207 SPICE Groups (Environment - Wk 8) by JL Ang

Answers to vid pre-module questions

2019-05-15 00:41:19 UTC

1. Do you think that social experiments like this one should be carried out in secondary schools? ANS: Yes. Nowadays, most teens aged 13-16 are on the phones 24/7, having little to no social interaction outside of school. By having social experiments like this, we are encouraging teen students to come out of their shell more often and have more interactions with people from all walks of life. This could promote an inclusive community within Singapore, with everyone learning from each other, leading to a brighter and better Singapore.

2. What can you do as an individual to bring about an inclusive community in your neighbourhood? ANS: As in individual, and as a student, I think that I can take the initiative to organise some small-scale events for my neighbours, to get us all together and out of the house, mingling around and having fun. For example, a lot of my neighbours have dogs, and so do I. Thus, my mother and her neighbours who own dogs usually meet up at the park, while their dogs are playing, and they enjoy a lively chat session. The bright smiles on their faces are unparalleled to anything else I have ever seen. From this example, I can see that events do indeed bring out an inclusive community.

Pre-module

7114180308 — 2019-05-15 00:41:27 UTC

1) We think social experiments like this should be carried out. Currently, the relationship between the older generation and youths is rather poor; communication between them isn’t often carried out. With social experiments like this, more youths can get to know the older generation better, and vice versa. More stereotypes and stigma surrounding the other would be broken, and a warmer, more united community can be achieved in Singapore.

2) As an individual, we can work towards an inclusive community by trying to remove the stigma around certain people or topics by not reacting negatively when these things are brought up. We can also try to treat everyone equally and provide everyone with the same respect and care. This will ensure that everyone feels equal and included into the society, and if every individual worked towards this, our society would be an inclusive one.

3) The segregation in Singapore between the public made people keep their disabled family members at home or in institutions, as well as their own personal shame, fear and/or helplessness. The few support services, and much less job openings for the disabled added to their doubt, along with the lack of understanding by Singaporeans in general.

4) the majority of Singapore lack understanding towards the disabled, feeling uncomfortable interacting with the disabled. Most are willing to share public spaces with them, but not interact with them. This attitude roots not from prejudice, but instead uncertainty and ignorance.

5) The government needs to do more to promote inclusion (urgently). The best way to change mindsets of the disabled is through interaction, by creating ways to facilitate meaningful interaction between people with and without disabilities. This can help correct misconceptions and break the stigma surrounding disabled people. More talks could be held at schools, offices, etc. to raise awareness on disability issues. The government has already held many talks, created a website, and launched a disability awareness campaign to raise awareness, promote inclusion and inform the public on the ways to communicate and interact with disabled people. Programmes to pair disabled children with non-disabled children, to give them opportunities to interact. Already, a charity started Singapore’s first inclusive pre-school, where both disabled and non-disabled children learn and play alongside each other in the same classroom. They get along naturally, without fear or hesitation, no discrimination between them. Research has shown that this would help children learn to interact with those who are different from them, promoting positive self-esteem, confidence and leadership skills through positive interactions. More of such initiatives can promote a truly inclusive society within Singapore.

6) individuals can take more initiative to initiate interaction between themselves and individuals with disabilities. E.g. visit institutions and schools to better understand them and correct misconceptions, etc. We as individuals should be less quick to form judgements or assumptions of others, including the disabled; instead we should take a moment to think and make an effort to actually understand and empathise with them. Ignorance and uncertainty are the roots of the segregation in Singapore. If we all made an active effort to reach out to them more and understand them, a more inclusive society can be built.

joleeruien — 2019-05-15 00:46:23 UTC

3. What prevents people from letting others know about their disabled family members? ANS: fear of being a social outcast, unaccepted by society. There were also few reasons to go out as there were few support services, much less job openings, for the disabled, compared to what is available now.

4. What attitude do the majority of the people have towards the disabled in Singapore? ANS: Singaporeans feel uncomfortable interacting with the disabled. Parents are also uncomfortable about their child having to sit next to one with special needs in class.

5. What can the government do to help change the perception of people towards the disabled? ANS: plan more diverse activities that the disabled can also participate in

6. Besides the government, what can individuals do to build a more inclusive society? ANS: We can learn to not judge people and accept them for who they are. Perhaps it’s a bit too much to ask for an inclusive society, but we can slowly get there by recognising that they are not much different from us and that they have abilities and talents too.

