SG Enable, the focal agency for disability and inclusion in Singapore, is gearing up for the fifth edition of the Enabling Lives Festival (ELF), running from 6 to 7 December. The festival, which is a signature event organised by SG Enable, will expand its reach across the island with over 55 programmes hosted at cultural venues, landmark attractions, and community spaces.
This year, the festival is themed ‘Celebrating Inclusion and Abilities’ and welcomes new partners, including Children’s Museum Singapore, Science Centre Singapore, and The Ascott Limited, joining returning collaborators such as Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Dialogue in the Dark, Gardens by the Bay, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, and Punggol Regional Library.
The event will bring together over 80 partners, reinforcing the ‘Would You Care?’ public education campaign’s ethos to look beyond disabilities and recognise individuals’ aspirations and talents.
The main festival hub, Enabling Village, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, a milestone that will be marked with a new four-storey extension. The extension introduces exciting new tenants and facilities, which were showcased during a media preview we attended.
Among the highlights is The Eyecare Village by Eyeviser, Singapore’s first inclusive primary eyecare centre, featuring accessible equipment and spaces for persons with disabilities and other underserved communities.
Additionally, MS Academy by Music Solutions is Singapore’s first purpose-built inclusive music school, offering a preview of their ‘Discover Music as a Scene Investigator’ musical mystery programme during the festival.
For water enthusiasts, Little Splashes Aquatics will offer a preview of its inclusive family water experience with a guided water session in Singapore’s first fully inclusive heated indoor pool.
Neurodivergent children can explore the Circuit of Confidence: Run, Connect, Grow! @ InSchool, which previews the school’s enrichment programmes designed to build motor skills and social confidence.
The new i’mable Collective Space on the second level of the new extension is an integrated experiential showcase with a retail space, gallery, studio, and café.
This space, which enables creatives with disabilities to gain visibility for their work, will host workshops like the Secret Message Candle Workshop and a Soap Making Workshop. Visitors can relax at Postboy Coffee within the space and shop unique products.
Another unique experience available is Silent Studio 2.0, where Deaf photographer Issy offers silent portrait photo sessions, reflecting on non-verbal interaction.
Within the main hub, the popular i’mable Collective Market returns with over 40 makers, featuring handcrafted gifts from inclusive partner brands, social enterprises, and caregiver-led businesses. Festival goers can also shop for year end gifts from vendors such as AusomeSuds, Thaddino, and A Piece of Mine.
The anniversary celebration at Enabling Village also collaborates with ART:DIS to showcase the talent of artists with disabilities. These include interactive art installations like ‘The Listening Skin’ and ‘Tracing Presence’ , and performances such as ‘One of Us’ and ‘Echoes of Us’, which celebrate connection through music and dance.
Beyond the Enabling Village, partners across Singapore offer meaningful opportunities for the public to support and connect with the disability community.
- Children’s Museum Singapore is hosting an inclusive storytelling session of ‘Grandpa Yeh’s Journey South’ with sign language interpretation , as well as the multisensory performance ‘Superhawker Me!’.
- At Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, The Singapore Association For The Deaf will host a Song Signing 101 Workshop.
- Gardens by the Bay offers the ‘Sensory Garden Walk’ guided by visually impaired docents , and ‘Discover the Wonders of Gardens by the Bay’, a sensory tour with 2.5D and 3D printed miniatures for the visually impaired.
- lyf Bugis Singapore is the starting point for a wheelchair friendly tour of the Bugis precinct, curated by Ngee Ann Polytechnic students.
- Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Dialogue in the Dark Singapore is offering an all new tour through parks and busy streets, guided by a blind host, which encourages participants to rely on non visual senses and appreciate accessibility.
- Science Centre Singapore presents two inclusive programmes: ‘Solar Appreciation’ using specially equipped telescopes , and ‘Discover Science Through Different Lenses’, where facilitators with disabilities lead hands on activities.
Festival goers can shop handcrafted gifts, explore creative art installations, participate in hands on workshops, and support inclusive performances.
