am - 6.00 pm DSA Thrift Shop @ TBCDSA Thrift Shop @ TBCDSA Thrift Shop @ TBC Blk 17A, Telok Blangah Crescent #01-270 Singapore 091017

Opening Hours : Friday ● 11.00 am - 3.00 pm

For queries on donation of items, call Tel: 6271 3811 / 6500 9321.

DSA’s Board & Mayor of Central Singapore District, Ms Denise Phua

showcasing the 20th Anniversary Kite designed specially for the celebra-tions on 27th February 2016.

DSA Member, Quek Hong An registering at the DSA Charity Bowl on 2nd April 2016.

Page 2 June 2016 Down Syndrome Assoc iat ion (S ingapore)

Balbir Singh: Advocating Support for

People with Down syndrome (This article is courtesy of SINGAPORE AT 50: 50 SIKHS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS)

The two most distressing words from an obstetrician to

parents of a new­born child would possibly be ‘Down

Syndrome’, coloured with the bleakest of information

about the condition. Even after years of research,

advances in treatment options and improvements to

public education, Down Syndrome remains one of

those chromosomal accidents of genetics that contin-

ues to occur in about 0.1 per cent of the population.

Singapore has come a long way in recognising and

treating this condition, due in large part to the work of

Dr Balbir Singh, his family and peers.

Balbir has devoted much of the past 33 years advo-

cating for a better quality of life for the intellectually

challenged, particularly people with Down Syndrome. In 1980, his daughter, Jaspreet Kaur, was born with Down Syn-

drome. Although his wife, Rabinder Kaur, their younger daughter, Parveen Kaur, and him consider themselves lucky to

have had the full support and understanding of their extended families right from the time of Jaspreet’s birth, they faced

many challenges at a time when not many resources were available in Singapore on finding strategies and information

for bringing up a child with an intellectual disability, in an environment where damaging myths and misconceptions about

the condition bounded. This propelled Balbir to educate himself and gather resources by attending conferences abroad,

where he was able to meet educators, researchers, therapists and clinicians, many of whom would later help him enrich

the lives of Singaporeans living with intellectual disabilities beyond the personal sphere of his immediate family.

Balbir went to medical school in Amritsar, in India, as an Indian government nominee, and has worked as a corporate

physician at the aviation gateway services and food solutions provider, Singapore Airport Terminal Services, for dec-

ades. He credits the travel benefits of his job for having allowed him the leeway to make valuable overseas contacts who

have greatly aided his work.

Balbir joined a parents’ group at the Singapore Association for Retarded Children (SARC) [now known as the Move-

ment for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore] when Jaspreet was growing up and started a new support group

called Helping Our Parents Emerge. These groups served as a valuable starting point from which parents and caregiv-

ers of children with intellectual disabilities could come together for not just support, but also to begin serving as lobby

groups to convince Singapore society that better services and programmes were needed for persons with Down syn-

drome and other intellectual disabilities.

Balbir eventually became an executive committee member of SARC and played a key role in helping SARC launch the

‘Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Young Children’ in 1990, which was later taken over by the National Coun-

cil for Social Service (NCSS) and developed into the Rainbow Centre of today. Balbir was also the founding Chairperson

of Down Syndrome Association, established in 1995 with the guidance of one of his overseas contacts – Mrs Penny

Robertson, President of the Australian Down Syndrome Society at that time.

Some of the initiatives Balbir has lobbied and advocated for, and achieved include the formation of a national social ser-

vice agency dedicated to enabling persons with disabilities called SG Enable, the implementation of special education

training courses for teachers and the setting up of the Special Needs Trust Company.

His efforts at getting recognition for people with intellectual disabilities at the national level have resulted in Singapore

now being a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

Dr Balbir Singh with daughte Jaspreet and wife , Rabinder Kaur.

Page 3 June 2016 Down Syndrome Assoc iat ion (S ingapore)

Balbir Singh: Advocating Support for People with Down syndrome

(This article is courtesy of SINGAPORE AT 50: 50 SIKHS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS)

Among his greatest accomplishments is the introduction of the

World Down Syndrome Day, which he and other international dis-

ability advocates had been proposing since 2005, and which was

ratified at a United Nations (UN) conference in 2011. World Down

Syndrome Day is now marked on 21 March every year.

On 21 March 2014, Balbir represented Down Syndrome Interna-

tional and as a champion of the UNCRPD at the UN on World

Down Syndrome Day and made a presentation on ‘Health and

Well­being of Persons with Down Syndrome’. It was a milestone

event, with support from such organisations as the UN and the

World Health Organization.