An unexpected friendship

alinahyl22 — 2019-05-15 00:50:27 UTC

1. It can be a programme that people can sign up for. It is more suitable for extroverts though.
2. Help whoever needs help, (ask before you help) interact with neighbors, smile at people you see

71141800441 — 2019-05-15 00:50:29 UTC

-can be carried out in secondary schools to make the students gain the experience, but secondary school students may be busier with the schedule and dont have ample time to interact with the elderly, causing elderly to have a worse impression of teenagers, so we’re not very sure if it should be carried out or not considering the pros and cons.
-interact with neighbours such as chatting with them, invite the closer neighbours to eat etc and not just shut the door and stay in my own house

Pre module: video

7114180281 — 2019-05-15 00:50:46 UTC

1) We think that social experiments like this should be carried out. What Uncle Bill said isn’t wrong, as nowadays, the youths are always on their devices, or always looking at their screens. There is hardly any interaction with the younger generation and the older generation. If more social experiments are carried out, there will be a smaller gap between the two generations, and the older generation may be more accepting to technology as well.
2) As an individual, i can organise small scale events that may bring the two generations closer. If not, i can talk to the older generation more and not just ignore them everytime, and help them more when i see that they are in difficulty. I can start with my neighbours, and talk to them more often, instead of always just acknowledging them.

7114180173 — 2019-05-15 00:52:28 UTC

Q4. What attitude do the majority of the people have towards the disabled in singapore?

A majority are still uncomfortable interacting with the disabled. Many families kept their disabled children at home or at institutions, away from the public out of shame, fear and helplessness.

7114180173 — 2019-05-15 00:52:51 UTC

Q5. What can the government do to help change the perception of people towards the disabled?

The government can educate the public to raise awareness of disability issues, and they can promote inclusion so the majority will accept people with disabilities. The government can host disability awareness campaigns to teach the public on how to communicate and interact with people with disabilities.

2019-05-15 00:53:59 UTC

Q3) People are embarrassed by their disabled family members, and they feel shame, fear or helplessness. They might fear judgement because most people do not have pleasant reactions when they see the disabled. For example, they might stare at them for a long time which might make both the disabled and their family members uncomfortable.

Q6) I think that individuals can search up and learn more about the conditions of the disabled and try to gain more understanding of their situation. We can also volunteer to help out at homes for people with disabilities and see what it is really like to live with a disability rather than believe in what people tell you.

“An Unexpected Friendship” Video Reflections

7114180174 — 2019-05-15 00:56:51 UTC

1. Yes, but probably not during exam periods. We think that this would be good as this can help both young and old to better themselves and close the ever widening generation gap.

2. Individuals can initiate more conservations with their fellow community members, and be more proactive in interacting with them.

“An Unexpected Friendship” Video Reflections

7114180174 — 2019-05-15 00:56:51 UTC

Pre Module (Reading News Articles)

2019-05-15 01:00:43 UTC

3) Many families keep their disabled children away from public sights out of shame, for or helplessness.
4) The attitude that the people have for the disabled in Singapore is that many Singaporeans feel uncomfortable interacting with the disabled which makes the disabled feel shut out from society. Most Singaporeans also lack the understanding of these disabled.
5) The government can organise more activities which can give the disabled and the other Singaporeans a chance to interact with each other. Also, pairing mainstream schools with disability schools can give Singaporeans a chance to grow, learn and care for each other. It can also teach the children to not discriminate the children with disabilities from young, making it normal to interact with the children who have disabilities, easing them into the society.
6) Individuals who grew up with the mindset of staying away from the disabled can try to get past their comfort zone and try to interact with them even if it might not feel comfortable and it might even feel awkward at first. As time passes, we will soon get to know them and will no longer feel uncomfortable when interacting with them. We should try to make the first step, taking initiative to close the gap between the disabled and the rest of Singapore.

alinahyl22 — 2019-05-15 01:13:00 UTC

3. Those family members are ashamed and fearful of letting others to know that they have disabled in their families. On the other hand, they are also trying to protect the children from discriminations of the society.
4. we do not mind to have them around us, but we are not willing to interact with them.
5. Provide more jobs for the disabled to let people see that they are ‘able” and not a burden. They can also provide more opportunities for people to interact with them.
6. Don’t discriminate, have an open mind.

An unexpected friendship

2019-05-15 01:13:41 UTC

1. Yes, we think that this should be carried out in secondary schools. The elderly and teenagers both have stereotypes about each other that are not always true. By having this social experiment carried out, they will be able to have real life interactions, and possibbly change their opinions about each other.

