The heart of Bukit Merah, a neighbourhood rich with history and diversity, is home to Enabling Village, an integrated community space in Singapore that emphasises universal design and accessibility, social innovation, training and employment for persons with disabilities. A stone's throw from Redhill MRT Station, Enabling Village is managed by SG Enable, Singapore's focal agency for disability and inclusion.

Enabling Village represents a fresh approach to social businesses and community building by combining retail, lifestyle and training for persons with disabilities in an all-accessible public space.

Now, it is expanding its inclusive footprint. In line with SG Enable’s vision of “Inclusive society, enabled lives”, the development will see a new four-storey extension at the site that is slated for completion by the end of 2024. SG Enable is also opening up 15 units spanning 431 to 6,997 sq ft (40 to 560 sq m) each for inclusive lifestyle and innovation concepts such as F&B operations, family enrichment, wellness and recreation.

Exciting developments in a prime location

The new extension will see Enabling Village emerge as a focal nexus seamlessly bridging two major arterial roads — Jalan Bukit Merah and Redhill Road. This will expand the catchment area to include Redhill residents and the workforce in Jalan Bukit Merah.

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“The surrounding amenities and connectivity to other parts of Singapore enhance the overall appeal. The imminent improvements and upgrades planned for Bukit Merah by the government — including a revitalised town centre, increased green spaces, new sheltered walkways, and the opening of two new MRT stations — are set to transform the vicinity into a bustling hub, further elevating its appeal for forward-thinking enterprises,” says Desmond Sim, CEO of Edmund Tie.

Increasing importance of diversity, equity and inclusion

As a strategic partner of Enabling Village, local bank UOB has been a private-sector catalyst for inclusive hiring, working with companies to raise their awareness of and to generate interest in the hiring of persons with disabilities.

Noting that businesses should be aware of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as consumers become more conscious of these values, Gan Ai Im, managing director and head of group wholesale marketing for UOB says: “We have seen through our own experience how disability-inclusive hiring can bring up productivity, foster a strong culture of collaboration and lead to lower attrition. This means that hiring persons with disabilities brings about sustainable business outcomes, if companies know how to go about it.”

She adds that UOB has launched an initiative, The Unlimited, to collaborate with public and people-sector partners. “We have been actively engaging our corporate clients, business partners and other organisations to share best practices. The multiplier effect of more companies hiring persons with disabilities will have a positive economic, commercial and social impact, so we hope more companies will join us to create meaningful employment,” she shares.

Dr Sky Seah, senior lecturer and academic director at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Real Estate, echoes the view that embracing DEI would provide a competitive advantage for businesses, especially at an age where social responsibility is gaining traction amongst discerning consumers. “These are not simply corporate slogans they pay lip service to but are values that consumers, especially Gen-Zs, embrace and identify strongly with. Gen-Zs will be the ones who will support business with values that align closely with theirs, and this will reverberate across earlier generations as well.’’

Harness disability-inclusion ecosystem for tenants new to inclusion

SG Enable’s senior director for employment and lifelong learning Emily Ong says the village was conceived as a ground-breaking initiative dedicated to integrating persons with disabilities into our society.

"Over the past nine years, Enabling Village has evolved into a tangible expression of what an inclusive Singapore can look like — a place where individuals with and without disabilities interact seamlessly, learn from one another, and create a more inclusive future together."

She adds that one of the core aspects of Enabling Village’s model is its role as an incubator and testbed for new inclusive business prototypes and accessibility features, having pioneered several first-of-its-kind initiatives in Singapore, such as the first inclusive gym and preschool.

She explains: "Enabling Village is a springboard for businesses to be innovative and forge meaningful connections. Unlike traditional landlords, our tenants or prospective tenants can benefit from a collaborative and inspiring tenant community and supportive ecosystem with SG Enable’s dedicated support for inclusive hiring, marketing, and accessible infrastructure.’’

Anthea Neo, assistant director for community outreach at Mount Alvernia Hospital, says that the tenant community, persons with disabilities and their caregivers have benefited from the close partnership with SG Enable. “We selected Enabling Village for our first Mount Alvernia Outreach Clinic as we wanted to be part of an ecosystem that makes public spaces all-accessible and all-inclusive, and are grateful for this long-standing partnership with Enabling Village,” Neo adds.

