Standfirst:
When young people with disabilities leave school, many also lose the structure and opportunities that supported their development. Building lifelong inclusion requires connected pathways that sustain learning, wellbeing, participation and purpose into adulthood.

By Amanda Chen-Lee

The transition that exposes the gaps

For many families, a young person’s eighteenth birthday marks a hopeful transition into adulthood. For families of persons with disabilities, it can also bring uncertainty.

During the school years, education provides structure, routines, professional support and regular opportunities for social participation. After graduation, these supports may reduce significantly or become fragmented. Families must then navigate adult services, employment pathways, community activities and mental health needs, often without a clear roadmap.

This transition is sometimes described as the “cliff effect”. The person has not suddenly lost the ability or desire to learn. What has changed is the ecosystem surrounding them.

Singapore’s Enabling Masterplan 2030 recognises the importance of lifelong learning, inclusive employment and community living for persons with disabilities. These priorities are interconnected. A person’s ability to participate meaningfully in the community depends not only on whether a job is available, but also on whether there are continuing opportunities to learn, form relationships, express themselves and develop a sense of purpose. (What is EMP2030)

As an art therapist and arts educator working with persons with disabilities, I have observed that the question families ask is rarely only, “Can my child find employment?” They are also asking: “Where will my child belong? Who will understand their needs? How will they continue growing? What will give structure and meaning to their week?”

These questions should matter to all of us.

Inclusion is more than placement

Employment is an important part of adult life, but it cannot be the only measure of inclusion. The Ministry of Social and Family Development’s Disability Trends Report 2024 found that 32.7% of resident persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64 were employed in 2022 and 2023. (National Council of Social Service)

Improving this figure matters. However, concentrating exclusively on employment can unintentionally create another divide. Some persons with disabilities may require more time to prepare for work. Others may be capable of contributing through supported, flexible or nontraditional pathways. Those with higher support needs may not enter conventional employment at all.

A truly inclusive society must therefore recognise different forms of participation and contribution.

For one person, progress may mean learning to travel independently or communicating a preference. For another, it may mean completing an artwork, participating in an exhibition or earning income from a creative product. Progress can also include building emotional regulation, maintaining friendships or taking part in a community project.

These achievements may not fit neatly into conventional productivity measures, but they contribute to dignity, independence and quality of life. They can also reduce isolation and strengthen the confidence of both individuals and caregivers.

From activities to developmental pathways

Community arts programmes are sometimes treated as recreational activities: pleasant, enriching and optional. This underestimates what a thoughtfully designed arts pathway can accomplish.

Creative practice gives participants opportunities to make decisions, experiment safely, communicate without relying solely on words and experience visible progress over time. It can support emotional expression and social connection while helping individuals develop artistic and practical skills.

The distinction between an activity and a developmental pathway is important. A one-off workshop can create a positive experience, but sustained development requires continuity.

An effective pathway may include:

• Regular instruction adapted to the participant’s abilities and learning style

• Individual goals that are reviewed over time

• Opportunities to explore materials and develop a personal artistic voice

• Mental health support and appropriate referrals when clinical needs emerge

• Exposure through exhibitions, community projects and supported markets

• Opportunities to contribute to commissioned work or collaborative projects

• Feedback from participants, caregivers and partner organisations

Not every participant will become a professional artist, just as not every person attending a music or sports programme will pursue it professionally. The purpose is to create a credible pathway through which each person can develop as far as their interests and abilities allow.

Stewardship means designing beyond funding cycles

Many social initiatives begin with good intentions and a fixed funding period. The challenge comes when the grant ends, the corporate campaign concludes or the pilot programme reaches its final session.

Short-term funding can help test an idea, but human development does not operate according to a 12-month grant cycle. Trust takes time. Participants may need repeated exposure before they are comfortable in a new environment. Families may require time to understand a programme, visit the space and decide whether it is suitable. Persons with higher support needs may progress gradually and require consistent facilitation.

