SINGAPORE, 23 November 2022 – A car accident while holidaying in New Zealand left Ms Jean Ling paralysed from the waist down. The then 31-year-old plunged into depths of helplessness as she worried about her future. But her faith was restored as she received support from her loved ones, and even found her other half in the process.
Though she now relies on a wheelchair to move around, her adventurous spirit never left her as she went on to try skiing and skydiving when she visited New Zealand again. The mother of two is now determined to defy stereotypes of persons with disabilities through participation in the UNLABEL campaign, organised by local charity SPD.
For the third consecutive year, SPD collaborated with local creative agency Societal to conceptualise a campaign that challenges the public’s preconceived notions about persons with disabilities. Just like how Jean continues to embark on different adventures despite her mobility challenges, persons with disabilities can do many things with the right support in place. The campaign urges all to focus on the passion and abilities of these individuals, rather than their limitations.
With the support of SMRT Corporation Ltd, posters of the campaign will be up at selected SMRT train stations and in-train panels from 24 November to 21 December 2022.
Besides Jean, the campaign will feature two other persons with disabilities – Mr Joshua Tseng, a public speaker who has vision loss, as well as Mr Mohammed Hussain, a craftsman who has polio.
SPD’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Abhimanyau Pal, said: “Attitudinal barriers such as stereotyping and labelling are one of the greatest challenges that people with disabilities have to contend with. There is much to be done to facilitate greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in the community. We hope that public education efforts such as our UNLABEL campaign can help to break down some of these social barriers that persons with disabilities face.”
Mr Kevin Geeves, founder and Creative Director of Societal, said: “It was a privilege to work with SPD on this campaign for the third year running. And, once again, it was great to be able to work with the champions of this campaign, who remind us not to take anything for granted. I hope the posters we’ve created help break down the stereotypes that people with disabilities face every day and continue to raise awareness of the importance of unlabelling those with disabilities.”
For more information about the campaign, members of the public can visit the website https://takeaction.spd.org.sg/ .