During the camp, which ended on Wednesday (March 14), the children learnt about empathy and tried to get a better understanding of each other’s differences through activities and games specially designed for them. For instance, all the children had to get on the floor, including those in wheelchairs, and draw an outline of each other’s bodies.

There was also a “role reversal” game, where abled children were blindfolded and their peers with special needs took the lead to get through an obstacle course together. Superhero Me co-founder Jean Loo, 34, said that this helps those with special needs to show that they “do not need to be the ones being helped all the time”.

The special needs children, who attended the camp for free, were identified by Superhero Me’s partners — namely special education centres Awwa School, Pathlight School, Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore School and Rainbow Centre. The rest of the children paid S$50.

Supporting the event were philanthropic organisation Lien Foundation, the Enabling Village and the TODAY Enable Fund.

In a 2016 survey on inclusive attitudes, the Lien Foundation found that only three in 10 respondents agree that Singapore is an inclusive society, with the key reason being a lack of opportunities for social interaction.

The results also showed that only one in 10 Singaporeans are confident of interacting with children with special needs, while one in four parents of children with no development conditions said that their child has friends with special needs.

Ms Loo noted that children with special needs often mix with others with similar disabilities as well, and the camp was thus an ideal avenue for children from various backgrounds to interact and make friends.

It was targeted at lower primary children because, at that age, they “are more aware” of their sense of self and “attitudes can still be shaped”, she explained.

June 2019

(August 9 - 19, 2018)

This story was first produced as part of an advanced reporting module to Sweden, 2014