2. We can smile at everyone, and treat everyone equally with a good attitude. We can go out more and meet people, and also try to included everyone in what we are doing.

News article reflection

2019-05-15 01:37:39 UTC

3. People might prevent people from knowing about their disabled family members because of fear of shame from the public, and they might be outcasted.

4. Majority of the people want to stay away from the people with disabilities. They are uncomfortable with interacting with people with disabilities.

Cluster

7114180308 — 2019-05-15 01:38:55 UTC

1) The Indian lady thought chinese were arrogant due to her primary school experiences. The children of the chinese family thought Indians were scary, and disliked them.
2) Besides racial barriers there are religious barriers, age barriers, gender barriers, etc. As well as barriers between disabled people and non-disabled people.

pre module

182165e1_11 — 2019-05-15 01:46:05 UTC

CHARIS

Yes, social experiments like this should be carried out, we can interact with different types of people and have a change in perspective. An inclusive community aims to eliminate discrimination and seeks respect for everyone. As an individual, I can be empathetic towards others and make time to get to know my neighbours and look at life through their perspectives. I can also take a strong stance against all forms of discrimination to cultivate an environment of acceptance. People fear others knowing about their disabled family because they do not want to be looked down on. The government can create activities or opportunities that facilitate meaningful interaction between people with and those without disabilities. This can help correct misconceptions of the disabled and cause the people to have an open mindset, not judging them before getting to know them first. Inclusion in society needs to be upheld and supported by people who are inclusive within. Thus, everyone in the community should have an inclusive heart towards people with disabilities and appreciate them for who they are.

ZHI LING

I think that such social experiments should be carried out as it is an eye-opener to other people’s opinions and it gives us opportunities to interact with people from other ethnic groups to see their opinions. As and individual, I can first try to get to know my neighbours better and develop a closer relationship with them, before maybe helping the organising committee to organise community events. Know your community better will allow better relationships and understanding within the community. Some people are worried that others will look down on them if they have a disabled family member. I feel that majority of the people are actually quite accommodating towards the disabled in Singapore, however, there are of course those who think that they are a lot better and tend to look down on the disabled. I feel that the government could hold talks spread the knowledge about people with disabilities, and could explain what their disabilities are, and while they are disabled, they can still get around with some activities by themselves. Individuals could be a bit more understanding and patient towards the disabled, and maybe could read up on the respective disabilities, before trying to help them.

PHOEBE

I think social experiments like that one should be carried out, since it gives us the opportunity to interact with people from different age groups and with different cultures/beliefs. As an individual, encouraging people to actively participate in community activities would be a start. (eg. potlucks, festivals, etc)

they may do so out of shame, embarrassment, fear, or helplessness. majority of the people in singapore accept the disabled, but they do not understand them on a greater level. I don’t think that just allowing/accepting them in a public space is enough. the government is currently doing quite a lot to raise awareness about the disabled; schemes, setting up resource centres, making more care models, etc. for individuals, research would be the ideal way to get information on who the disabled are and how we should interact with them, and how not to offend them. first hand experience would be a good way as well; going for volunteer programmes to help these communities is a good way to learn more about them, especially on a personal level.

Workshop questions

joleeruien — 2019-05-15 01:47:20 UTC

1. The Indian lady thought the Chinese were arrogant and the Chinese thought that the Indians didn’t bathe and don’t eat meat.
2. Gender stereotypes, age stereotypes, sexuality stereotypes.

alinahyl22 — 2019-05-15 01:48:00 UTC

1. Some stereotypes chinese have towards the Indians are:
They come from India
They never bathe
they are scary
This leads to the Chinese not liking the Indians and barely making friends with them.
The Indians think that the chinese are arrogant.
2. Age, sex, religions, disabilities, class

Environment module

2019-05-15 01:48:53 UTC

Stereotypes of chinese:
Arrogant, mean and rude.
Stereotypes of Indian:
Dirty(never bathe), scary, all Indians in Singapore are born in India
Other barriers prevent society from being inclusive?
Habits that our races/parents taught us, which encourages us not to go near people who have a different skin tone from us
Not having enough platform for us to communicate with each other.

Video: the house guest

7114180281 — 2019-05-15 01:48:54 UTC

1) The Chinese boy thought that Indians were scary. They also thought that they were not Singaporean and came from India. The Indians thought that the Chinese were arrogant.
2) Old people stereotypes, people with disablities, people from different class, gender stereotypes.

