A disabled person does not drive a car. A disabled person does not travel overseas frequently. A disabled person cannot be academically inclined. A disabled person cannot play sports. Simply put, a disabled person cannot live an independent, integrated life, right? Wrong. Prepare to throw these general mis-conceptions down the rubbish chute.

Meet Ms Judy Wee. She was born with deformed limbs. Today, the Assistant Account Manager at SingTel drives up to clients' offices for meetings. Used to her new clients' initial "I am so sorry, I didn't know" expressions, Judy takes it all in her stride.

"They are not staring at disability. They are staring at difference, like how we stare at someone with pink hair," she said. "I consider myself lucky because I learned to accept my difference at an early age." Despite her positive outlook, life has not been a bed of roses. She fought frustration, pain and discrimination.

Judy recalled her first day of school. Unlike other children, she did not cry. She just could not walk. While her classmates at CHIJ Opera Estate walked and ran freely, Judy had to be carried around. In time to come though, through sheer determination, Judy learned to walk. With a smile, she shared her philosophy to life. "It doesn't matter how a task is done. What matters most is that we find our own way of accomplishing what we set out to do."

Overcoming one hurdle, Judy was faced with another. Upon completing her primary and secondary education, she enrolled herself for accounting classes hoping to secure a job performing accounting duties. At that time this seemed like a lost cause. Many employers immediately assumed that Judy lacked work potential because of her disability. But Judy did not falter. She kept herself occupied by giving tuition and helping out with the household chores at home. In her own small and yet meaningful ways, she helped dispel the myth that disabled people are dependent on, and cannot be depended upon.

Judy's break came when she finally landed a job as support staff at SingTel. But like everyone else she had hopes and aspirations for herself. With the aid of a Training Award from SingTel, she pursued a three-year diploma course in Computer Science and graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 1997.

Today, besides holding a demanding and challenging job at SingTel, Judy is also president of the Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA). She is constantly on the go, driven by the hope that someday, disabled people will become an integral part of the community.

Tracing back to 1986 when Judy was first a member of the Executive Committee at HWA, she said, "This opened my eyes and heart up to people whose lives were not as fortunate as mine." The realisation that there were others with more severe disabilities fuelled Judy. She made a promise to herself: To help better the lives of other disabled people, through integration into mainstream society.

The turning point came some six years later, when Judy attended a conference in Vancouver, Canada. Removed from the Singapore disability scene, Judy's hungry mind compared and absorbed the disability facilities in Canada. Judy was greatly impacted by the ease at which disabled people like herself moved around. Even now, one can sense a tinge of excitement as Judy speaks of ramps, motorized wheelchairs, and accessible buses and train systems.

Also, Judy began reminiscing about the past when she spent Sundays at Changi Beach with her family. She said, "When I am in the water, there is no need for wheelchairs or walking sticks. There are no environmental barriers!" A statement not to be taken lightly. It provides insight into how even as a young child, Judy was not just free spirited. She strove for independence. This tin seed of quest for independence has today blossomed into Judy's personal interest in striving to improve accessibility features for the disabled.

Ever since, Judy has been playing a critical role in drafting papers on disability facilities in new buildings. But she is quick to add that, "enhancing accessibility features for people with disabilities never ends." As someone who thrives on challenges, she is currently studying ways to improve accessibility features for the visually impaired, in particular.

If you think Judy's achievements stop here, think again. In 1991 she was awarded the National Youth Award for excellence in community service. And does Judy feel that society supports and maybe even applauds her contribution? The answer to this becomes obvious when she elaborates on the Kazuo Itoga Memorial Prize, a prestigious award that was presented to Judy in Japan last year. What more needs to be said when her hard work and dedication are recognised even in the international arena.

Established since 1997, this prestigious award is presented to one local and one international person every year, for their contributions in improving welfare for the disabled. As a ray of light guiding other people with disabilities within and beyond Singapore, Judy has truly earned the highly regarded Kazuo Itoga Memorial Prize.

Canada, The United States, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia. These are only a few of the many countries Judy has visited. And if you flipped through her photo albums you wouldn't find scenic shots of the Niagara Falls or Mount Fuji. Instead, what you will find are photographs that capture Judy's efforts towards her cause. This includes conducting training sessions on accessibility for disabled people in various countries.

Besides conducting training sessions, in other ways too, Judy brings meaning to the saying, "If there is a will, there is a way." For her it is no tall order enjoying and even participating in sports. Up to date she has participated in the Far East South Pacific Games for the Disabled, the Yamagata Games and the Malaysian Paralympic Games. And as expected of Judy, she has brought home a few medals.

As an individual with disability, Judy strives to be more than just a case study in moral education books. She believes in herself and especially in her fellow members at HWA. This comes to light when she encourages them to do something for themselves today, so that tomorrow they can lead more meaningful lives. Lives where others wouldn't wear first-time expressions that say, "I am so sorry, I didn't know." Instead, their expressions would read, "I know and I accept your difference."


Taken from Rapport, Jan - Mar 2001