As a third generation Singaporean Sikh hailing from a family of cattle traders, Balbir draws much inspiration from his family

which has been involved in the community and ingrained in him a certain kind of stubbornness or refusal to be held back

by a few minor failures. One of the biggest challenges he faced in the early advocacy years was hearing a constant

stream of “no” answers from the government every time it was approached for assistance, funding or suggestions on dis-

ability­related programmes. Despite initial resistance, Balbir’s commitment to empiricism, his willingness to share and pre-

paredness to sometimes be laughed at and yet persevere was what helped eventually change the government’s thinking

and approach towards the disability sector.

The government is not the only entity that has required a mindset change. When asked about the stereotyping people with

Down Syndrome face, Balbir was candid about the fact that, culturally, Singapore’s society continues to hold negative views.

He remembers making a conscious effort to bring Jaspreet out with the family when she was a child as he believes expo-

sure outside the home contributes significantly to development but recalls that Jaspreet and others like her often bear the

brunt of stares and gaping on the streets.

However, Balbir was more taken aback by negative reactions from the medical community. He remembers hearing a lot

of negativity and ‘doom and gloom’ messages from medical practitioners in the past about caring for children with Down

Syndrome. He believes the medical community has come a long way in its receptiveness to new treatment options, espe-

cially with the increasing focus on early intervention.

In 2009, Balbir received the Pingkat Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Medal) from the President of Singapore in recogni-

tion of his service in the disability field and social service sector. In 2011, United Kingdom­based charity Down Syn-

drome International awarded Balbir the President’s Special Recognition Award in recognition of his lifetime contributions in

strengthening and enriching the lives of people with Down Syndrome. This year, Balbir was presented with the Ministry of

Social and Family Development (MSF) Volunteer Award (Friend of MSF) for his valued contributions to the disability sec-

tor. He is a past President and existing Board member of Down Syndrome International. He has also served as a Board

member of NCSS.

Balbir often quips that with Singapore’s propensity for constantly wanting to be on the top of ‘best of’ lists and a ‘hub’ for

lots of things, it is surely reasonable for it to also be a top player in the disability sector. Although many challenges remain,

such as funding and lengthy waiting lists for accessing early intervention programmes, Balbir feels that these are being

addressed and is thankful that outcomes are now measurable in the sector. In addition, he acknowledges that labelling and

stereotyping do still exist but he is hopeful that there will be much more space for that to be overcome in the future.

Dr Balbir Singh - PHOTO /Singapore At 50:

Page 4 June 2016 Down Syndrome Assoc iat ion (S ingapore)

DSA’s 20th Anniversary Launch 2016

DSA(S) turns 20 this year! More than 2,000 people celebrated DSA’s 20

th Anniversary at the launch event – Kite Flying Family Car-nival on 27th February 2016 at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. We were blessed with a bright and sunny day and together with the gusty wind, it was perfect for kite flying.

The day’s activities started at 11am with many food and game carni-

val stalls, such as Old Chang Kee, SgEatWithUs home chefs, Uncle Ringo and many school participants. Guests purchased carnival cou-pons to spend it at the various stalls. Besides the carnival stalls, we also collaborated with Singapore Kite Association (SKA) to conduct kite making workshops and a kite colouring contest that was a hit with families.

Guests were also treated to a colourful wind garden made up of gi-ant windmills, specially arranged by SKA. A few schools also contributed to the wind garden by using recycled materials in the making of the windmills.

Ms Denise Phua, Mayor for Central Singapore District, graced the event and joined in the record breaking activity at 4pm; the Most Number of People Assembling Kites Together at the same time. A total of 668 participants from schools, Community Centres and the park goers joined the event.

What’s a celebration without performances? We were entertained by contributions from the various groups such as a skit

by the Ministry of Social and Family Development on family violence, singing by SoundCard, a student group from Nan-yang Polytechnic, and a Zumba dance from Singapore Cancer Society. As usual our DSA(S) performers wooed the crowd with their abilities, bringing about enthusiastic cheers from all present. In the evening, the kite flyers from SKA

showcased their LED kites that created many photo opportunities for the guests.

Thank you to all who joined us at our event! We hope you had a blast! Stay tuned to DSA’s other events this year!

A participant of the kite colouring contest showing off her kite at the 20th Anniversary Launch Event on 27th February 2016.

