Born with deformed limbs, she pushed for disabled access in Singapore to help those with disabilities

Judy Wee was born with deformed limbs, but she never let that stop her from doing what she wanted. She loves water sports, learnt to cook and clean as a child, studied at mainstream schools and started a consultancy to improve disabled access in Singapore’s built environment.

An avid swimmer, she won a gold medal in the 1989 FESPIC Games (Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled) in Kobe, Japan, the precursor to the Asian Para Games. She also took part in the first ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2001.

“I love water sports,” she told CNA Women at the Muscular Dystrophy Association Singapore (MDAS) office in Bishan. “I’ve done canoeing. I’ve done water skiing. I’ve done sailing. I believe that sport is important, regardless of whether you’re able or disabled. But more so if you’re disabled, right?”

Wee, 62, is the Executive Director of MDAS and founder of LevelField Consultants, which provides counsel to architects and developers looking to improve access.

Her dedication in campaigning for an accessible and inclusive environment has led to significant changes for those living with disabilities. In 2023, her work was recognised at the 5th Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards.

While she is grateful for such accolades, she is wary of being labelled an "inspiration". “I don’t like to be called an inspiration. I’m just living my life. I’m not here to inspire anyone,” she declared.

To be clear, she does not have muscular dystrophy – her condition is a congenital defect – but has spent the past 16 years heading awareness campaigns and designing programmes for individuals and families affected by the illness.

Though wheelchair-bound now – she switched to using one in 1994 on a more regular basis – Wee can still walk short distances with the aid of her walking sticks.

Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder that causes muscle weakness and degeneration over time, affecting mobility and other basic functions, and can start in childhood. It comes in many forms and no cure exists yet.

The MDAS supports 150 members, or about 500 if you include their families. “Many years ago, doctors would tell parents that their affected child would die before reaching adulthood. Today, we see more of them live to their thirties. But we’ve not seen anyone in Singapore living beyond that.”

Wee wants her members to lead meaningful, dignified lives, no matter how short. Sports, with its physical, mental and social benefits, is one way of doing so.

“I always tell disabled people that it doesn’t mean that sport is not meant for you. “[Sport] is believing in your abilities. It builds confidence. It builds character. Like everyone else, if you put in the time and effort, you can do well.”

‘I DIDN’T GROW UP THINKING I WAS DISABLED’

The middle child of a middle-class family – she has an elder sister and a younger brother – Wee’s life journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.

“I was actually quite deformed [at birth]. My hands were deformed. My legs were deformed. So I guess it was quite a shock [to my parents],” she related matter-of-factly. “But after the initial shock, and the necessary surgeries and therapies, life had to continue on.”

Wee was unable to walk in her early years as her legs were not strong enough. It was only much later, with the aid of walking sticks, surgical boots and other implements, that she was able to move around.

Her parents sought to normalise her growing up years. They didn’t restrict her from doing anything; they simply told her that she was different. They didn’t mollycoddle her either. Like her siblings, she too had to learn to do household chores, including cooking and cleaning.

“I didn’t know what disability was,” Wee said. “I didn’t grow up thinking I was disabled.

If her parents had simply done everything for her, then she would not have learnt how to use her hands, she said. “I was born without thumbs, but I can still pick things up and do things. Being able to do things and finding a way to do things was the most important thing that helped me.”

Her lust for life is palpable; her energy, infectious – that much was evident throughout our 90-minute conversation. For her 21st birthday, she had a disco-themed party complete with a mirrorball, strobe lights and smoke machine. “I love to dance!”

A CULTURE SHOCK

For all her positive experiences growing up, nothing was to prepare her for the shock of entering the working world. With her O-Level certificate in hand, she tried finding employment but she came up against brick wall after brick wall.

Employers, she said, wouldn’t consider her abilities because they couldn’t get past her disabilities. “It took me forever to get a job. It was very frustrating.”

At that time – in the late 1970s – disabled people were also not “seen” in the public sphere, primarily because of the inaccessibility of the built environment.