182165e1_11 — 2019-05-15 01:49:50 UTC

1. indian to chinese:
arrogant
chinese to indian:
scary (???)
2. misconceptions about others, assumptions made with lack of evidence

alinahyl22 — 2019-05-15 01:50:44 UTC

3. the elderly faces ageism and prejudices. Their voices are not heard by people.
4. Empathise with them, care for them, allow them to voice out their opinions and thoughts.

The House Guest Reflections

7114180174 — 2019-05-15 01:51:58 UTC

1. The Indian lady thought that the Chinese were arrogant, while the Chinese kids thought that the Indians were scary.
2. Lack of understanding and awareness about the other cultures, and lack of interaction with one another.
3. Awkwardness between the elderly, and us, or the language barriers. The time that we are there is also a factor.
4. Be patient and try our best to interact with them

Video: the house guest

2019-05-15 01:52:18 UTC

The Indian lady thought that the Chinese were arrogant, because she did not have good experience with the Chinese when she was in school. The Chinese boy thought that the Indians were scary, because of their skin colour and differences.

The other barries may be because people stay at home usually, and do not really go out. Therefore, if they do bnnot go out and meet people of other races and religions, they would not understand other people’s culture. Therefore, it might be a bit hard for an inclusive environment if we don’t understand about other races and religion.

7114180308 — 2019-05-15 01:52:19 UTC

Scroll down teachers

2019-05-15 01:52:33 UTC

1. I feel that this experiment can be carried out in the secondary schools as an activity or project that the students can sign up for.
2. We can try to get rid or stereotypes and they to bridge the gaps between different people so that the we can have a more inclusive community
3. So of the family members might be too protective as they are afraid that their disabled family member will face discrimination and be left alone. They might also be ashamed as some people might look down on them because of their disabled family member and make fun of them.
4. Most people think that the disable are useless and very troublesome as they need people to do things for them and always help them, so Singaporean’s tend to ignore the disabled and make fun of them.
5. The government can provide more jobs for the disabled and allow them other people to see that the disabled are not that useless and can still contribute to the community.
6. We should face everyone with an open mind and ignore the stereotypes. We can also ty to interact with them and this can help build their self esteem also.

182165e1_11 — 2019-05-15 01:54:49 UTC

182165e1_11 — 2019-05-15 01:54:51 UTC

3. stereotypes, misconceptions. no opportunities for general public to interact with special needs kids that much. finances are also a problem.

4. spreading awareness about special needs, interacting with them more, being understanding

Barriers

7114180325 — 2019-05-15 01:55:00 UTC

Stereotypes
- The indians think that the Chinese are arrogant
- The chinese kid thinks that indians are scary

What other barriers:
- skin colour
- age

Barriers faced by the community in ComEd:
- Different interests between students and elderlies, do not have a similar topic to talk about.

How may these barriers be overome:
- Understand what elderlies are interested about, and try to know more about it so that we can talk to them about the same topic

Barriers/challenges faced

7114180281 — 2019-05-15 02:04:53 UTC

Social barriers
- discrimination
- misunderstanding/misconceptions
- dont get accepted easily
- difficulties in communication

2019-05-15 02:06:22 UTC

I feel that our ComEd groups, the elderly, face some discrimination. So if the younger generation feel that the erederò is useless especially those with difficulty walking and those that have dementia. The younger generation think that the elderly is very troublesome to take care of as their movements are slow and we have to do many things for them. Sometimes, when the elderly talk, they might have difficulty mouthing the words and some of the teenagers might just blow up and lose their patience and shout at them to talk faster. This willl hurt their feelings and lower their self esteem.

what barriers or challenges does the community in your com ed face in their environment?

2019-05-15 02:06:28 UTC

The community we are serving is the elderly, and we think some of the barriers between them and the environment is language and age. Some elderly can only speak dialects, which not a lot of young people know now a days. The elderly and the environment also have different interest, possibly because of the difference in age. Now a days, everything is digital and online, but some elderlies do not know how to use the internet. This results in different interests and lesser things to bond over.

