Kio

Kio (乔, kío), meaning “Bridge” in Hokkien, aims to foster meaningful interactions between People-with-Disabilities (PwDs) and People-without-Disabilities (PwOD) by tackling activities together.

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Inspiration

There have been significant efforts put in by voluntary welfare organisations and the government alike to address the issues faced by the PwDs. Examples include the Assistive Technology Fund which subsidises the purchase of assistive technology devices that enable independent living, a wide range of employment support schemes for PwDs, as well as MSF’s recent plan to pilot the development of Enabling Business Hubs (EBH), which seek to provide employment and on-job-training to PwDs.

While a lot of attention has been drawn towards solving the pain points of PwDs, some of these solutions have shortcomings that weaken their effectiveness.

What it does

As a platform that encourages greater interaction between PwDs and PwODs, Kio deploys a three-pronged approach in alleviating the challenges faced by PwDs:

  • Empower PwDs to integrate into their community by lowering the barriers for community contribution and inclusion: Community and Recreational events are opportunities for PwDs to contribute back to the community and form strong interpersonal relationships with their communities, complementing the goal by the Government to foster a strong “kampung spirit” in all neighbourhoods across the island.

  • Improve public awareness and perception towards PwDs: With opportunities to interact with PwDs, we break the stigma that PwDs are “different” from them. Ultimately, Kio aims to normalize interactions between PwDs and PwODs.

  • Enhances existing initiatives for PwDs: Kio builds on existing initiatives for PwDs by private and government organizations in Singapore. Community and Recreational events can easily include activities and initiatives by these organizations. For example, MYMCA’s Big Sweep home improvement initiative had previously experienced a lack of volunteer manpower, despite the similarity to its sister initiative Habitat for Humanity. By partnering with these VWOs, we hope to add value to their initiatives and help them reach the wider community.

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