“When I was a teenager, I chose to focus on sports instead of my studies. I naively thought I could have the best of both worlds – oh the ignorance of youth! I did well in swimming (representing Singapore in Malaysia, China and Australia) and bowling. In 1996, I was also honoured with the Singapore Disabled Sportswoman of the Year Awards but I messed up my ‘O’ Levels. Years later, I decided to head back to school to do my post-grad studies. I remembered my mum’s advice – she always told me that if I wanted my efforts to pay off I’ve to be 1000 per cent committed towards what I wanted to achieve, just life how I used to apply myself in sports. I guess mum’s right!”

“In my early days as an advocate for the disabled, I felt strongly that access for persons with disabilities was overdue, and single-mindedly fought for non-discrimination. Prudence and patience are hard lessons that I’ve learned over the years. I remain steadfast towards advocating for equal opportunities, but I now believe that there is a right time for everything, and understand that there are greater forces that need to be aligned for things to take off.”

“In the past, I tended to trust individuals and small groups that kept within their own silos. Over time, I realise that people have their own agendas, as do I, and these don’t necessarily coincide all the time. I now appreciate the solidarity of a larger group of people working towards a common goal, as such frameworks can help to keep individual egos in check.”

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