Partnering inclusive tenants to progress even further

One of the first tenants with the largest footprint at Enabling Village is not-for-profit charity Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) or ARC(S). Enabling Village has opened up many doors for the charity to achieve its mission of serving children and adults on the autism spectrum. ARC(S) operates three successful initiatives here at the village, which include social enterprises The Art Faculty and Professor Brawn Café, as well as the Employability and Employment Centre (E2C) that provides adults on the autism spectrum with employability training and job placement and support. E2C is also home to worksites in collaboration with partners such as the National Library Board and Eden + Elie.

Jacelyn Lim, executive director of ARC(S), says: “Enabling Village provides a conducive and nurturing environment where the public, private and people sectors can come together to create meaningful outcomes. Regular events organised by SG Enable have also helped to promote greater awareness to our cause and showcase the different abilities in the community.”

For instance, to drive vibrancy and footfall, Enabling Village organises public events such as the annual Enabling Lives Festival. The 2023 edition of the four-day festival featured over 30 immersive experiences and workshops by inclusive businesses and partners.

Within the village, like-minded businesses have also teamed up to amplify their impact to the community. An example is the Stroke Support Station (S3), Singapore’s first centre that provides stroke-focused rehabilitation and wellness programmes whilst supporting their caregivers.

Ng Rei Na, executive director of Stroke Support Station, notes that being a tenant has given S3 the opportunity to interact and partner with tenants who share its vision for inclusion.

She adds: “We successfully co-created initiatives such as an animal-assisted therapy pilot for stroke survivors with Equal and engaging children from Kindle Garden, Singapore’s first inclusive preschool, for community engagement activities.”

Paving the way forward for a more inclusive Singapore

One successful project that has benefited from Enabling Village’s ecosystem is SG Enable’s collaboration with Tribe Tours. The collaboration created a pilot employment model for persons with disabilities to be employed within the tourism and hospitality industry, starting from a 1.5-hour walking and wheelchair-friendly tour of Enabling Village led by guides with disabilities.

Tribe Tours’ managing partner Law Yock Song says that such initiatives have helped to dispel misconceptions about disabilities and promote inclusion. “It is heartening to see how participants gain empathy and insights through such positive exchanges, enabling us to drive strong impact and positive results for the disability community together.’’

Another project to enhance the offerings at Enabling Village is a pilot indoor/outdoor wayfinding project for persons with visual impairment developed by SG Enable and its strategic partner, Hyundai Motor Group (HMG).

Enabling Village provided HMG with a “living lab” and inspired the firm’s motivation to do more for disability inclusion.

HMG adds: “Observing the eagerness of individuals with disabilities to acquire diverse skills and actively participate in society has been profoundly inspiring. Our partnership has sparked a wealth of new ideas and initiatives aimed at enhancing accessibility, promoting inclusivity, and creating a more supportive environment for individuals with disabilities in society.”

As a microcosm of an inclusive society, Enabling Village envisions a future for Singapore where persons with all abilities are embraced from young. This is evidenced by Singapore’s first inclusive preschool, Kindle Garden, which has been instrumental in shaping young minds and advancing practices relating to early childhood education, with a pedagogy and curriculum that are accessible by children of all abilities.

Dr Shirley Soh, assistant director of early childhood and inclusion at Kindle Garden, says: “We appreciate the heterogeneity of our tenant-neighbours here and SG Enable, who have contributed to the holistic learning of our children. Inclusion requires an intrinsic desire to embrace diversity, and we look forward to shaping more inclusive young minds and hearts with like-minded partners so that we can build a brighter future together.’’

Businesses interested in joining the Enabling Village’s tenant community can participate in the Request for Proposals process. The deadline for Innovation and Lifestyle Cluster is Feb 29, 2024, with the application for selected units under Lifestyle Cluster remaining open until May 31, 2024.

For more information on units available at Enabling Village, visit https://www.sgenable.sg/about-us/tenders/rfp-tenancy.

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