00:01I didn't grow up thinking I was disabled. I'm just Judy.
00:05My hands and legs are different.
00:07I walk slower, but my parents never treated me like I couldn't do things for myself.
00:12I learned to care for my own needs, learned how to cook, and even had my share of chores to do,
00:18and go to school like everyone else.
00:20And if I couldn't do something one way or another, I'd figure it out.
00:24That mindset stuck with me.
00:30I'm Judy, 64 this year.
00:35I work at the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
00:38MDS provides care and support for people with muscular dystrophy and their families.
00:43And I also run my own consultancy, Level 3 Consultants,
00:47where we work with agencies, architects, and developers
00:50to create accessible built environment and spaces.
00:55The journey to where we are today is nothing short of amazing.
00:59We never thought accessibility and seamless connectivity would happen in our lifetime.
01:04But it has.
01:05And it's so wonderful to see everyone being able to move around freely and independently.
01:12To be able to see persons with disabilities able to step out their own homes,
01:17be able to be part of community, being able to do whatever they set their minds out to do,
01:24and having no fear that they are unable to succeed just because they have a disability,
01:30is what I really love to see.
01:33Where boundaries and limitations are not set just because you have a disability,
01:38but the sky's the limit.
01:40At MDS, we have a powerchair football team where even people with severe disabilities can kick a ball,
01:46dribble, score goals, not just watching from the sidelines.
01:50If you can imagine what Singapore was like in the 1980s,
01:53one could barely move around, much less if you had a wheelchair.
01:57You can't get into buildings, and even you could, you become like a delivery truck
02:01where you come in through the back doors or through the unloading bays and stuff like that.
02:06Since then, right, we've made a lot of changes, significant changes,
02:10to improve accessibility in the built environment.
02:12We can just go where we want to, when we want, and no one bats an eye.
02:17Is that freedom? Back then, it was our dream.
02:22This is what we all strive for, though some will need more assistance as they overcome their condition.
02:27I was born with congenital deformities on my limbs.
02:31This is different from muscular dystrophy, which causes muscle loss.
02:35But in the same way, movement and access is always an issue.
02:39When I was younger, I would still walk with walking sticks,
02:42but I transitioned using a wheelchair later in life.
02:45Accessibility in Singapore improved.
02:47Sometime in the early 90s, I had a trip to Vancouver.
02:50It was an overseas conference, and it was amazing that even back then, right,
02:54it didn't matter about disability.
02:57You know, you could go into the train system, you could go into buildings,
03:00and everyone was just moving around, whizzing around on their wheelchairs.
03:03It was amazing.
03:04And when I was there, I was telling myself,
03:06if Vancouver can, why can't we?
03:08So when I came back, together with a bunch of us from the Handicast Welfare Association, right,
03:13we got to work, and it says that, you know,
03:15we can't just let someone else tell us we can't.
03:18Because we've seen it. I've seen it. I never believe it's possible.
03:21But you'll be surprised to see that, you know, even though we saw accessibility becoming a reality, right,
03:27persons with disabilities not understanding what it could do for us
03:31were also fearful of what they didn't understand.
03:34But we just kept at it, and things eventually improved.
03:38We got the code changed in 1995. It became a mandatory requirement,
03:43and things started to change.
03:45Over time, you saw accessibility happening within buildings.
03:48You saw accessible entrances, toilets, car parks.
03:54But while architects built them to be accessible,
03:57I think people generally didn't understand why toilets were so much larger.
04:01Why was it that car parks were so much wider?
04:04And it tend to lead to abuse as well.
04:07When we asked the cleaners to say, I want you to open the toilets,
04:10it was actually used as storeroom or even the rest area.
04:14But that was back then, you know, when people didn't understand.
04:18I think what really mattered at that point of time for us was to teach people the hows and whys.
04:23Why was it larger? Why did it have to be bigger?
04:26We even put people into wheelchairs like architects, for example,
04:29for them to understand that putting a ramp doesn't solve our problem
04:32because if the ramp is too steep, we also can't push it up.
04:35But it had to be gentle and usable for everybody.
04:38We went on to work with LTA on making public transport accessible from MRT stations to buses.
04:47It took years.
04:48But today, every single public bus in Singapore is wheelchair accessible.
04:52And it's no short of a miracle to say that, you know, we've come a long way.
04:57And I think this distance has to do with the authorities together with non-profit organisations,
05:02social service agencies, architects, developers, all coming together
05:06to want to make that change and make that difference happen.
05:09We want to see Singapore become a more accessible place to live in.
05:15There's always more to do.
05:16And I think there's always things that we can do to improve accessibility.
05:20And that includes play.
05:22And it's not you play on your own, I play on my own.
05:25We have to play together.
05:26So your parks and my parks and my playgrounds and your playgrounds should be the same playground.
05:31And persons with disabilities and children of all ages should learn to play together.
05:36I dream of a Singapore where everyone, regardless of ability, can not only work,
05:41but more importantly, be able to play.
05:43Whether it's skiing, camping, going to the parks.
05:45And not just watch others have fun, but to experience it for ourselves.
05:49Even ferries.
05:51Can we make these accessible too?
05:53Because we two want to island hop.
05:56Just like everyone else.
05:57It may sound far-fetched, but accessible buses were far-fetched before it happened.
06:03Sometimes people are surprised when they see me out on my own and ask,
06:07Who's going to help you?
06:08Is it so hard to believe that persons with disabilities can work and be independent?
06:12I tell people with disabilities, live your dream and don't let your disability define how you live your life.
06:18Live beyond your limitations.
06:20I never wanted to be called an inspiration.
06:24I just want to be able to live my life.
06:28We're not there yet, but we're moving forward.
06:31I believe that with empathy and greater awareness, we can build a country that includes everyone.
06:36Not just in words, but more importantly, in action.
06:40Because in the end, it's not about disability, it's about possibilities.
06:45S.I.P.
07:12You
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