Above: Eager participants who stood in the Kite Formation waiting for the

mass activity to start.

Above: A collage of various partners who have contributed to

the success of the event.

Left: Clay art instructor and

volunteer guiding DSA(S)

member, Rueben Khanal, on

clay art.

Page 5 June 2016 Down Syndrome Assoc iat ion (S ingapore)

World Down Syndrome Day

National Seminar 2016

As part of DSA’s 20th Anniversary celebrations and in conjunction

with World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) on 19th March 2016, we organised a National Seminar - “Enabling families & enhancing

caregiving together as a community: Respect, Support & Protec-tion.” (The seminar’s main objective was to equip caregivers of

people with special needs with knowledge and supporting them in their journey). Our Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister for Social and Family Development, acknowledged in his address that despite having to manage their dependents’ daily needs and be-

haviours, caregivers also needed to manage their personal needs as well as emotions and stressors and the challenges faced by caregivers on a daily basis were very real. He said that he recog-nised this is by no means an easy task and that a study on respite care conducted by the National Council of Social Service has also found that many caregivers experienced caregiver strain. He con-cluded by saying - “As we work together with the disability sector to

further improve the support given to caregivers, I would like to encourage the community to continue to do their part to support caregivers.” DSA(S) also took this opportunity to hold a National Alliance Forum (NAF) for adults with an intellectual or learning dis-ability where the primary objective aims to develop a consensus statement based on the ‘voices’ of what these adults with

a disability want for their future in Singapore. During the event, various workshops for persons with Down syndrome were organised, namely, the Infant Toddler Programme (ITP), flower arrangement, puppet making and clay art. For the first time a child minding service was provided so that the caregivers could attend the seminar with a peace of mind. The seminar was privileged with four distinguished speakers addressing different aspects in caregiving, namely, Prof. Tamar Heller, PhD., Prof. Patricia O’Brien, PhD., Dr Balbir Singh, PBM and Prof. Emeritus Trevor Parmenter, PhD. We would like to thank our partner VWOs who supported us with awareness booths, showcasing their services to the special needs community. We hope everyone has benefited from the seminar and we would like to thank you for joining us.

Guest-of-Honour Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister for Social and Family Development, thanking DSA(S) drummers for the warm welcome at the WDSD National Seminar 2016 on 19th March.

Above left: Persons with Down syndrome

sharing their views at the National Alliance

Forum at the WDSD National Seminar

2016 on 19th March.

Right: DSA(S) member, Toh Wei Kang with his mum was delighted with his flower arrangement at the flower arrangement workshop.

Page 6 June 2016 Down Syndrome Assoc iat ion (S ingapore)

10th DSA Charity Bowl 2016

More than 130 bowlers, including 35 DSA(S) Members, were in action at the 10th DSA Charity Bowl on 2nd April 2016 at Superbowl, Mount Faber SAFRA. This was by far, our largest turnout for this event and it demonstrated the strong support by our supporters for our persons with Down syndrome.

Every year, DSA(S) organises the Charity Bowl as another platform for the community to integrate with persons with Down syndrome in a sporting environment. Each participating team was made up of four bowlers, with one bowler drawn from participating DSA(S) Members.

Mr Gopalan, Chairperson of the Organising Committee, kicked off the event with a welcome address. This year, DSA(S) was honoured to have Dr Teo-Koh Sock Miang, President of Special Olympics as Guest-of-Honour.

The event also featured players from S-League Club, Balestier Khalsa FC, who together with Mrs Tang from the Singa-pore Recreation Club, kindly consented to give away medals to the participating DSA(S) Members. Participating corporate and individual sponsors were also presented with Tokens of Appreciation to acknowledge their support of the event. Here are the results of the event::

Position Team Name Company

Champion Qool Qool Enviro Pte Ltd

2nd Place All The Way Trailblazer

3rd Place Upin Upin Trailblazer

4th Place Price Breaker Pacific Arena

5th Place EMSP ESMP

DSA(S) Chairperson, Mr Roderick Tan presenting a token of appreciation to GOH, Dr Teo-Koh Sock Miang on 2nd April 2016.

Above: DSA(S) Member, Lynn Kok, was paired with Jolly Strikers, the team from Trailblazers. Above: DSA(S) Member, Ben Lee posing with his team mates from

Choi Shing Kwok before the commencement of the competition.

