CNAToday-Dec 2
Positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Singapore’s workforce saw a decline last year compared to 2019, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said in a report released on Monday (Dec 2).
Only 50.6 per cent of those surveyed had positive attitudes towards PWDs in the workplace in 2023, a drop from 59.6 per cent in 2019. Simultaneously, those who felt negatively about them in the workplace rose from 9 per cent to almost 14 per cent. These findings were released in the National Council of Social Services’ (NCSS) Public Attitudes Toward Persons with Disabilities Study (PAS).
About 2,000 Singapore residents without disabilities were surveyed on their perceptions of PWDs in areas such as education, employment and other community spaces and public areas. The same trend can be seen in educational institutions and community shared spaces where there was a dip in positive impressions towards them. As a whole, positive attitudes from the public fell in 2023 compared to 2019. Although the study did not identify specific reasons, it found that public attitudes were associated with the frequency of contact.
Respondents who had contact with PWDs at least twice in the past year reported more positive attitudes compared to those did not, MSF said.
There was a 7.1 per cent climb in those who felt “neutral” during the same period. The study also looked at overall public attitudes according to the disability type – physical, intellectual, sensory and autism. People with autism saw the largest decrease in positive perception towards them, from 69.9 per cent in 2019 to 56.2 per cent in 2023. People who felt negatively about those with autism shot up to 9 per cent last year from 3.8 per cent. Negative sentiments towards those with intellectual and sensory disabilities also rose 2.4 per cent and 1.4 per cent. Positive perceptions towards those with physical disabilities saw a marginal fall of less than 1 per cent.
“Singapore has made progress over the years to become more disability inclusive. We hope for more persons with disabilities to experience better quality of life and greater opportunities to participate meaningfully in society,” Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Social and Family Development, Eric Chua said. “However, we must continue to raise public awareness, especially less visible disabilities, such as intellectual disability and autism, and foster inclusive workplaces”, Mr Chua added. Read more at:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/people-disabilities-attitudes-msf-ncss-report-4781301
