Tackle the social and psychological barriers to inclusive playground

This letter was sent to ST Forum but was not published.

I read with elation as children with special needs can now have a go on the swing and the merry-go-round with their able-bodied peers at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park's playground. ('Kids in wheelchairs now can swing with the rest with opening of inclusive playground', 22 August)  

This is the second inclusive playground after the first one was opened at Canberra Park in Sembawang in April this year. ('Playground in Sembawang caters to children with special needs', April 12) Such new facilities in Singapore is a great move towards the integration of children with special needs into the mainstream society. Greater opportunities are created for interaction between able-bodied children and those with special needs. 

As an adult with brittle bones, I had never been to a playground when I was a child. I grew up missing out on an important part of my life which is play. I felt very left out as a child when I watched my peers do their physical exercise in school. My peers were very careful in their interaction with me as they perceived me as very different from them because of my disability. 

Over the years as I travel around on a wheelchair, I notice that many children and even their parents are at a loss when they see me. Children would naturally question their parents the reasons for me using a wheelchair while parents would either adopt a silent approach or scold their kids for asking these questions. Many adults and children do not know how to respond when they see people with special needs despite Singapore being a wheelchair-accessible country.

While physical barriers can be gradually removed in our society, it is the social and psychological barriers that need to be tackled. Parents of children with disabilities need to understand that their children are just the same as any other child in their make-up. Children need to be encouraged to play with their able-bodied peers, to build a healthy self-esteem and to know that they are able to achieve to their optimal level in all areas; academically, socially, emotionally and physically. Over-protection of a child stunts his growth. 

Being an educator gives me the great opportunity to teach my students to interact normally with anyone with special needs. There is no taboo in a disability. Each of us is born with different looks, abilities and yet we are all valuable. Let our children with special needs learn to be comfortable in answering the genuine questions of their able-bodied peers. Let them be the example to the adults that no barrier exists where there is greater opportunities to interact in a simple facility as a playground.