Enhancing Quality of Life Through Work: the Conversion of a Vocational Rehabilitation Program for Adults with Disabilities in Singapore

ABSTRACT

Many adults with disabilities in Singapore receive employment opportunities in center-based programs that are operated by voluntary welfare organizations. One of the purposes of center-based programs, such as work activity centers and sheltered workshops, is to prepare adults with disabilities to graduate beyond their current placements to programs where greater opportunities for community-based employment exist. This article describes a Singaporean agency's successful attempt to provide innovative services that departs from traditional center-based practices for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. A new service paradigm [a person-centered approach] was applied to reframe and convert a vocational rehabilitation program to emphasize quality of life through respecting and enabling individual choice, aspirations and strengths. The conversion process and its outcomes are described in the article