Page 7 June 2016 Down Syndrome Assoc iat ion (S ingapore)

Happenings @ DSA

Lego therapy is well known to be a successful type of play therapy for many types of special needs. DSA(S) partnered Bricks 4 Kidz (a Lego Therapy school) for a trial session on Wednesday 16th March 2016. The 10 participants were excited to see their familiar Lego bricks and couldn’t wait to start building models. During the

session, participants built a helicopter using the bigger Duplos Lego bricks, and a pyramid using the regular Lego bricks, with clear in-structions given by the teachers from Bricks 4 Kidz. The session ended off with a 10 mins free-play, where participants got to try de-signing their own paper plates using a special motorized Lego model. Though it was a short 1 hour session, we know the partici-pants had an incredibly enjoyable time, as shown from the bright smiles from their faces.

The Ultimate Frisbee Team from SRJC hosted 11 DSA(S) members for a 3-hour Ultimate Frisbee session. The session was aimed at introducing the game of Ultimate Frisbee to DSA(S) members as well as for the SRJC team to engage and interact with the participants in a fun manner! The session started off with some simple ice-breaker activities, moved on to some basic throwing and catching skills and some mini games to showcase the participants’ skills thereafter. Participants

were energized and thoroughly enjoyed themselves throughout the session. Thank you SRJC and we look forward to more of such sporting collaborations soon.

Bricks 4 Kidz Trial Session

Step by step instructions were given to guide DSA members to complete their Lego models on 16th March 2016.

Participants were proud to showcase their constructed models Participants designing their own paper plate with the special motorised Lego models.

Fun with Frisbee @ SRJC

DSA(S) members trying out their Ultimate Frisbee skills on 14 March 2016. DSA(S) members in a group photo with the SRJC Ultimate Frisbee

Team.

Page 8 June 2016 Down Syndrome Assoc iat ion (S ingapore)

Editorial TeamEditorial TeamEditorial Team

Mr. Andrew Soh Editor Mr. R. Sivanandam Editorial Advisor

Mr. Ricky Sitoh Contributor Mr. Moses Lee Editorial Advisor

DSA News is only available on the DSA website and via email to members . Kindly update your details

by emailing to: nalla@downsyndrome-singapore.org or call: 6500 9321

For non-members, you may view our newsletter online at our website:

www.downsyndrome-singapore.org or email to: andrew@downsyndrome-singapore.org for a copy.

Down Syndrome Association (Singapore) - DSA welcomes your feedback and suggestions, do con-

tact us at Tel: 6500 9321.

For more information on some of DSA’s events, programmes, services or event photos do visit our

website: www.downsyndrome-singapore.org

Copyrights Reserved © —No part(s) of this newsletter should be used , reprinted or copied be it in full or partial without

prior written permission by DSA.

Happenings @ DSA

Akido Trial Session at DSA Centre

Aikido is a Japanese art of self-defense for both the body and the mind. This form of mar-tial art emphasizes on the principles of harmony, and trains one to face aggression with a calm and clear mind. DSA(S) members had an opportunity to try out Aikido during the first DSA(S) Aikido trial session held on Saturday 12th March 2016.

We partnered Aikido Tai Shin Kai, which is established by a family of dedicated Aikido practitioners. It is led by the father and son team, Patrick and Shamus Chan. Patrick has another 2 sons with Down syndrome, and 1 of them, Sean is currently an assistant instruc-tor who holds a brown belt in Aikido.

The response for the trial session was overwhelming with 21 participants attending the the Saturday morning session. We didn’t expect the youngest participant to be only 6 years

old! The parents also sat at the side, all excited to observe the session. The session kicked off with a brief introduction of Aikido, followed by a demonstra-tion by the 3 Chan brothers. Our excited members couldn’t wait to try out the moves after watching the thrilling demonstration. They

started off with a warm-up session led by the instructors, and learnt the basic tech-niques such as how to break a fall without causing any injury. They then moved on to more beginner techniques such as escaping from the opponent’s grabs and im-

mobilising an opponent’s attack. The instructors were engaging and patient with our

participants, and this won much praises from the parents.

It was indeed an enjoyable one and a half hour session for our members. The par-ents also provided some valuable feedback as they are definitely looking forward to see Aikido as one of the regular DSA(S) Enrichment Programmes. Do keep a look-out for more updates from us in making this programme a regular one.

DSA(S) members practising some basic Aikido techniques with the help of the Instructors.

DSA(S) members trying their hands on some Ai-kido basic techniques with the help of the Instruc-tors on 12th March 2016.