By Denise Phua, Member of Parliament, Jalan Besar GRC and President of
Autism Resource Centre (Singapore)
To Participants of Deaf-initely No Excuses Run, part of Singapore SAFRA
Sheares Bridge Run and Army Half Marathon
Mr Thomas Tan, Chairperson of today’s Deaf-initely No Excuses Run 2007
Ms Judy Lim, Executive Director of the Singapore Association of the Deaf
My dear friends,
I am not deaf nor have I any special need, so many people assume I am ‘able’.
But today many of the deaf runners have proven they are more able than I am.
They ran the half-marathon that I am not able to. Hence, I personally dislike the
term ‘disabled’ to describe those amongst us who are different and have
special needs.
To all you runners, I say you are able and definitely BOLEH!
I am deeply encouraged by your coming together at the Deaf-Initely ‘No
Excuses’ Run today. I am especially proud and honoured to be part of the
movement to call upon Singaporeans to make the effort to include the deaf in
mainstream Singapore life, especially in the employment area.
"Deaf-initely Boleh!" means "The Deaf Can!"
Many deaf students, after successfully completing their studies, enter the job market facing many hurdles in their
employment. A number of them are under-employed, taking on jobs that demands lower than what their real potential can be.
Many of the hurdles deaf people face are due to closed minds and a lack of awareness that the deaf like many hearing
people, are just as able to contribute at the workplace, IF they were given a chance to show what they can offer.
Very often, what it takes is an employer and colleagues who are receptive and willing to take the effort to make some
accommodations at the workplace – accommodations such as a creative and simple redesign of the job process and
alternate communications mode such as the use of email/sms text instead of the phone. So to the employers, I fully echo the
Deaf community’s call of NO EXCUSES to remove the employment barriers they face.
To the Deaf Community: No Giving Up!
To the deaf community, I want to say “NO GIVING UP”. The talented Marlee Matlin, hearing-impaired Oscar Award Winner
once said,
“Every one of us is different in some way,
but for those of us who are more different,
we have to put more effort into convincing the less different
that we can do the same thing they can, just differently.”
So no matter what anyone in the hearing world tell you, don’t give up paving the way for yourselves or those who come after
you.
American writer, Russell Davenport, once said this:
“Progress in every age results only from the fact that
there are some men and women
who refuse to believe that what they knew to be right
cannot be done.”
To all my deaf friends here, you know what is right and you have refused to believe that what is right cannot be done. So,
continue to exercise courage, speak up and transform minds.
I congratulate all of you for having participated in this run.
We’ve still an even more significant run ahead of us - a race that will transform Singapore further to a country of character
and love. I want to run that race with you. Let’s never give up.
Denise Phua, 26 August 2007
