Ms Cassandra Chiu

Cassandra, 45 years old, is the Executive Director of K9Assistance and President of the Disabled People’s Association (DPA). She is a strong advocate for disability empowerment and has spoken at key international events where she showcased Singapore’s progress in disability inclusion on the global stage. She was also the first Southeast Asian woman with visual impairments to be recognised as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.  She was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease at the age of eight and experienced progressive vision loss which led to blindness.

Cassandra was nominated by the DPA.

Alan, 60 years old, is Vice President of HWA and a key member of dbEnable, Deutsche Bank’s staff network, where he spearheaded change to create a more inclusive workplace culture for employees with disabilities. At HWA, Alan led upgrading works for its IT infrastructure, which allowed the organisation to continue delivering rehabilitation, home care, transport and social services to beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was born with cerebral palsy, which impairs his mobility, balance, posture and speech.

Alan was nominated by Deutsche Bank.

Andrew is a Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) Specialist with Equal Dreams and leads curriculum development as well as creates holistic programmes, which bridge cultural and linguistic gaps between the Deaf and hearing communities. Seen as a prominent role model, Andrew achieved a key milestone for the Deaf community in 2008 when he coined the term “Singapore Sign Language (SgSL)”, which was later cemented as the official name for the local sign language. He was born deaf.

Andrew was nominated by Equal Dreams.

Husnah, 34 years old, is an Inclusion Ambassador with DPA, who has contributed to over 50 disability awareness and inclusion talks, forums and consultations. She was diagnosed as autistic at 23.

Husnah was nominated by Mr Shalom Lim Ern Rong.

James, 23 years old, is a Team Singapore Para Athletics Athlete who has won silver medals for the nation in the Men’s T13 200m and 400m sprints at the ASEAN Para Games in 2023. He was diagnosed with visual impairment at the age of nine. When past a close distance, James can only mainly see rough shapes and structures, and has having trouble identifying details.

James was nominated by the Singapore Management University.

Carole, 47 years old, is a fervent advocate for disability awareness and has contributed to multiple campaigns that champion inclusive fashion and shed light on social barriers faced by persons with disabilities. She is a quadruple amputee who was diagnosed with gangrene following septic shock caused by a burst ovarian cyst.

Carole was nominated by the Singapore Fashion Council.

Nicholas, 20 years old, is a Para Swimmer who has amassed more than 35 medals from countless local and two international swim meets. He was diagnosed with autism at two and continues to explore verbal and non-verbal methods to communicate with others.

Nicholas was nominated by Ms Tan Ching Ting Denise.

Guan Yi, 27 years old, is an alumnus of Pathlight School and recently graduated from the Singapore University of Social Sciences with a Bachelor’s Degree with Distinction in Social Work and Political Science with Distinction. Guan Yi aspires to be a research analyst who contributes to academia and policies in the disability sector such as the Enabling Masterplan 2030. As an Inclusion Champion with SG Enable, Guan Yi also advocates for a more inclusive Singapore through various community outreach and public speaking events, during which he shares his lived experiences in special education and transition to mainstream curriculums. 

He was nominated by Autism Resource Centre (Singapore).

Yu Xiang, 30 years old, is a dynamic advocate for inclusivity and is also known by his stage name Sky Shen. Passionate about connecting mainstream and marginalised communities, Yu Xiang leverages multiple mediums including writing, hosting, performing and livestreaming to raise awareness about disability inclusion. In 2024, he composed a theme song March On, in support of the Singapore Paralympic Team. He was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of five.

Yu Xiang was nominated by ART:DIS.

Max, 37 years old, is a Paralympian and Team Singapore Equestrian who has represented the nation at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. He also represented the para-sports community at the 2023 International Paralympic Committee Athletes Forum in Incheon, Korea. Max is also collaborating with SG Enable to launch mentoring programmes, job-shadowing opportunities and upskilling initiatives to widen employment prospects for persons with disabilities. He was born with cerebral palsy and had initially taken up horse riding as a form of physiotherapy.

Max was nominated by Ms Ong Yan Fen.