From public transport to office buildings and public facilities, spaces were ill-equipped to cater to the handicapped. Employers couldn’t fathom how they’d be able to get to work, let alone navigate around the workplace.

Eventually, Wee landed her first job at Singtel, answering phone sales enquiries. It was 1980, and she was 19.

She spent the next three decades working there. Along the way, she completed her tertiary education via a scholarship programme, graduating from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a diploma in computer studies. 

“I always appeal to employers, when they have a person with a disability applying for a job, give them their first job, because they need the experience.

“They need to know what it’s like. Nothing beats having money and being financially independent. When they learn to do things by themselves, it builds confidence. Without a job, their parents will forever treat them like children.”

ADVOCATING FOR DISABILITY ACCESS

Discontent with the shortcomings of the built environment, Wee was determined to turn the status quo on its head.

Her resolve was strengthened after attending a conference in Vancouver, Canada, in the early ’90s. There, she observed firsthand how wheelchair-bound people moved about with such ease.

Following that, she and a few of the associates at the Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA) – where she was a board member – wrote letters to different ministries around the world asking for their building codes and environmental accessibility protocols. “We decided it was time to look at how we could make Singapore accessible.”

Her relentless drive saw her and her HWA friends hitting the streets every weekend to identify and assess areas where access could be improved.

Eventually they gathered enough data to build a strong case, and began discussions with the Public Works Department (PWD), now the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).  

Wee would often meet with architects and developers who wanted to execute the provisions properly. This sowed the seeds for her own consultancy, which she started in 2007.

FORGING AHEAD

While Singapore has made significant strides towards becoming accessible, gaps still remain, particularly when it comes to societal attitudes towards persons with disabilities.

Wee’s advice? “Treat us as you would anyone else. If we need help, we’ll ask for help. If you think we need help, you can ask whether we need help. Just don’t pretend you didn’t see us.

“And don’t talk about disability as if [it’s a bad thing]. Some people will [tell their children], ‘If you’re naughty, you’ll end up in a wheelchair’.”

Organisers of events like pasar malams (night markets) should also be aware of accessibility issues, she said, pointing out two failings – the lack of accessible portable toilets and the prevalence of heavy-duty cable trunking on floors and street surfaces, which impede movement

“Inclusion” is a trigger word for Wee. “I don’t like the word ‘inclusion’ because it’s been overused. Inclusion must include participation. You might say that you’re inclusive, but then I don’t get to play, I only get to watch other people play. I want to play too; I want to be able to do things that everyone else gets to do.”

She also hopes for more reforms in the education sector. “I wish that one day, they will co-locate special needs schools with mainstream schools, or at least in the same vicinity, so that students can transfer classes [between the schools].”

And if the disabled students need additional support, they can return to their particular special needs centre to get it. Those who cannot cope with mainstream education can continue with their own education. But those who can cope, she said, should attend mainstream schools.

“I’m sure there are many mainstream students who are also slow. Just study together! They might rub off on each other. If you see how others are, you might be motivated to do better.”

Wee’s own parents pushed hard for her to get a mainstream education. They enrolled her in CHIJ Opera Estate Primary School, and later in CHIJ Katong Convent.

Walking to and from school from her home in Kembangan helped her build her upper body strength. She also had to navigate chairs and lift herself up onto chairs.

School was her chance to integrate into society early on. “A mainstream education is where you get to fight your battles, you learn how to be independent, how to study, how to be like everyone else.

“If you want a person with disabilities to thrive in a society, then you should put them into society as early as possible,” she said.

The Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund (GCTEF) is a community fund that aims to provide persons with disabilities the opportunities to actively contribute to society and lead socially integrated lives through 3As: Providing financial Aid, supporting Aspirations and conferring Awards to recognise the achievements and potential of remarkable individuals.

The Fund is administered by SG Enable and supported by Mediacorp. ESM Goh Chok Tong is the Patron of the GCTEF. To support persons with disabilities through the GCTEF, visit GCTEnableFund.sg. Nominations for this year are ongoing and will close on July 17, 2024. For more information, go to GCTenablefund.sg/goh-chok-tong-enable-awards