Help for special needs youth to integrate into society from age 18

Pilot initiative aimed at addressing social service gap to take in up to 30 beneficiaries

- Chin Soo Fang

Young people with special needs can soon turn to a programme by Extra.Ordinary People to learn how to better tackle integration challenges after they finish their formal education at 18.

The charity's founders, Ms Wee Wei Ling and her cousin, Mr Wee Boo Kuan, hope the move will help to address this social service gap, with the launch slated in the first quarter of next year.

After leaving the safe confines of a special education school, those who need close supervision may be admitted into sheltered workshops, day activity centres or even kept at home.

The situation is often described as the "post-18 cliff", where due to limited opportunities of engagement and long waiting lists, they face possible social isolation and add to their caregivers' burden.

The Extra.Ordinary Campus programme, which will run full day on weekdays, will expose them to self-help and daily living skills, curated diverse experiences like company work visits, and social engagement opportunities.

The two-year pilot programme will take in 20 to 30 beneficiaries, who will be trained by about 10 special education trainers to prepare them for social integration and employability.

The fees will be around $180 to $200 a day, compared with a therapy session that costs from $150 to $300 an hour.