Asian Resource Center
Asian Federation on Intellectual Disabilities

Star Raft Award 2015
星槎賞The winners
Transforming Passive Learners to Active Creators with 3D Technology
APSN Tanglin School Singapore

The Learning and Experience of Independent Living Overnight Event for
Persons with Intellectual Challenges
Parents' Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability, Taiwan

Learning beyond Walls
CHAOYANG SCHOOL ( APSN ), Singapore

4 th , Oct, 2015

What does “Seisa/ Star Raft”?
There is an old Chinese story. A young man in a period under strict national isolation dared togo out and see the world. When he returned he saved his country with the knowledge and experiencehe gained abroad. It is said that his raft arose from the sea and traveled across the sky. A raft oflogs of different lengths tied together with a strong rope. The word “Seisa” is composed of two
Chinese characters, “Sei” is the “Star” character. “Sa” is the “raft” character.
It is hope of Seisa Group to be your Raft with the spirit of “Living Together”.

Transforming Passive Learners to Active Creators with 3D Technology
APSN Tanglin School Singapore
Introduction
Intellectual disabilities vary in degree and effect from person to person, just as
individual capabilities vary considerably among people who do not have an intellectual
disability. Albert Einstein said it best, “Everyone is a genius. But, if you judge a fishby its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole live believing it is stupid.” Persons
with intellectual disabilities are able to successfully perform a wide range of jobs, andcan be reliable workers. The types of jobs persons with intellectual disabilities are able
to perform will depend on individual strengths and interests. At APSN Tanglin School,
we believe that students with intellectual disability are able to engage in life-longlearning, meaningful work and productive living. This is accomplished by building
their competence in the academic, social and vocational domains; shaping theircharacter

toreflect

responsible

andactive

citizenshipandfostering

healthyconnections with their peers, school, family, community and society. Competentstudents who have character and robust social connections will be able to contributeto their own positive development as well as promote advances in the various layers of
their social world. Information & Communication (ICT) permeates almost every aspectof life, offering vast opportunities both in work and play. We believe that any individual
persons with an intellectual disability can be part of the equation.
Summary of Activity
The 3D Technology Programme at APSN Tanglin School is designed to engage
students in designing and prototyping ideas that involve technology. It is a projectbased ICT domain that anchors on design action, and the application of knowledge andprocess skills. It aims to leverage on technology to develop students’ ability to workwith geometry and designs, and at the same time exposing them to industry
experiences that could enhance their job possibilities.

The Learning and Experience of Independent Living Overnight Event for
Persons with Intellectual Challenges
Parents' Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability, Taiwan
Since 2009, Parents' Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability, Taiwan(PAPID, Taiwan) started to organize a 2-day-1-night event with local associations for
persons with intellectual disabilities from different areas in Taiwan every year. In
this overnight event, persons with intellectual disabilities leave from their families,and stay with other members with intellectual disabilities and supporters whom theymight not meet before. They learn how to deal with their own daily life things bythemselves, such as brushing their teeth, washing their faces, getting dressing,making their beds, and so on. Also, they learn how to cooperate with their teammembers to reach the goals in the event. Every year, PAPID sets different points inthis event for the participants both of persons with intellectual disabilities andsupports to learn and experience. Furthermore, in order to change the image of thisgroup, and describes the actual situations of their cognation, PAPID gives a newname which is called ‘persons with intellectual challenges’.
After several years, a few participants want to challenge more. They would like tolearn how to be organizers. They would like to know how to make an event. They
expressed their willing to take the tasks as organizers, not only to be participants. In2013 and 2014, when PAPID planed this event during the preparation, the organizers
also included a few persons with intellectual challenges. In 2013, one young man
challenged to be as a worker as other staffs in the event. He attended the meetings in
the process, and he took some responsibilities as other staffs. Even he felt difficult
sometimes and needed supports to complete the tasks; he said he was happy to crossthe first step. The next year, more persons with intellectual challenges tried tochallenge as workers in different parts and levels in the process.
However, even being participants, they have different tasks in the event. They may
play a role as being a leader or co-leader in their teams, they have to take care toeach other and help each other. Besides, as the example in 2014, the participants
challenged to prepare their own dinner without fire and gas. Preparing food is one of
the important skills for living independently. However, many parents worry about thesafety, so thus they avoid their children who with intellectual disabilities to use gas
or fire to prepare food at home. In this event, the participants tried to experience theprocess; including distinguishing what kind of food they have to buy, how muchamount they have to buy, how to wash and deal the food before make it to dishes, howto clean after finishing cooking and eating. In the full process, they didn’t only learn
how to prepare food; furthermore, they also learned how to select the fresh food, how
to eat healthier, and how to use money.
The multiple purposes were designed in the event. Each participant learned andexperienced different levels and parts naturally during the 2 days. Some of theparticipants have said, ‘Finally, I feel I am as an adult. I can do something in my own
life.’

Learning beyond Walls
CHAOYANG SCHOOL ( APSN ), Singapore
School-Community Partnerships
Chaoyang’s partnership framework encompasses meaningful collaborations between
school and community partners to support and enhance teaching and learning. Theactivities planned are geared to meet the social, intellectual, and emotional needs ofthe students.
A. Partnership with mainstream school – Presbyterian High School ( PHS ) and Raffles
Girls’ Primary School ( RGPS ) The partnership with mainstream schools hinges on a
symbiotic relationship. The student councilors from PHS planned and executed acomprehensive leadership training programme for CYS prefects and the girls from theGifted Education Programme of RGPS planned and conducted a 10-week Buddy
Reading Programme for the P3 students of CYS.
Volunteering at CYS opens their hearts to empathize with pupils with special needs;
making them Future Leaders with HEART and our students in turn, gain the muchneeded integration and interaction with other segments of students.
B. Partnership with SPARKZ ( a volunteer group )SPARKZ, a volunteer organization, has helped create opportunities for our students’
growth through contributing learning opportunity and resources to enhance student
outcomes. For the last 15 years, they have continuously assisted the school in
educating the students. They established a “minimart” in our school to facilitate theteaching of budgeting skills, created the facilities ‘Sparkling Me’ to train pupils in thearea of self- hygiene and grooming under, and liaise with commercial outlets( Candylicious ) to create opportunities for our students to use their budgeting skills
in an authentic environment.
C. Partnership with Candylicious
Candylicious supports our pupils learning by providing an authentic environment forthem to practise budgeting and show care by shopping for family. The company alsosponsors tokens that serve to acknowledge pupils who live the school values. Global
Learning - Student Exchange Programme to New Delhi, India
SPARKZ also initiated the Academic and Cultural Exchange Programme to India( ACE ). Each year for the past 10 years, 15 to 20 children are selected for the 10-day
ACE programme to New Delhi, India. Prior to the trip, the children attend a 10-week
preparatory session. Activities are crafted to ensure that they are both emotionallyand socially ready for the event.
The ACE programme serves as an excellent platform for our students to practise
lifeskills and self-help skills away from the safety-net of their care-givers. The renewed
selfconfidence with which they carry on their daily activities after returning from India,
is a testimony of the success of the ACE programme.
Students on ACE are involved in the following activities;
looking after their personal needs
prepare to attend classes at host schools,
go on learning journeys and make friends
Leverage ICT for connectedness with families in Singapore through blogging andvideo-conferencing
Upon their return, the students share their experiences with the rest of the school - anopportunity to hone their presentation skills.
The highlights from the ACE programme were the opportunities to have tea with theformer President of India Mr. Abdul Kalam, Vice-President, Mr. Ahmad Ansari, thethen Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Sonia Ghandhi.
They all marvelled at the level of confidence shown by the pupils.