Recce @ Edgedale Plains

Finally some good weather after an entire week of rain. Decided to check out a school site with C.

Recently we had registered C for EIPIC programme with special school. The waiting period for a placement was typically between 6 months to 1 year. This decision came after our futile search for a home-based teacher. Placing him in a special school was not what I had in mind but the chances of a preschool taking him in was low. Nevertheless, I had not given up yet thus the hunt for a school within close proximity. Locating a preschool accessible by his power chair meant winning half the war. All I needed to do next was to convince the principal.

Starting point: Punggol Field Walk
Destination: 121 Edgedale Plains
Foreseeable challenges: Pedestrian crossing, curbs
Potential roadblock: Unknown as this was an unexplored new estate.

Ease of accessibility: 4 out of 5. Levelled pathway from point to point.
Sheltered from point to point: 1 out of 5. The entire route from basketball court to pedestrian crossing to drop-off point at Edgedale Plains was not sheltered. At Edgedale, we took the unsheltered garden pathway as well instead of going from block to block (unsure if the blocks were linked and if there were curbs), this was a direct route to site.
Facilities for stopovers (diaper change/milk feeds): New housing estate with no nearby amenities/facilities. Plenty of benches at the playground and garden though.
Crowd observation: Friendly and helpful. A group of youths at the park smiled, commented C was cute. I was approached by a foreign worker at the pedestrian crossing, asked if I needed help crossing the road with C. On our way back home, another boy admired his power chair and remarked C looked super relaxed on his chair.
My 3yo's opinion: Scary to cross the road and some places were bumpy because of the road surface.
What I think: It was stressful helping C cross the road. I had to steer his chair, watch over him and the traffic at same time. The countdown for the pedestrian crossing was short (IF I remembered correctly it was 30 seconds or less. Would verify again). We drove on 2nd gear and made it across just in time. Temporary pathway next to the construction site was slightly narrow, too near the road and cars. Apart from the pedestrian crossing, we were required to cut through a driveway (with 2-way traffic) and a drop-off point to the estate. Needed to stay full alert watching out for vehicles coming from different directions. The new estate was a mosquito breeding ground too. We were brutally attacked and came home with numerous huge swells.
Overall experience: 3 out of 5

A Sweet Moment To Share

Last night after I tucked C in bed and sang our lullaby, I drew close to peck him on his cheek.

"Wait!" he interrupted as he shuffled to free his hands then raised it in the air.

"Come closer Mommy" he asked.

As I went near, C wrapped his arm round my neck and tightened his grip.

He then cheekily whispered, "Good night! Don't let the ants bite. And the bugs too...."

Recce @ Punggol Plaza

Quoted in Enabling Masterplan 2012-2016, "...it aims to build a more inclusive society where persons with disabilities are supported across their various life stages and aspects of daily living to realise their fullest potential and to be contributing members of the society."

I had never given much thought about social inclusivity, much less understood the significance of it until I became a special parent. Things that we took for granted on a daily basis, be it pathways we stepped foot upon; the curb of a road divider; transport to get from point to point; stairway leading to an office building; buttons of a lift etc. Things or issues that we would never kill our brain cells over unless they pose an inconvenience to our lives, were hurdles to the physically challenged. I learnt it first hand.

I was reluctant and nervous about bringing C further away from home for many reasons, just to name a few:
i) Being stranded during out of power / breakdown situation;
ii) At higher risk for accidents;
iii) Inaccessibility and unable to get to destination;
iv) Situation where child was unable to drive due to fatigue / illness;
v) Milk pump battery and/or supplies at risk of running out during all of the above scenarios.

There was no Dummies Guide to rely on, no Google map on fool-proof (handicapped) route to take and no nearby.sg search for the nearest wheelchair user for assistance. The numerous concerns traveling alone with a special child on powerchair (fyi the vehicle required 1-2 strong men to barge) were very real.

For now, the only way to find out what to expect was to test out each route & destination, expanding the distance covered. So here's our first recce:

Starting point: Punggol Field Walk
Destination: Punggol Plaza & Wet Market
Foreseeable challenges: LRT lift and crowds
Potential roadblock: LRT lift out of service. Need to proceed to nearest pedestrian crossings at two ends of road. However, only one of said crossings was feasible for use as the other involved going up and down curbs. This would be further explored in next blog post as route leads to another recce place.

Ease of accessibility: 4 out of 5. There were adequate ramps and lifts for use. Some paths were narrow so it required experienced maneuvering.
Sheltered from point to point: 5 out of 5
Facilities in mall for stopovers (diaper change/milk feeds): No diaper room
Crowd observation: Mostly friendly. We did encounter impatient folks who tried to overtake and not give way especially while taking lifts. The handicapped and folks with other form of medical condition were generally friendlier gesturing "hello", giving flying kisses and smiles. The wet market operators were most open to conversations.
My 3yo's opinion: It was a bit difficult to drive because I bumped into things and people
What I think: Paths leading to LRT lifts were narrow and only allowed for one stroller / wheelchair to pass. It would be difficult to do a 3-point turn coming out from lift when there was a crowd hence most times I had to take control of chair to avoid causing a jam. We were unable to enter most shops due to space constraints but given that this was a small neighbourhood mall so it's not critical.
Overall experience: 4 out of 5