Barriers

7114180308 — 2019-05-15 02:07:34 UTC

Discrimination
Misconception
Stereotypes
Stigma
Appearance
Communication
Lack of opportunities for interaction

182165e1_11 — 2019-05-15 02:08:13 UTC

still look down on them unconsciously, accept but not understand, both physical and social and intellectual disabilities (already hard for them to blend into society without other factors) discrimination, misconceptions and false information spread, ignorance of the special needs kids' needs or etc, some schools (and some families) need financial aid as well

Challenges Faced

2019-05-15 02:08:36 UTC

I think that the community in our ComEd face more challenges than the average person. The first is inclusivity. Many of the people in our society, though they don’t admit so, are judgemental. We judge the way people look, dress, walk, or talk. Many of us see children of special needs as inferior, as a lesser being. This is reflected in our daily actions. For example, if we were to see a handicapped woman selling tissues at the MRT station, we wouldn’t meet her eye, instead opting to walk away. Children at the playground also tend to ignore children that are so-called “different” from them, making fun of them for being different, making the children who are left out feel lonely and unwanted. Furthermore, they also face problems in their day-to-day activities, having trouble holding things, or even a simple task of showering or pouring water into a cup. Even though we might take these things for granted, it is not a given to each and every one of us.

Barriers

2019-05-15 02:08:55 UTC

I think that for the non-physical environment — us as students who visit them. At times, there are language barriers as there are some elderly who only speak and understand dialect or they speak in jumbled English. It makes it hard to understand what they are talking about and makes it hard to communicate with them

7114180281 — 2019-05-15 03:50:19 UTC

Question 4 and 5

2019-05-15 03:53:35 UTC

How can we meet the current or future needs of the community that we are serving?

- we should maintain an organised area and to limit distractions this helps special needs children from feeling overwhelmed by their surroundings

- We could try to break down instructions of certain announcements and make them simpler to help these special needs children understand better

- We should treat them like a friend, as though they do not have such disabilities so they feel welcomed and a part of us instead of sticking out and excluded.

- We will encounter more of such students as 13%of of all public school students are receiving special education services. Out of these students, 34% had specific learning disabilities.

- We can try to teach and engage them with a more sensory approach to interest them more

- The special needs schools support 5500 students with moderate to severe disabilities, it is not uncommon to meet such students

What are some of the implications of the solutions you have generated? Would any of the solutions impact other groups in the community

- breaking down of the instructions may seem boring to those with a higher standard of understanding at they might lose interest on what is being presented to them

- It takes everyone’s effort to have an organised surroundings, thus may come across as a haste to those people who are clearing up the place.

- Sensory teaching style may not be useful to those with physical disabilities as they may not be able to participate in such activities

poster

7114180388 — 2019-05-15 04:00:08 UTC

182165e1_11 — 2019-05-15 04:02:11 UTC

what makes ppl poor:
economical and financial gaps
unwillingness to help others

who's responsibility is it to help:
everyone's

why they are invisible:
usually dont see poor ppl living on the streets but there are still ppl doing that :( ppl are also unwilling to help poorer people due to lack of connection

what can we do to help:
talking and communicating
empathise
raising awareness

Post workshop question 5 and 6

joleeruien — 2019-05-15 04:05:00 UTC

5. How can we meet the current or future needs of the community you are serving? ANS: we can create something that can be adjusted so that the MINDS kids can grip it.

6. What are some of the implications of the “solutions” you have generated? Would any of these "solutions" impact on other groups in the community? ANS: this solution will also impact on people who have shorter fingers

joleeruien — 2019-05-15 04:11:37 UTC

182165e1_11 — 2019-05-15 04:15:34 UTC

5. How can we meet the current or future needs of the community you are serving?
I think that we can educate the public about the challenges and barriers of people in our community. There could be simplified technology for the people with special needs so that they would be able to get around with their lives more easily, than having to figure out which button does what. and build more facilities such as wheelchair friendly facilities at MRT stations and overhead bridges. The tactile guidance system does tend to get slippery when wet, so maybe it’ll be better for it to all be made of synthetic rubber.

6. What are some of the implications of the “solutions” you have generated? Would any of these "solutions" impact on other groups in the community?

The people with special needs may feel a bit insulted by the fact that they are using simplified technology as they may think that we feel that they are less capable or something.

182165e1_11 — 2019-05-15 04:30:33 UTC

Post-module

alinahyl22 — 2019-05-15 04:54:06 UTC

1. the class divide. The rich makes those who may not be poor poor. (Produced poor)
2. It should be everyone’s responsibility in a society to help them, but apparently not
3. These Singaporeans are usually ignored by us and some people find them disgusting. They have no social position thus are invisible.
4. We can talk to them, buy their items, help them. This will make their day better.

alinahyl22 — 2019-05-15 04:56:01 UTC

5. We can help them by caring for them and talk to them.
6. Like going to their house and talk to them, organize activities to interact with them, etc. No, it would not impact other groups negatively.

71141800441 — 2019-05-16 04:01:12 UTC