Towards a fair and inclusive society : unfolding the views of Singaporeans towards persons with disabilities (PWDs) with regards to public transportation

• Main Author: Wong, Andrea Ting
• Other Authors: Laavanya Kathiravelu
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/69995
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Previous studies in Singapore have focused largely on ‘hardware’ enhancements, i.e. tactile floorings and ramps, as tools for inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). However, little has been done to examine how ‘heartware’, i.e. attitudes and perceptions, can affect PWDs’ ‘right to the city’. This paper seeks to examine and reveal the attitudes and perceptions Singaporeans have towards PWDs on public transportation and how these views affect PWDs’ right to the city – exclusion and/or inclusion. This paper also seeks to examine if different disabilities, i.e. physical, sensory, developmental, intellectual and mental, are perceived and accepted differently. Through the use of in-depth interviews and ethnographic participant observations, I discovered that PWDs are still stigmatized and the extent of stigmatization differed with one’s disability. This study also revealed that people’s attitudes and perceptions of PWDs generally affected the success and support of policies implemented for them.