Steward leadership asks a longer-term question: What are we building that can continue beyond our immediate involvement?

This does not mean that every organisation must fund a programme indefinitely. It means that sustainability should be considered from the beginning. A resilient social programme may combine participant fees, subsidies, sponsorships, commissioned projects, artwork sales and partnerships with schools, businesses and community organisations.

A blended model also avoids placing the responsibility on a single stakeholder. Families contribute according to their means. Social service and disability organisations provide referrals and specialist knowledge. Businesses create platforms, purchase work or sponsor access. Artists and educators contribute mentorship. Community organisations provide spaces for participation and visibility.

The strength of the model lies in the relationships between these stakeholders.

Five actions organisations can take

Businesses and institutions do not need to establish their own disability programmes to contribute meaningfully. They can begin by examining how their existing resources, networks and purchasing decisions might support inclusion.

First, listen before designing. Include persons with disabilities, caregivers and practitioners in the early stages of a project. This helps organisations respond to actual needs instead of creating activities based on assumptions.

Second, support continuity. When funding a programme, consider a series of engagements or a developmental cycle rather than a single event. Consistency often produces greater value than scale alone.

Third, broaden the definition of opportunity. Inclusive employment is important, but organisations can also offer mentorship, exhibition space, commissioned projects, product collaborations and supported volunteering.

Fourth, pay fairly for creative contributions. When an artist with a disability contributes to a concept, artwork or event, that contribution should be recognised professionally. Inclusion should not depend on unpaid visibility.

Finally, measure what matters. Attendance numbers are useful, but they do not tell the whole story. Evaluation should also consider engagement, confidence, skill development, emotional wellbeing, caregiver feedback and continued participation. Singapore’s ongoing Disability and Inclusion Panel Study similarly examines areas such as employment, independent living, access to services and overall quality of life, reflecting the multidimensional nature of inclusion. (National Council of Social Service)

Building a place to continue growing

The goal should not be to keep persons with disabilities permanently within programmes. It should be to ensure that they continue to have choices, relationships and opportunities to develop throughout adulthood.

This requires us to move away from isolated interventions and towards connected ecosystems. Schools can prepare students for transition, but adult pathways must be ready to receive them. Families can advocate for their children, but they should not be expected to construct the entire pathway alone. Social organisations can provide specialised support, but they need committed community and business partners.

Stewardship begins when we recognise that inclusion is not someone else’s programme. It is a shared responsibility for the kind of society we are creating.

A young person’s development does not end when school does. Our commitment to that person should not end there either.

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Author bio

Amanda Chen-Lee is the founder and managing director of Art for Good, a Singapore social enterprise that uses art and art therapy to support mental wellbeing, inclusion and community connection. She is a certified and registered art therapist, senior art therapist and supervisor, and an MOE-AMIS-registered arts educator with more than a decade of experience in the social service sector.

Her work spans art therapy, inclusive arts education, community engagement and the development of creative opportunities for persons with disabilities. She has worked with children, young people, adults, seniors, caregivers and community partners across schools, health care, disability services and social service settings.

Amanda is particularly interested in what happens when young people with disabilities leave the structure of formal schooling. Her current work explores how sustained visual arts learning, accessible mental health support and community participation can form a continuing pathway into adulthood. This includes creating opportunities for participants to develop their artistic abilities, exhibit their work, contribute to collaborative projects and engage with the wider community.

She believes that meaningful inclusion requires more than isolated activities. It depends on long-term collaboration among persons with disabilities, families, educators, practitioners, businesses, funders and community organisations. Through her practice, she advocates for participant-centred programmes that recognise different forms of progress and contribution while supporting dignity, agency and a genuine sense of belonging.

Young people with disabilities need more than short-term interventions when they leave school. Sustainable inclusion requires coordinated pathways that continue developing their abilities, confidence, wellbeing and participation throughout adulthood.